Famous, or infamous, corps stories, myths, legends

[BorisTS]

I worked one of those haunted house weekends.  I was under a ramp built above the regular floor.  The ramp had a plexiglass window through which I would scare people by flipping on a flashlight and screaming.  A couple came up the ramp and I hit the flashlight and did my scream.  The girl was freaked out but the guy got so scared he stamped his foot down hard enough to slam my head back onto the floor.  I had a headache from #### the rest of the night.

The corps had to stop doing the fundraiser because all the set-up and tear-down cost too much to make the fundraiser worth it, too much damage done to the ol' building.

SEAT OPEN, $1-$2!!!

C'mon, there's gotta be SOME stories about Monte Carlos you can tell... :D

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Funny thing about that Halloween stuff-- in a couple of the guys' "Sleering" rooms (Glassmen do not sleep, they sleer!), there were some closets nailed shut. Someone pried open these doors and found old Haunted House stuff...like a mummy. One night they hung it from the scaffolding, and in the rising sun it looked like the silhouette of a real body hanging there. Freaked out people for a minute.

I think most of my Monte Carlo stories, even the appropriate ones, are not really that funny when I write them out. And the good ones...heh. I'm not sure how many years some of those regulars have been coming, but does the word "Lefty" ring a bell to you, Kevin? :) Probably can't say much about him here.

One funny thing about these poker weekends is something I've learned. We have different levels of tables: $0.50-1.00, $1.00-$2.00, and $5 anytime (or something like that, plus the dealer's choice tables). The people who are having the most fun are the ones playing for the most money; they are actually the nicest. NOBODY wants to deal to the half/dollar tables, though. They are mean and constantly accuse you of stealing fifty cents from them. Or yell at you for dealing them bad hands and making them lose. We don't make much money off of them anyway, so as the night wears on and we're short on dealers, we usually send them someone who sucks at dealing (deals slow or something) so they'll leave.

[kevingamin]

One funny thing about these poker weekends is something I've learned.  We have different levels of tables: $0.50-1.00, $1.00-$2.00, and $5 anytime (or something like that, plus the dealer's choice tables).  The people who are having the most fun are the ones playing for the most money; they are actually the nicest.  NOBODY wants to deal to the half/dollar tables, though.  They are mean and constantly accuse you of stealing fifty cents from them.  Or yell at you for dealing them bad hands and making them lose.  We don't make much money off of them anyway, so as the night wears on and we're short on dealers, we usually send them someone who sucks at dealing (deals slow or something) so they'll leave.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm willing to bet that the dealer's choice tables have almost nothing but Texas Hold 'Em this year...

Some more Monte Carlo info...All tables except Dealer's Choice play 7-card stud only. Dealer's Choice tables can play either Hold 'em, Pineapple, Omaha, or 7-card stud. Dealer's Choice makes TONS of money, too, because that's where the big spenders like to play.

And the players at the $.50-$1 tables are total ######## by far. Add to that the annoying CLINK sounds the half dollars make at those tables and it's no wonder the corps tries to close those tables as soon as they can.

[sarnia sam]

Thanks John, I'll update when I can get that all straight in my head.  :P

I didn't add the stuff about Phoenix (I never heard of them before it appeared on the drumcorpswiki page). I always thought the Imperials were somebody's feeder corps but I thought they were what was left of the Lions of London after they folded. Thanks for the correction.

Who was it that merged with the Townsmen? Blue Bucs?

edit for spelling

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The Townsmen folks went with Bucs.

I looked and the stuff about Pheonix and Northern Dream apparently came from Steve Burstall. Steve marched in Bucs and I was away from Sarnia at the time, still am, so he obviously knows something I didn't. I'm going to have to ask him about that next time I talk to him.

If I had time to add stuff I would.

Bonus: found the link to Chris Campbell's website.

Regards,

John

[BorisTS]

I'm willing to bet that the dealer's choice tables have almost nothing but Texas Hold 'Em this year...

Some more Monte Carlo info...All tables except Dealer's Choice play 7-card stud only.  Dealer's Choice tables can play either Hold 'em, Pineapple, Omaha, or 7-card stud.  Dealer's Choice makes TONS of money, too, because that's where the big spenders like to play.

And the players at the $.50-$1 tables are total ######## by far.  Add to that the annoying CLINK sounds the half dollars make at those tables and it's no wonder the corps tries to close those tables as soon as they can.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Last year was the first year Toledo's smoking ban was in effect. It was a little nicer there, actually. You know, for as much of a pain as putting those events on is, there's plenty of fun and it really brings the corps members together. After your trial by fire, that is. :)

If there's any Glassmen alumni out there, or anyone else interested, go volunteer at a Monte Carlo. They can always use the help and it's...interesting. More fun than that sissy bingo other corps do. :) (Okay, we do that too, on other weekends).

[kevingamin]

Last year was the first year Toledo's smoking ban was in effect.  It was a little nicer there, actually.  You know, for as much of a pain as putting those events on is, there's plenty of fun and it really brings the corps members together.  After your trial by fire, that is. :)

If there's any Glassmen alumni out there, or anyone else interested, go volunteer at a Monte Carlo.  They can always use the help and it's...interesting.  More fun than that sissy bingo other corps do. :) (Okay, we do that too, on other weekends).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Heck, at least they shut down shop for the night now! We used to do 55 hours straight!, from 5 PM on Friday until Midnight Monday morning. Volunteers and members would sleep in the back room. Since that was also the non-smoking bingo room, it also was the only place we could breathe clean air in the building. There were some years where the corps would get a hotel room near G-East and rotate members and volunteers so they could get a nice shower (and sneak a nap on a real bed, too), but we usually washed up as best we could in the bathroom sink.

Heh, to think how nostalgic that makes me feel. :D

[BD2Rings]

I have the video of the BD VK drum major fun that was mentioned a few pages back. VK's 2 DMs come out for the full retreat carrying collapsable lawn chairs. They snap them open in drum corps tempo and sit down to make themselves comfortable. The audience seems to enjoy this so far, but a few minutes later, the 2 BD DMs walk up with some goodies to play off VK's antics. It has been too long since even I have watched the video that I don't remember what the BD DMs bring with them, but I want to say they have an umbrella and a pineapple, which they serve to the VK DMs. The audience just loves this. I need to watch this when I get home and make corrections here if neccessary.

In '75, before most or any corps were using cook wagons, BD had a fellow named Otto who volunteered to cook for us on the eastern tour. He brought along a bunch of large BBQ drums and such material. In '74, we were fed PB&J more times than I could count, but in '75 we were fed well, VERY well. We shared a housing location with the Muchachoes somewhere back east and can remember well the looks on the faces of the Muchachoes when they saw our gourmet servings. This was compared with their rather meager starvation rations or whatever they got. It was obvious that the Muchachoes saw a sizeable difference in menu, as did we. We had the likes of fresh clam chowder, BBQ oysters, you get the idea, and the Muchachoes probably got BD's PB&Js from the previous year.

Same year, same tour. Paul S (tymp) and I were just hangin out and were approached by two really good looking young ladies from the Muchachoes. They asked us if we would go out drinking with them, as the drinking age in whatever state we were in was 18 at the time. Unfortunately I was only 17, and Paul was even younger. We had to quickly invent some story about upcoming rehearsal to decline the inventention (as we didn't wish to reveal our age), when truth be known, we would have liked nothing more than to accept. All these years later, and I can still remember how pretty those two ladies were. Wow. Ladies, you really made my day, thank you. Sorry to dissapoint.

Don't remember which year, but we found fireworks were legal in Kansas. Learned this while the corps made a bio break at some rest stop. A building not 100-200 yards from the busses were selling scads of pyrotechnics. Let it be known that some of this managed to be smuggled back on the BD busses. When we got to the High School in Winnemucca Nevada, a full scale bottle rocket war broke out on the football field. We never thought to clean up the carnage afterward, and I don't know that the BDs have ever been allowed back to the place since.

Pizze Hut Inventional in Someplace Kansas. Full retreat and a streaker runs across the complete front side of the stadium. Baritones are in the very back, so we couldn't see any of the activity be we could see the wave reaction of the audience right to left as the streaker progressed.

Corps facilities for the '74 Finals were a school down the hill from Cornell University campus in Ithica, NY. Due to the rather steep angle of the hill, the school campus had a small waterfall and swimmable area of the stream. A few brave souls sans suits.

I've never been in a situation that I remember where rumbles seemed iminant. Sorry to dissapoint.

I discovered drum corps do have groupies the summer of '74 or '75. We stayed at a high school in Boise Idaho, where we received the attention of many of the ladies from their student body. That was a revelation.

And we all wonder why we had so much fun in drum corps.

[bd5times]

I have the video of the BD VK drum major fun that was mentioned a few pages back. VK's 2 DMs come out for the full retreat carrying collapsable lawn chairs. They snap them open in drum corps tempo and sit down to make themselves comfortable.

I have another video, pretty grainy, where BD DM's go to VK for cokes and such at retreat.

I know at one show we did give VK a palm tree.

I'll have to post those videos again sometime.

[dc oldtimer]

WOW. All these posts and not one mention of the biggest myth(s) of them all:

All Cavaliers are gay.

All Scouts are gay.

Well, just ask the thousands of wives, girlfriends and, well, acquaintances, it is not true.

"Not that there is anything wrong with it" but this one never seems to go away.

[84BDsop]

I have another video, pretty grainy, where BD DM's go to VK for cokes and such at retreat. 

I know at one show we did give VK a palm tree.

I'll have to post those videos again sometime.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, you will...I sem to have lost it.

Although I DID still have the one at 82 finals..

the highlights:

Shakos flying all over the place when the winning score was announced...

Bridgemen's DM going down the line of the colorguard, getting kisses from all the girls!

27th trooping past BD

SCV playing Clowns right in your face...and BD basically going ape#### in the background!

The last shot...Uncle Jerry himself...

[bd5times]

You mean this one.......

Which can be found on this page