As program director for the Festival of Brass Drum Corps Show for the last 13 years, I have had the blessing of working with fantastic adults and young people involved in drum corps. It never ceases to amaze me to see the sacrifice and dedication that these young adults and staff put into the activity. Drum corps is one of the few activities left in the country that teaches kids about leadership, dedication and striving for excellence. These kids sleep on gym floors, practice more than 50 hours a week in the hot sun, travel by bus all night long to their next housing site and pay the corps up to $1,500 for being a member of the corps as well! Their reward for working so hard are the positive lessons they learn, making friendships for a lifetime and receiving standing ovations from fans all across the country. This year I had the honor of experiencing some very special moments involving drum corps.
The 60-year reunion
In early May of 2001 I received a phone call from a gentleman named Paul who wanted to order 25 tickets to our show. I called him back and asked where he was coming from to get to our show. He said he lived in Traverse City, MI!
I mentioned that that was a seven-hour drive and asked him what made him want to travel all that way to get to Oswego. He said he was a drum corps alumnus of the 1941 Square Squadron Drum Corps out of Orland Park. He said that Fathers Day weekend was their 60-year anniversary and they were holding a reunion that weekend in Orland Park. Paul had been to the Festival of Brass last year and said we run a great show. He recommended to the group that they attend the Oswego show as part of their 60-year reunion.
It was an honor to have the Square Squadron at our show this year! In 1941, they were the first corps from the state of Illinois to win a national championship. We read their accomplishments over the P.A. system to 3,000 fans and they received the loudest ovation of the entire evening! It was a privilege to have them attend our event and share their special moment with us...
