< PreviousA look backScores courtesy of Dave Borck from www.corpsreps.com and DCX archives, photos from the DCWorld archives(Top to bottom) Blessed Sacrament (1959), Chicago Cavaliers (1960), Madison Scouts (1958), St. Vincent’s Cadets (1960), Norwood Park Imperials (1958), St. Catherine’s Queensmen (1959).This show featured a 15-corps finals with lots of well-known names in the line-up. It closed out the 1950s on a high note.Photos on these two pages are by Water Ermel, and C. Johnson, while other images are by unknown photographers. (Top to bottom) Garfield Cadets (1959); Skokie Vanguard (1961); Kilties (1958); St. Patrick’s Cadets (about 1959); Cedar Rapids Cadets (1958), Sky Ryders (1959), Ottawa Crusaders (1958), Millstadt Crusaders (late 1950s); Chicago Royal Airs (1964).The 2018 Sky Ryders Alumni Scholarship campaign is now underway. Donations are being accepted through June 22, 2018 (the first date of tour!). All money raised will be distributed to 2018 Blue Stars members in financial need.In 2017, a total of $12,600 was raised and provided scholarships to 15 members of the La Crosse, WI, Blue Stars. Since its launch in 2011, more than $65,000 has been generated, helping 94 members.The Blue Stars hope readers will consider making a donation this yearn. Past generosity has helped many members of the Blue Stars fulfill their dream of participating in a life-changing summer of drum and bugle corps. No amount is too small. Brian Griffin has matched all donations received by June 1, so every $1.00 donated doubled. Letters received from last year's scholarship recipients have been posted on the corps’ Facebook group. The kids do really appreciate the financial assistance provided. They clearly demonstrate how much contributions are valued.Please consider making your donation today. Go here to add your support: http://shop.bluestars.org/sky-ryder-alumni-scholarship-fund/sky-ryder-alumni-scholarship-fund/. n n n[Publisher’s note: I marched with the Sky Ryders back in the late 1960s and am proud to support this program, started by alumni Tim Kviz. It’s great reminding fans of the name of this innovative and creative corps that enjoyed the corps’ history between 1954 and the final season in 1993.]Blue Stars honor legacy of Kansas Sky Ryders through annual scholarships(Top to bottom, left to right) 1983 (Paul Rodino); 1986 (Orlin Wagner); 1988 (Orlin Wagner); original “rocket man” corps button from the 1960s; 1979 umbrella during “Here’s That Rainy Day,” from the DCWorld archives,.,Preston Scout House Band, Inc. is turning up the heat on Canada Day weekend by inviting current and former members, family, friends and fans to attend a giant community barbecue and entertainment afternoon on Saturday, June 30, the day before Preston’s annual Canada Day parade on Sunday, July 1.The community barbecue is one of several special events Scout House is offering this year to allow as many people as possible to help celebrate the 80th year since the band was founded in 1938 as an innovative new activity for members of the 1st Preston Scout Troop.Barbecue tickets are $15, free for children 12 and under. The barbecue will take place from noon to 6:00 PM, June 30 at Sunbridge Hotel & Conference Centre (formerly the Holiday Inn), 200 Holiday Inn Drive in the Hespeler neighbourhood. Out of town friends and fans can receive a discount price of $99 plus tax and MSF on room rentals by calling the front desk toll free at 1-866-375-8241 and saying Preston Scout House to qualify for the special rate.Those attend-ing should bring lawn chairs to enjoy afternoon events including:• Performances by Scout House member groups. •Presentation of awards to kids colouring contest winners and the 2018 Wilf Blum Youth Music Scholarship recipient. ( Scout House, above, Chris Maher)• Display of vintage Scout House memorabilia, including photos, awards, programs, video highlights.• Silent auction for a vintage Scout House drum and carrying case, horn and case.• A barbecue meal including hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken breasts, salads, fresh deli buns and condiments, ice tea, lemonade, assorted dessert squares and watermelon wedges.• Scout House souvenirs available for purchase, including t-shirts, 80th-year lapel pins and history books.Special 80th year Scout House projects, in addition to the kids’ colouring contest and Wilf Blum Youth Scholarship award, include a give-away of band history books at each of Cambridge’s 50+ community centres and a concert being arranged with the City of Cambridge Community Services Department.The band will also perform twice in downtown Preston on Saturday July 14, during Preston Towne Centre’s Summer Sidewalk Sale & Funfest. Scout House will also participate i,n the annual Preston Royal Canadian Legion Branch 126 Warriors Day parade and concert on September 8 and Remembrance Day ceremonies on November 11, marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.Preston Scout House Band, Inc. is a non-profit corporation with registered charity status able to issue tax receipts to donors, incorporated under the Corporations Act of the Province of Ontario on November 29, 1956. The multi-unit organization offers individuals the opportunity to “Arrange the soundtrack of your life” in marching arts activities starting at age 8 and continuing throughout life.These units are: Preston Scout House Cadets award-winning drum and bugle corps for young men and women up to age 22; Preston Scout House Alumni Band, which has earned more than 50 awards, certificates and plaques over the past 20 years; Silver Leaves Brass, an award-winning ensemble; Magic of Scout House competitive winter guard, winner of four consecutive North East Color Guard Circuit championships since 2015; Heritage Drill Team, with members wearing tight black shorts, knee socks, short-sleeved burgundy tunics, white gauntlets and Aussie hats as in the 1950 and 1960s.For more information about Preston Scout House Band, Inc. activities, contact telephone 519-653-3376, e-mail prestonscouthouseband.adm@sympatico.ca or visit the Web site at: scouthouseband.com. n n nScout House turning up heat for June 30 community BBQAlthough we do not intentionally include erroneous details in issues of the magazine, on occasion we either don’t have enough information, can’t corroborate facts or don’t have the location or date of some historic photographs. Here are a few catch-up pieces from the last edition . . .• The photo of Cincinnati Tradition that appeared on page 72 in the June issue was by Chris Maher, not John Matter.• On page 48 of the June issue, a photo was used of the Amboy Dukes, from Perth Amboy, NJ. Former member Joe Brancati wrote to let us know that the year was 1962 and it was taken at the New Jersey American Legion State Championship in Wildwood, NJ. n n nCorrectionsDrum Corps International will return to movie theaters on Thursday, June 21, for the 2018 “DCI Tour Premiere,” presented in conjunction with Fathom Events. The program will feature the 2018 season-opening debuts of the Blue Stars, Bluecoats, Boston Crusaders, Carolina Crown, The Cavaliers and Phantom Regiment, to be broadcast “live” from Ford Field in Detroit, MI, in nearly 500 select movie theaters across the country. (Photos by John Matter)Airing at 8:30 PM Eastern Time/5:30 Pacific Time, the show will run for approximately two hours. Tickets for the one-night event are now on sale through FathomEvents.com. The suggested ticket price is $15, but may vary from theater to theater. n n nRemembering a time when the Midwest junior corps activity began Memorial Day weekend in Kenosha, WItext by Steve Vickers, photos supplied by Bill O’Connell, Des Plaines Vanguard alumniIn the late 1960s and early 1970s, Kenosha, WI’s, Lakefront Stadium was where the Midwest kicked off its season on Memorial Day weekend at contest run by Bob Fornero.I was one of the loyal fans who was there almost every year and I remember this performance in 1972 because of the unique approach the Des Plaines Vanguard from suburban Chicago took with their 1972 theme and design. In the top image, on the left, you can see the old AMC automobile factory and behind the corps was Lake Michigan, a stone’s throw from the field.The Frank Pamper-led group staged an effective and innovative production that included Mars, the Bringer of War, Somewhere from “West Side Story” and Where Do I Go from the Broadway show “Hair.” It was one of those programs ahead of its time and, by the end of that first season of DCI, placed the corps in the seventh position at Whitewater, WI.I recall one year, as the First Federal Blue Stars set up on the starting line, it actually started snowing tiny flakes.Those were great times for the drum corps activity!Community drum corps and the future -- an opinionThis isn't about the American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars drum and bugle corps, but about the community drum and bugle corps many of us experienced in the days before Drum Corps International came into being late in 1971. And this isn’t really about Drum Corps International either. Think about community drum corps . . . what it meant to you and ideas that can be generated to restart a movement for today’s young people in local settings around North America. Community drum and bugle corps had been in a decline since the mid-1960s. It mirrors the decline in membership and, consequently, financial support from veterans organizations and churches (primarily the Catholic Church along the Eastern seaboard) during that period in history. Society itself was changing, especially with the Vietnam war draft and the developing drug culture.At the same time, the co-called “big name” corps were becoming larger and more competitive. After all, Americans LOVE competition and “being the best”! So expenses grew dramatically and recruiting more qualified members became important. The idea of taking local kids off the street and teaching them often from scratch began to fall by the wayside. “Community” focus was gradually being lost.Some people think that Drum Corps International was “the savior” of the activity. Well, I disagree about DCI being anything like a “savior” of drum corps. They hastened the end of community drum corps, especially by encouraging the American penchant for competition. By eliminating all local and regional circuit competition, the DCI organization became “the only game in town,” at least for competition. But here’s the truth. DCI didn’t kill the activity, the “leaders” of corps did it by following the DCI competition model and walking away from their community roots. Now the activity is cannibalizing itself. Do they really need amplification, large percussion pits, five buses and three semis, plus a cook truck? Unfortunately, yes, if you want to compete. Drum Corps International didn’t do that, the corps did, but here’s the most important part.The REAL reason there are few neighborhood or community-based drum corps is that potential founders say they can’t compete with DCI . . . but why do they have to? Gary Moore, the founder of the Kankakee, IL, Knight Watchmen, told me, “My corps will never be a DCI finalist. We are focused on building character in young boys and girls, not winning championships. Build character, not trophy cases.”He added, “Anyone with the desire and will to start a neighborhood drum and bugle corps can. There are truck loads of used equipment and charity foundations interested in investing for kids to take part in the musical arts. I’d show anybody how to do it,” Moore concluded.Unfortunately, there is much bitterness and hatred for DCI that energy is spent complaining and blaming, rather than building and recruiting. Crying about DCI and complaining won't correct anything. Taking positive action -- as Gary Moore has done with his Knight Watchmen and some others are doing in other areas -- is the ONLY real answer. And yes, all-age and alumni corps can also be viewed as “community” corps, depending on their goals and programs. Some DCI corps have other youth programs that fit the model of community corps as well, like the Santa Clara Vanguard, Colts and Blue Devils. We should promote and respect the old drum corps, but not express bitterness about the new. Don’t buy into the idea that there cannot be neighborhood, community-based drum and bugle corps. That is a lie. It can happen, but you can’t try to compete with Drum Corps International in the process! n n nCommentaryCommunity drum corps and the futureby Dave Borck (DavidBorck@yahoo.com)Memorial Day weekend, my wife Edie and I went out to Mars, the Blue Devils’ rehearsal field, and watched the corps and staff producing their 4 1/2-minute opening production. At first it just seemed to be a hodgepodge of sound and motion, with bits of relatable effects here and there. That was on Friday night. Saturday afternoon turned out to be really hot, so we only stayed for the musical breakdown and run-through of the opener, which was beginning to show some semblance of what was to come. We had hoped to hear a run of the 2018 ballad, but the staff was fully concentrated on getting the pieces put together to form what was hoped to be an opener to end all openers.We went out to Mars again on Memorial Day for the final run-throughs. What we experienced was an amazing production featuring a marvelous array of talent, creativity and hard work. The production showed off the distinctive talents and hard-won abilities of every member of every section. It was exactly what I had come to expect from the Blue Devils’ design staff -- state-of-the-art feature after wonderful feature, challenging the performers and dazzling the spectators.Edie and I left rehearsal with a feeling of excitement and anticipation of seeing another beautifully- constructed and superbly-performed Blue Devils show for the 2018 season! n n nMemorial Day weekend with BDby Jack Meehan, Drum Corps World staff (jackmeehan@sbcglobal.net)Following the annual nomination process and voting by current members of the Drum Corps International Hall of Fame, two individuals were chosen from among 14 candidates to be included in this year’s class of inductees.The ceremony will take place on Wednesday, August 8, in Indianapolis, IN, during the 2018 DCI Championship festivities.Jim Coates began his professional drum corps career as a visual staff member for the Crossmen when the corps was based outside Philadelphia, becoming the corps’ director in 1994, a time when there were severe doubts if the corps would be able to continue operations. His dedication didn’t just keep the corps alive, but the Crossmen experienced some of its best competitive placements during his tenure.In 2003, Coates moved on to Carolina Crown to serve as program director before being named executive director in 2010, helping to launch the corps to its highest level of success. Since then the corps has had numerous top-five finishes at the DCI World Championship Finals, capturing many caption awards along the way.Numerous Crown instructors are effusive in their praise for how Coates runs the corps. Among those is brass instructor Donnie VanDoren, who states, “Jim has a fierce competitive spirit that is only outweighed by his caring heart and a desire to make a difference in the lives of kids and young staff, including my own son and daughter.”Percussion director Thom Hannum adds, “Jim’s steady hand and unwavering commitment to building a sound, total organizational structure have been at the crux of Crown’s steady rise to threat of perennial candidate for the DCI World Championship title.”Coates’ talents leading a team of drum corps staff members and show designers is well-complemented by his business acumen. According to Kevin Smith, Carolina Crown President, “Most of Jim’s time is spent building and growing a sustainable and multi-business platform so that Crown’s programs can survive without dependence on highly-variable charitable contributions or fund-raising activities.”Coates and Turner will be inducted to DCI Hall of Fame Class of 2018by Michael Boo, Drum Corps InternationalA mark of Coates’ position of respect within the drum corps community is evidenced by what is said about him by his competitors. David Gibbs, Blue Devils Senior Executive Advisor, says, “[Coates] put together one of the best staffs in the world and has instilled a unique philosophical identity. With Jim’s leadership, the brand has developed into one of the most respected in the activity. He has helped make Carolina Crown into a financially stable organization. His focus on their mission of developing lifelong excellence in young people, while intelligently managing the business, has led to remarkable success.”David Glasgow, executive director of the Bluecoats, states, “In his tenure as leader of Carolina Crown, Jim has clearly been able to achieve a level of excellence that is nearly unprecedented. Even more impressive is how far he has taken Carolina Crown.“When he started with Crown, they were coming off one of their most difficult seasons in their history, placing out of DCI Finals for the first time since their first year in the top-12 in 1995. Very quickly, he was able to put together a team of designers and instructors capable of leading them to their first DCI World Championship title in 2013. In my opinion, Jim Coates has proven to be one of the drum corps activity’s preeminent leaders.”Ken Turner, DCI Brass Caption Chair and Judge Administrator, started his drum corps career in 1959 as a horn line member of the Apalachin Grenadiers from Owego, NY. Upon aging out, he became not only a brass instructor for the corps, but also its arranger as well. Over the years he also served in capacities as diverse as arranger, instructor, program coordinator and consultant for corps including the Empire State Express, Empire Statesmen, Syracuse Brigadiers, Oakland Crusaders, Bridgemen and Phantom Regiment.Nominator Charles A. Poole, Jr., DCI Hall of Fame Class of 1998, states, “Professionally, Ken Turner is a legend in New York State music education. He never strayed far from home leading the Johnson City, NY, School District as Director of Music and Fine Arts for 27 years. Under his guidance, Johnson City High School earned Grammy Signature Awards on six occasions and five times the district was presented the ‘100 Best Communities in America for Music Education’ award by Music for All, the Music Educators National Conference and the National School Boards Association.”Prior to his retirement, Turner was commissioned to lobby members of Congress on behalf of music education and the arts as a member of NAMM’s National Congressional Advocacy Committee.As a Drum Corps International judge, Turner has held the positions of DCI Chief Judge and Judge Administrator, DCI Brass Caption Chairman and served as a member of the DCI Task Force on Judging and the Drum Corps 2000 Strategic Planning Committee.Fellow judge Jeff Mitchell points out that in 1994, Turner designed the DCI judging system for Music Effect and Music Ensemble that remains in use today, largely unchanged. According to Mitchell, “This has had a huge and mostly unappreciated impact on the design of shows and helped foster the advanced musical design we have today.”Up until then, brass and percussion captions were evaluated separately. With the addition of the Music Effect and Music Ensemble captions, brass and percussion became judged as a single musical entity. Turner then took the lead in training judges to see the entire musical picture required by the new sheets.Poole says, “Ken is most widely recognized for his intuitive, nurturing and perceptive abilities as an adjudicator. He is heralded as the gold standard in music effect adjudication. His sense, knowledge, and appreciation of design, coordination and effective performer delivery of program content has made him a staple of DCI World Championship contests for the past 35 seasons.”DCI Hall of Fame Class of 1996 member Jim Prime, Jr. says that his evolution as a DCI instructor and arranger was directly influenced by frequently encountering Turner as a judge, adding, “His commentary and evaluation always helped us get better, to ponder something that we hadn’t thought of before or to address some programmatic or musical issue in a different manner.” n n nNext >