Bush 2019

[Fran Haring]

4 hours ago, JohnZ said:

 

coincidentally, watched the Coke 400 race here over the weekend, postponed until Sunday due to the rain - on Sunday they had a situation where there were storms in the area not directly affecting the track, but their rule is any lightning strikes within 8 miles results in an immediate 30 minute delay.  if another strike occurs within that 30 minutes, the clock recycles.  Lightning does not have to be overhead to be dangerous.

 

That is pretty much the same rule at the Annapolis stadium, and at other venues.

That 2012 Annapolis situation... I commuted to the venue that weekend from my home in the Baltimore area. Left during the second long rain delay Saturday (since I wasn't working prelims). Maybe 15 minutes away, the rain stopped, and no lightning or thunder, for the rest of my way home. 

But Sunday for finals....no rain at the venue, but on my way home it started pouring. We definitely dodged a bullet that day.

Edited July 8, 2019 by Fran Haring

[Fran Haring]

3 hours ago, JohnZ said:

Lightning does not have to be overhead to be dangerous.

 

Recalling when a member of the NY Skyliners was killed by a lightning strike at rehearsal.

I don't remember the year.  But from what I heard, the storm was not even really close to the rehearsal site. Like you say, John.... dangerous no matter where it is.

[Jeff Ream]

3 hours ago, BigW said:

70 bucks, 270 miles of driving, Jeff. Not counting meals. This has taken awhile to fester. In other words, don't buy a ticket until the forecasts are showing good weather. Lesson learned here, but maybe DCA needs to learn one too. The road goes both ways.

look, not to be a bigger Richard Cranium than usual but....wah. it's an outdoor event. weather happens. We don't have any domes in the commonwealth of PA, and hey if you go see a concert and it's cancelled, think the Stones give a ####? No they don't. It happens. I also remember watching the chaos that was 2006 prelims and people out there marching in a ####### tropical storm because DCA admin had to get the show in, and told people to suck it up. Do you realize in 12 with the rain, if Annapolis wanted to, they could have cut prelims off right then and there?? hell I drove through storms on my way home from prelims. 

 

yeah it sucks. I wanted to see everyone. But in case you haven't noticed, weather isn't exact;y predictable anymore. The corps got paid, the judges got paid, and Bucs don't have to be in serious hurt financially because the tickets said rain or shine. What, in 11 a hurricane rolled through Big Sounds weekend...right before finals. Bucs were even nice enough to offer refunds, which if I recall, few people took them up on it....and they called it a day prior to the show. I already knew my ### wasn't driving to Exeter Twp. 

 

So let's say it rains on prelims....you want them to move that inside? Finals? #### happens. 

[JimF-LowBari]

1 hour ago, Fran Haring said:

Recalling when a member of the NY Skyliners was killed by a lightning strike at rehearsal.

I don't remember the year.  But from what I heard, the storm was not even really close to the rehearsal site. Like you say, John.... dangerous no matter where it is.

Early 80s IIRC as think between my two times in WSM. Saw them at Hershey and they did a standstill and think some members were still limping. 

1975 had a local HS band member killed by lightning in August. Week of DCA Finals we got chased off the practice field by a bad thunderstorm and went to a local school. Ended up just sitting there as some folks too shook to do anything. Think some of our members went to that school and knew the victim. Yeah last local practice before Finals and in no mood to practice

Then there was the sideways rain, green lightning and monsoon at Bucknell around 2003. Heat Wave had a long drive that weekend. 

Edited July 9, 2019 by JimF-LowBari

[JohnZ]

10 minutes ago, JimF-LowBari said:

Early 80s IIRC as think between my two times in WSM. Saw them at Hershey and they did a standstill and think some members were still limping. 

1975 had a local HS band member killed by lightning in August. Week of DCA Finals we got chased off the practice field by a bad thunderstorm and went to a local school. Ended up just sitting there as some folks too shook to do anything. Think some of our members went to that school and knew the victim. Yeah last local practice before Finals and in no mood to practice

Then there was the sideways rain, green lightning and monsoon at Bucknell around 2003. Heat Wave had a long drive that weekend. 

Hey Jim - good to see you!

I know it was 1980 at Bucknell that I watched the Skyliners take the field just as a wall of rain hit - in true Skyliner form, they just kept going harder and louder.  a bolt hit one of the light poles....didn't faze that corps one bit.  they were some crazy #######.  unfortunate that it eventually caught up with them a few years later

 

[Fran Haring]

Some of us on here will remember the days of "rain dates" for shows.

The Caballeros, for one, had a rain date for their Grand Prix for years, until the practice was generally discontinued by all sponsors. 

The years I worked that show I don't remember us ever having to utilize it, though. Thankfully.  LOL.

In fact, I can only recall one time when we had a show the day after it was originally scheduled, due to weather issues... 1978 in Kingston, NY, when I was with Sunrisers. It ran on a Sunday afternoon instead of the scheduled Saturday evening, from what I remember.

 

[JimF-LowBari]

20 minutes ago, Fran Haring said:

Some of us on here will remember the days of "rain dates" for shows.

The Caballeros, for one, had a rain date for their Grand Prix for years, until the practice was generally discontinued by all sponsors. 

The years I worked that show I don't remember us ever having to utilize it, though. Thankfully.  LOL.

In fact, I can only recall one time when we had a show the day after it was originally scheduled, due to weather issues... 1978 in Kingston, NY, when I was with Sunrisers. It ran on a Sunday afternoon instead of the scheduled Saturday evening, from what I remember.

 

1979 (that year was bad for rain) Lewistown was set for same night as DCI. We did a “monsoon” parade in Dauphin PA that day in our street clothes as it poured and we needed the money. (Drove by the practice field last week) Got to Ltown and show delayed until Sunday. Went home in time to hear Reliable Rondo say his classic “after they age out they can’t do drum corps anymore”. Had to go back outside to release some obscenities. 

PS Hi back to ya John.... 1980 I missed Bucknell as working rotating shifts in Uncle Sams computer room. Rotating as in do all three shifts every 4 weeks which would kill me now.

Edited July 9, 2019 by JimF-LowBari

[Jeff Ream]

3 hours ago, JimF-LowBari said:

Early 80s IIRC as think between my two times in WSM. Saw them at Hershey and they did a standstill and think some members were still limping. 

1975 had a local HS band member killed by lightning in August. Week of DCA Finals we got chased off the practice field by a bad thunderstorm and went to a local school. Ended up just sitting there as some folks too shook to do anything. Think some of our members went to that school and knew the victim. Yeah last local practice before Finals and in no mood to practice

Then there was the sideways rain, green lightning and monsoon at Bucknell around 2003. Heat Wave had a long drive that weekend. 

was trying to load the truck at CV in 89 when a storm rolled in and lightning hit the parking lot. Luckily no one was hurt except maybe some underwear

[Jeff Ream]

3 hours ago, Fran Haring said:

Some of us on here will remember the days of "rain dates" for shows.

The Caballeros, for one, had a rain date for their Grand Prix for years, until the practice was generally discontinued by all sponsors. 

The years I worked that show I don't remember us ever having to utilize it, though. Thankfully.  LOL.

In fact, I can only recall one time when we had a show the day after it was originally scheduled, due to weather issues... 1978 in Kingston, NY, when I was with Sunrisers. It ran on a Sunday afternoon instead of the scheduled Saturday evening, from what I remember.

 

so you did work Kingston once!

[BigW]

11 hours ago, Jeff Ream said:

look, not to be a bigger Richard Cranium than usual but....wah. it's an outdoor event. weather happens. We don't have any domes in the commonwealth of PA, and hey if you go see a concert and it's cancelled, think the Stones give a ####? No they don't. It happens. I also remember watching the chaos that was 2006 prelims and people out there marching in a ####### tropical storm because DCA admin had to get the show in, and told people to suck it up. Do you realize in 12 with the rain, if Annapolis wanted to, they could have cut prelims off right then and there?? hell I drove through storms on my way home from prelims. 

 

yeah it sucks. I wanted to see everyone. But in case you haven't noticed, weather isn't exact;y predictable anymore. The corps got paid, the judges got paid, and Bucs don't have to be in serious hurt financially because the tickets said rain or shine. What, in 11 a hurricane rolled through Big Sounds weekend...right before finals. Bucs were even nice enough to offer refunds, which if I recall, few people took them up on it....and they called it a day prior to the show. I already knew my ### wasn't driving to Exeter Twp. 

 

So let's say it rains on prelims....you want them to move that inside? Finals? #### happens. 

I don't know if you quite get it, Jeff. They  need to cancel early and not waste my time or anyone else's.. Those Saturdays were wasted for me as well as the corps in many aspects. Throw me a freakin' bone. If this is the way it is, I have better things to do and better ways to spend my money then rolling the dice on a contest. Sweltering in a car to see if the show will continue... not fun. Driving back from Nazareth, not fun. And there, they sent an E-Mail out saying the show was running. I checked before I left, no changes. 

 

As for Finals weekend, it's a different story. There's precedent with that. 

 

I'm not feelin' it anymore. I feel like I'm not fitting in. I feel that a fan who likes every corps and isn't a homer doesn't fit the current mold and zen at the regular season contests at all. I can go into it, but as I said, I think taking myself to dinner at a good place locally and sitting on my duff with the X-Box is time better spent by myself. I may be autocrossing a neat prepped Miata later this summer as well. The I and E is in a weather protected venue IIRC. I'd like to still play something. The rest, I'm feelin' it less and less, and that's a shame. The shows are great- great enough that I'd have settled for a indoor listen and enjoyed and appreciated it. But hey the corps were paid, a lot of money wasn't lost, and they got my money. It's all good, right? Maybe I just order the DVD and be done with it.