Jeff Ream Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 seems to me like the only problem with rochester= no stadium clum, but i guess we'll have to deal.And being from Scranton myself, i can tell you that the city fathers did want the show back, but they knew it would be fruitless. Also, they have taken the proper route these past few years of weeding out the "I hate everyone" police officers and have made some changes in that department to make it better for the community. Not to sound racist at all (I heard thus rumor, I don't see the migration as a problem, but a lot of "old timers" around this area do) But a lot of those cops were ###### that scranton is taking on such an ethnic background and people moving from the city that the old fashioned guys just saw DCA as another lead to the problem (Don't ask how they made that connection, but rumor has it this was some of the problem). Also, with such a mafioso background, many of the old officers had these ties and didn't think they could ever lose their jobs or get in trouble. But the last two years they definately cleaned up the act by hiring some new guys and reprimanding the old ones who cause trouble. But all in all, Rochester is definately going to be friendlier to us from what Mr Peashey says. and here we had heard the Scranton family was pretty much inactive. will we run into mafia cops in Rachacha? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 mostly all good comments...As one who was intimately involved and can speak first hand... there is no question that the show out grew Scranton. Hopefully, Scranton will remain a major show sponsor in the future. I can verify the following... 1. For many years - Brownshirts from various departments (Moosic police and Lackawanna County Sheriffs mainly) were a problem. The last 2 years? We became a part of the solution to there problem. They were great to work with... this is coming from ME - most of you know my brownshirt history... 2. Lack of hotel space... you don't need a degree in hospitality to know that we had outgrown the area... but... it must be said that especially for the last 2 years... the county and city were pretty wonderful to us, but that did not increase the numbers at the turnstile and that IS and WAS a problem. 3. Baseball Stadium... no matter how we configured the stadium, there were/are less than 5000 quality drum corps seats - no where near enough for the show to be the kind of revenue producer necessary to foster the growth of DCA and help support the corps... Unlike DCI where the money distribution is nice to have but a pitance of the corps budget, the checks the DCA corps receive in the fall become a "make or break" to many of the fine competitors you see. 4. There was NO 2006 bid from Scranton - it is my personal belief that some of the key city fathers were under the impression that a bid would be presented, but those with the power to do so, never placed a bid on the table - I personally believe - because they knew they could not win. It was time for the championship to move on... Rochester... 1. The size of the stadium should be near ideal... I suspect that everyone who wants decent front side seats will be able to get them AND I know that unlike almost any city in the world, non-drum corps fans WILL pay the price to come into the show and watch "another world championship finally back in Rochester". As a committee member for the '96 show, I was as stunned as anyone with the 4000+ walk up ticket buyers at finals... it was amazing... I stood next to Monroe County Sheriff Andy Maloney as he pulled out his cell phone and called the County Manager who had "found something better to do" that night and Andy told him in police terminology "Get your ### down here, you won't believe what's happening here" I went out and talked to these people in line and what I heard was even MORE amazing... "My parents took me to Aquinas Stadium many times as a kid and I just could not miss the opportunity to see it again" repeat that statement several thousand times... actual finals attendance was 9500 which is only exceeded by some of those early shows at Aquinas in DCA history. 2. Parking - there's plenty of parking using the Kodak lots that are shared with Frontier Field, but the distance to walk from those lots to the stadium does present a problem. (2 blocks) I expect negative comments here... were the show at Wilson Stadium in Buffalo you would pay a fortune and in reality walk just as far... but it is a minor issue when balanced against the overall picture.. and leads into the "safety" factor... 3. If you go to the top of the fifty yard line and look out of the stadium to the west... you will be looking at the parking lot I used for 17 years... and the front of the building I worked in at 367 Orchard St. - by Rochester's standards the neighborhood is not the best but mind you it is not the worst either... it's the kind of neighborhood where it was "helped" by tearing things down and building a stadium... duh./???? go figure! The bottom line is that it isn't Bronx either - ever gone more than a block from Yankee stadium???... and I fully expect the authorities to have very tight security during stadium events... 4. Field type - new artificial grass... same as Wilson Stadium... perfect for drum corps in any weather... speaking of: 5. Weather - summer ending Labor Day weather in Rochester is probably as good as anywhere east of the Mississippi. Hurricane type patterns up the east coast always made Allentown and to a lessor extent Scranton susceptible to long periods of drenching rain. This would be MOST unusual in Rochester... it is traditionally one of the best weather weekends of the year... don't shoot me if it sours... weather is still weather... but the statistics are very much in your favor... 6. Support - Allen Buell and Empire with the help of Crusaders have done a great job of rallying the troops... city support is strong and this is because of dollars and cents... DCA is now a very well known product... it's easy to put the money on the paper for the city people to see... The ownership of the Rhinos (Donner and DuRoss) are anxious to prove that the stadium is not a soccer only facility but a community asset... they are bending over backward for this event... 7. Size and hotels... at just under a million in the metropolis... the city can handle the demand from a hotel and restaurant stand point as well as most major metro areas and certainly better than Scranton that simply did not offer enough rooms. 8. Tourism... anyone who has not been to the area will find plenty to do... no matter what you are into... Rochester's east end restaurants and clubs (around Eastman Music School campus downtown and in walking distance of downtown hotels) are great for the younger more energetic groups... Niagara Falls is close enough to see if you have never been there it's a must... People from Europe or Japan interested should - after checking normal flight arrangements - check arrangements into Toronto... renting a car there and driving to Rochester is no big deal... almost every major overseas trip I have taken was cheaper leaving from Toronto.. and you can catch Niagara Falls on the way over or back... If you are into scenic beauty... you can either go along Lake Ontario and it's many miles of beaches or drive a short distance to NY's Finger Lakes area and wine country... Finally, in the city, you should catch the George Eastman House... amazing place... and the stadium near Kodak World Headquarters is also not far from Kodak Park... I always get a kick out of George Eastman's Grave and Building One which are right on Lake Ave. at the park... and the big surprise is upper falls across the street from Kodak world headquarters... in walking distance of the stadium is hidden a large gorge and significant water falls... if you don't look for it... you'll miss it... 9. the downtown convention center and hotels will make for a great venue for I&E... far fewer problems than some of the "makeshift" venues of the past. All in all, I expect DCA Rochester to be a huge success... i think it will kick ###, but to do tourism with the weekend as packed as it is, ya better come a day or 2 early. 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xtreme0204 Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 and here we had heard the Scranton family was pretty much inactive. will we run into mafia cops in Rachacha? There's a reason why the family that lives down the street from me NEVER talk inside their houses- only out front. They also own a concrete pouring business.......... not saying any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 ahhh, god Bless Mr. bufalino's legacy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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