Help Fill in some blanks

[Gary Matczak]

Okay, for what it's, at the Centennial Parade in Cresson, Pa. today there were 3 (possibly a fourth but am not sure) Drum Corps performing. Steel City Ambassadors, Keystone Regiment fro Altoona, and Cadets Again, the latest version of the reforming of the Cambria Cadets. Didn't hear KR but their numbers seem to be increasing. Cadets Again (yeah, that's what they're calling themselves) have gone the way of the Bb with all new 3 valves. Seems like Drum Corps is trying to make a comeback in Central Pa. Upon dropping off a couple of Steel City's sops back at the beginnig of the parade to get their cars I noticed a Shriner with a 2 valve walking back to get his car so I guess they were there as well.

Gary, you may want to add "Cambria Cadets Again" to the website under the "active Corps" button..

I will be adding the Cambria Cadets Again, I found a website here, http://www.cambriacadets.org/ looks like things are happening over there in Ebensburg, and that is great to see,................................the other corps in that parade might have been the JAFFA Shrine, D&B Corps out of Altoona,...........I recently added them to the active corps links,...................

keep the info coming folks!

Thanks

Gary

PADCHOF

[Gary Matczak]

I think Entertainment Express became Music Express out of South Jersey somewhere. It's a Kerschner (sp) thing with a lot of name lead sopranos and other really great players. Cossetti, "Grass", DelVecchio, Eiler, Gaff, and Ciny Crawford to name a few.

,........would this be the group you are thinking of Jeff?,...........or is there another?

[Jeff Ream]

I dont remember hearing anything about it past seeing fliers up at the hershey show in 82 i think it was

[Jpn]

I posted a history of AL Nittany Post #245 on the CorpsRep web site:

http://www.corpsreps.com/

http://www.corpsreps.com/corpsreps.cfm?vie...orpstype=Junior

[JimF-LowBari]

Talked to a second generation Lancer in between parades and have a new corps and additional info:

Corps to add:

VFW Post #2506 - Hanover - Senior corps -

Corps existed from ??-late 1940s when corps merged with AL Post #14 - Hanover

Additional info: (have fun figuring where to put this :P )

Hanover Lancers were known as the "Bears" ("Bairs"?) until taking the Lancer name in late 1950s. Before that they were known by the Post name (Harold H. Bair) and number only (per custom).

Also asked about the "Hanover Blairs" listed on the PADCHOF site and he knew nothing about them. Wonder if "Blairs" is an old typo for Bair Post in Hanover. On Rons site there is a late 1940s score for "Blair Post" which might be Harold Bair getting mugged up.

Yeah it was a long walk (and talk) getting back to the bus. B)

Edited July 6, 2006 by JimF-xWSMBari

[Jpn]

Gary,

A couple of years ago, I posted a history of AL Nittany Post #245 on the Corpsreps Web site (1941 AL Jr. Champions): http://www.corpsreps.com/corpsreps.cfm?vie...orpstype=Junior

Reproduced below:

History of AL Nittany Post #245 (State College, PA):

The State College Junior Drum and Bugle Corps was formed in 1935 by a group of local businessmen

lead by C.W. “Bucky” Taylor, who operated a music store. The corps’ instructors were often drawn

from music majors at Pennsylvania State College and Sgt. John Weske of the Penn State R.O.T.C.

Department served as the first drill instructor. The corps’ sponsor was Nittany Post #245, and its official

title was the American Legion & Auxiliary Junior Drum and Bugle Corps of State College, PA.

The first public appearance in State College was on Memorial Day of 1936. By the early summer, the

corps was outfitted in new cadet-style uniforms. A 1936 photo of the corps in these uniforms shows 15

snare drums, 26 straight G bugles, and a drum major (Rachel Fulton). Seven of the drummers were girls.

The new corps took first place in three local parade competitions. In August 1936, the corps took first

place in the parade competition held at the State AL Convention in Johnstown. The corps held its first

week-long Corps Camp in July 1937 as preparation for the State AL field competition. The Camp was

described as having “a military-like schedule of drill and exercises combined with supervised recreation

activities.” The corps again took first place in the state competition. A month later the corps competed

in the AL National Championship held at the Polo Grounds in New York City. The sponsored-junior

division was won by the Gallitzin (PA) Corps, with the State College Corps taking second place. The

Convention parade that year was fifty-two blocks long and took 18 hours to complete.

In 1938 the corps won the state championship for the third time in a row. In August the corps was

invited to lead the parade at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. In 1939, new uniforms were

purchased and a change was made from straight bugles to valves (slides), which allowed the buglers to

play soprano, tenor, and baritone parts. Tenor drums were added to the battery. The corps again won the

state championship at the AL Convention in Williamsport. A trip also was made to the World’s Fair in

New York City. In 1940, a large turnover in personnel occurred, and the State College Corps ended up

placing second in the state competition. First place that year was taken by the Bristol (PA) corps.

Given the turnover in personnel, it looked like 1941 would be another rebuilding year. The new drum

majors were Patricia Johnson and Patricia Mitchell. Early on it was decided that if the corps won the

state championship, it would attend the AL National Convention to be held in Milwaukee. The corps

went undefeated in eleven local competitions, and at the convention in Altoona, it regained the state

championship. In late August, the corps traveled by train to Milwaukee, where it was housed at the

Horace Mann High School in West Allis, WI. On the day of the field competition, three buses that had

been chartered to take the unit to Milwaukee did not show up at the scheduled time. All available cars

near the school were commandeered to take the corps and its equipment to the competition field. On the

inspection line, the corps was assessed 1.6 penalty points for car-travel wrinkled uniforms.

Despite a rough start, Nittany Post #245 of State College took first place in the sponsored-division with a

score of 93.2. The runner-up was McNally Post #263 of New York City with a score of 91.6. In 5th

place was Logan Square Post #405 of Chicago and Racine Post #76 ended up in 7th place. The division

for Sons of the American Legion (SAL, all-male corps) was won by Square Post #232 of Chicago with a

score of 89.9. Commonwealth Edison won the senior AL title. The Convention parade lasted 12 hours.

Newspaper accounts from the 1941 championship season indicate that there were about 53 members in

the State College Corps, including 26 girls. A photo of the championship corps appears in A History of

Drum & Bugle Corps, Volume 1, page 16. The corps’ theme song was “Tell Me Why” and its motto was

“All for one – One for all.” The corps’ colors were blue and orange.

National AL junior competitions were not held during 1942-1945. The State College Corps returned to

national competition in 1949 at the AL Convention in Philadelphia, placing fourth in the sponsored

division and 12th overall. The top two corps that year would go on to dominate junior corps activity

during the late 1940s and 1950s – Holy Name Cadets (Garfield) and St. Vincent’s Cadets. Winning its first senior AL championship in 1949 was Raymond A. Garbarina Memorial Post of New York City (aka

“Skyliners”).

The State College Corps disbanded around 1950.

[History prepared by Jon P. Nelson (Madison Scouts, 1955-1959), a resident of State College, PA since

1969. Reference materials include “Attaining the Heights: The Drum and Bugle Corps in State College”

by Jeff Stengel, Town & Gown magazine, August 1972; and Centre Daily Times Newspaper articles for

August 25, 1941; September 5, 1941; September 8, 1941; September 10, 1941; September 11, 1941;

September 13, 1941; September 16, 1941; September 18, 1941; September 19, 1941; September 20,

1941; August 9, 1949; August 20, 1949; August 25, 1949; August 27, 1949; August 28, 1949; August 29,

1949; and August 30, 1949.]

[Jimbalaya]

I think Entertainment Express became Music Express out of South Jersey somewhere. It's a Kerschner (sp) thing with a lot of name lead sopranos and other really great players. Cossetti, "Grass", DelVecchio, Eiler, Gaff, and Cindy Crawford to name a few.

Thanks for the adulation Mike.........The Music Express is sorta like a Drum Corps does Big Band Jazz an' stuff group, but we aren't a successor to Entertainment Express. John 'Murph' Pugliese & Larry Kerschner decided on the name as they were putting it together. Murph is the Corps Director and head honcho.

Jimbalaya

The Music Express

RB3

and other stuff

[old ohio drum corps]

Could this be an Pennsylvania Corps at the 1984 DCA in Allentown, PA.

Looking for a name ??????

[KeithHall]

Wow alot of corps from PA that I used to compete against....The Ambassadors (Ascots), they were always in NY with the tall black female DM.

84th Bucktail Regiment...weird headgear (racoon hats?)

Mavericks, Cambria Cadets, Silver Sabres, Derry Patriots, General Butler Vagabonds, Royal Crusaders, 507 Hornets, Belvederes, etc.

[Rocketman]

Gary:

Regarding the following:

429. Sabre Cadets Later became Vern Acklin Cavaliers Sharpsburg J C, P 1920's-1940's

The Sabre Cadets were a one year merger (75) of the Sharpsville Blue Sabres and Sharpsburg Cadets. After '75, they were no more and did not migrate into something else.

RM - I was there

ampssuck