Speaking of which, the 1954 American Legion Nationals, Volume 2, begins our senior coverage for that season. Hearing the brilliant sound of top corps like the Hawthorne Caballeros and Yankee Rebels, it is hard to believe these recordings are over 55 years old.

Other corps featured on this disc include Satan’s Angels from Bellefontaine, OH, in their banner year; the Pittsburgh Rockets, repeating as American Legion finalists; and the historic Midwest power, Racine’s Boys of 76.

The 1957 Dream Contest is a long overdue issue, but when you hear it, you’ll agree that it was worth the wait. This was one of the finest hours for all-girl drum corps history, the day the Audubon Bon Bons came within 0.05 of winning one of the most significant titles of their day.

Meanwhile, it’s hard to argue with the Blessed Sacrament Golden Knights’ triumph after hearing their rock-solid sound. And then there’s Holy Name Cadets, a week before their American Legion Nationals win, revealing the form that would put them on top again at the following week’s Legion event in Atlantic City.

It’s a good thing St. Vincent’s Cadets were in exhibition, as this contest would have been too much to take with them thrown into the mix. As it stood, a heroic horn show from Liberty Bell provides iconic memories, but could only garner last place in the score tally. Scout House, at their historic peak, rounds out the CD with their exhibition performance.

1958’s Penn-Jersey Selections delves into the quality junior competitors lurking just out of the spotlight of “Dream”-level contests. The Tri-Community Blue  

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Our trip began on the morning of Saturday, August 1. Our destination was Scranton, PA, about a three-hour drive from our home in Baltimore. Well, okay, sometimes more like a four-hour drive, all depending on how much of Interstate 81 in Pennsylvania is under construction. Legend has it that there are two seasons in Pennsylvania -- winter and construction. This year, we encountered no delays in our northbound direction. Thank goodness for small miracles.

Scranton HS Stadium was the site of the all-age drum corps contest run by Drum Corps Associates and the local American Legion. I was the show’s public address announcer. As far as anyone knows, this was the first time in DCA history the top-six finishers from the previous year’s championship were on the same field for a regular-season show. It was a superb night for drum corps, with near-perfect weather. The defending DCA champion Reading Buccaneers rose to the occasion with a high-octane performance and took home yet another first-place trophy, turning aside challenges from the Connecticut Hurricanes, Minnesota Brass, Inc., Hawthorne Caballeros, Empire Statesmen and Bushwackers.

Aside from winning the past four DCA titles, the Bucs, through early August of this year, have not lost a competition since Labor Day weekend 2004. That was during George W. Bush’s first term as president. Think about that for a moment.

The Buccaneers have been on quite a roll, no doubt about it. Kudos to all  

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More than 4,000 men and women have marched with the Cadets and the organization has planned quite the birthday party for its alumni at the “Cadets Summer Diamond Bash” on Saturday, August 1, in Montclair, NJ. The celebration and concert at Montclair State University, just minutes from the corps’ birthplace in Garfield, will be part of a series of weekend festivities that includes the corps’ Giants Stadium drum corps show the following day.

John Baumfalk, a 91-year-old founding member and first drum major, will make the trip from his California home to be an honored guest at the celebration. Cadets Director George Hopkins credits Baumfalk with beginning what the Holy Name Cadets are today.

And Hopkins wanted to make the anniversary a more spiritual experience for all those who have come before by returning the corps to its original Holy Name moniker this summer.

“That was my idea just in terms of a tribute, I think, to all the people who made this happen -- and not just the corps that won,” Hopkins said. “That’s one of the things that annoys me a little bit about our activity. You know, everybody wants to recognize the 19 Cadet corps that have won, but what about the 56 corps that didn’t? Without them, we wouldn’t be here.”

The special, one-year reinstatement of the name Holy Name Cadets was just the start of Hopkins’ anniversary contribution. Dave Shaw, a baritone for the Cadets from 1950-1958 and who then served three different stints on the corps staff, says Hopkins has energized the alumni behind the celebration.

“They’ve come out of the walls all over  

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