Allentown uh-oh

[Tim K]

On 7/30/2023 at 10:16 AM, IllianaLancerContra said:

Then Allentown should step up & if they want the revenue, then fix the venue.  

I think we need to know why seats are damaged. If it is wear and tear, they need to step up if they want the revenue. If it’s storm damage and the damages are recent, I’d be a bit more understanding. The Northeast has had odd weather this summer. “Chance of thunderstorms” turns out to mean torrential rain, gusts of winds that down tree and limbs, golf ball sized hail, and tornado warnings. If the damage is from the storms of the past two weeks, they may not have the time or supplies needed. 

[IllianaLancerContra]

2 minutes ago, Tim K said:

I think we need to know why seats are damaged. If it is wear and tear, they need to step up if they want the revenue. If it’s storm damage and the damages are recent, I’d be a bit more understanding. The Northeast has had odd weather this summer. “Chance of thunderstorms” turns out to mean torrential rain, gusts of winds that down tree and limbs, golf ball sized hail, and tornado warnings. If the damage is from the storms of the past two weeks, they may not have the time or supplies needed. 

I heard (Reddit?) it was damage due to kids stomping at High School graduation. Idk whether this is true.  

[rpbobcat]

Rutgers is one lane road in and one lane out.

I understand the positives about moving.

It sounds like moving the Market Place  outside the stadium may 

permanent.

That's inconvenient.

The East crowd is older.

Walking that hill is tough.

Delaware does look nice.

Biggest negative to me is that, if they move the Easts its no longer

going to be 2 days.

 

 

 

 

[Tim K]

On 7/30/2023 at 10:31 AM, karuna said:

That’s the thing.  While Allentown (the city) rakes in a lot of $$ from tourism , the school district doesn’t really make a lot (so lots more left for DCI.)  The stadium is cheap to rent compared to many other venues.  
 

And.  It’s a huge tradition no one is ready to let die.  

It’s possible the school district does not see the revenue from renting the stadium. In many cases, the revenue from renting school facilities goes directly to the city or municipalities that own the district. That’s the case in Massachusetts and Connecticut and a big reason why many schools have no problem renting fields to drum corps but not offering their facilities for overnight stays. Not only is it a major hassle, the school does not see the revenue.

[IllianaLancerContra]

1 hour ago, KVG_DC said:

Logistical nightmare to get corps in and out.  Also the sound in there is probably horrible

There is no perfect solution.  Maybe DCI should sell its Swiss Ski Chalet and use the proceeds to build the perfect facility with parking, easy access to highway, and amenities (perhaps a Buc-ees on the far side of parking lot, plus space for food trucks).  

[LabMaster]

18 minutes ago, Tim K said:

The first DCI East shows in 1973, 74, and 75 were in Lowell, MA, most likely at Cawley Stadium which is not the size of Allentown. It was decided to move the show to Allentown after 75 but I do not know why. Since DCI was in Philadelphia there was no DCI East in 76. When CYO Nationals and the World Open were no longer held, there was talk of a major DCI show in New England but this was at a time corps were folding left and right, so that would never have happened. People weren’t attending DCE shows in huge numbers (compared to CYO Nationals and World Open), why would they attend a major DCI show.

I don’t want to see DCI East moved. If it has to happen, Annapolis would be a good venue, but “East” is north of the Mason Dixon Line. Annapolis is south and would be considered “Mid-Atlantic. Picky? Perhaps but Allentown is about tradition. Met-Life would be costly. Rutgers, the stadium in Bridgeport, CT, or further east at Boston College would be great choices. Though it has been remodeled since 1986, BC was the home of CYO Nationals most years so it has historical connections.

But BC still has historically bad neighbors.  They don’t even like football games played there.

[Deguello]

4 minutes ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

There is no perfect solution.  Maybe DCI should sell its Swiss Ski Chalet and use the proceeds to build the perfect facility with parking, easy access to highway, and amenities (perhaps a Buc-ees on the far side of parking lot, plus space for food trucks).  

Buc-ees would ensure my long-term loyalty to those shows.

[Tim K]

6 minutes ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

I heard (Reddit?) it was damage due to kids stomping at High School graduation. Idk whether this is true.  

Most likely graduation was anywhere from the week before Memorial Day to the first week of June, that should be ample time for repairs. However at least from this thread, we don’t know which seats were involved or how many. I find with Reddit it’s either all smoke, no fire, or it’s a blazing fire of epic proportions. It could be one row or one whole section. It also depends which section. Though the best seats are sold out and I will not be happy if I am moved (I’m on the 50 yard line), there are still plenty of reasonably good seats. Hopefully people can be moved in the same area.

[jwillis35]

I wonder if DCI really ran into an issue with this if they could just move temporarily to Moravian University in Bethlehem (right next to Allentown, PA) and use BASD field. It's a fairly good size stadium. You still have the track, but so does Allentown. BASD has decent bleachers. You are in a nice neighborhood where people might either hate it or love it. Plenty of fields around for warm-ups. 

[Tim K]

16 minutes ago, LabMaster said:

But BC still has historically bad neighbors.  They don’t even like football games played there.

They never have and never will, but they get over it and Boston, Newton, and Brookline ignore the neighbors’ cries. DCI would be in the summer and they’re in Osterville, Nantucket, Newport, or at their hideaway homes in Midcoast Maine so they’ll never know.