NY, What Happened?

[Northern Thunder]

There were a ton of NY mergers prior to the DCI era, but I didn't include any of them.

[xballplayer21]

heres one that never happened -----should have ----i mean these two corps were from the same small town-----and would have created a corp that could have bumped heads with some serious powers of the day!------------Apalachin Grenadiers and ----------Apalachin Mello Dears.

[Northern Thunder]

The Apalachin Grenadiers are one of the GREAT stories in drum corps history!!

I bet 90% of people around drum corps today have never even heard of them.

This was brass guru (and later DCI horn judge) Ken Turner's small division corps that did AMAZING things with their brass

in the 1970's.

At the 1972 U.S. Open the Grenadiers were in Class 'B' (division II today), and they actually beat the world champion Anaheim Kingsmen on the brass sheets, despite the fact they had a hornline of fewer than 35 members. The sheets were identical for all divisions there that year.

The Grenadiers were not an open class (division I) corps, but more than held their own with anybody in the horn department.

At the 1974 DCI Championships the Grenadiers finished only 38th placce, but their brass was 14th overall. In '75 the Grenadiers were 32nd at DCI, but their brass took 12th in the musical analysis caption.

The Mello-Dears all-girls corps was also a very successful corps. I can still see those plumed hats!

[xballplayer21]

i also bet that not many people know that kenny turner was a percussion major ---------however-----as memory serves--------he may have only marched in the grenadier drumline a handfull of times-----and while i aged out in 71 i am almost positive that turner wrote the drum charts as well as the brass charts-not entirely positive about that as i was attending school in florida and writing drill for another little remembered corps ----the devil dogs ----also the grenadier legacy lived on for many years --as most of the staff in the 70s were homegrown talent. many of the members of the corp also continued to write and instruct into the 80s and beyond. and hey----those mello dear plumes --------i can still see em too---anytime i want------i married a mello dear baritone player.

[Northern Thunder]

I first saw the Grenadiers at the 1971 U.S. Open.

So your wife marched in the MelloDears? I used to write to Sue Legge, who was the MelloDears historian.

I've lost track of her, as it's been about 15 years since then. She sent me the complete contest history of the MelloDears.

[xballplayer21]

i think sue still lives in the owego ny area---saw her 2 years ago in allentown. and yes my wife was a mellodear---we managed to produce a couple drummers and a horn player-----so---we have never been far from the activity--many of our oldest and dearest friends come from either the grennies or mellodears-----makes for some interesting debates at parties------u see ----back in the day-----the two corps had a healthy dislike for each other---drum corp wise that is. i mean we werent stupid----they were girls and we sure did like girls. :D

[markdewine]

I too, married a Mello-Dear.....the former Colleen Burch. (Lucky me :P )

[xballplayer21]

hey i know colleen-----was a friend of her late parents. and as i recall---shes a pretty fair drummer-----i married jody green---lucky her-------lol

[KeithHall]

Grenadiers had a real nice corps and YES their horn line was very good. Pith helmets, red tops and blue pants, right? I remember 2 things....1. A bass drummer had a bell on top of his drum and 2. They played a march and three bari's came across the field with a high pony step.

I loved them and Mark Twain Cadets.

[bariforhire]

Were the Apalachin Grenadiers and the Southern Tier Grenadiers one in the same?

If so when did the name change and why? Was there a merger that caused the name change?