March Moments 2009: March 46 - Aging Out, the Epilogue

March 46 - Aging Out, the Epilogue
by JoAnne Parente

(Editor's note: With this entry, March Moments is over for this year.)


Who would've thunk it?

When I started out the little experiment known as March Moments here in Scribblings some six weeks ago, I figured some of the regulars would send stuff in for about half the days in the month, and I would have to write all the rest.

Was I wrong!

Sure, I contributed my fair share of memories this March, but LOTS of you did as well.

Here's the list of the baker's dozen who submitted stories during this VERY extended month:

• Bill Berliner (March 18, 20, 22, 24, 27)
  
• Jackie Bodzas (March 2, 7, 17, 21, 35, 37, 42, 44)
• Mary Cassidy Ryan (March 29)
• Pete Chesnovitz (March 4)
• Pete Crafts (March 13, 22, 41)
• Jennifer DiGaetano Wehking (March 32)
• Verne James (March 5, 31, 34)
• Eric Meyer (March 38)
  
• Jim Piccolo (March 12, 23, 30, 39)
• Craig Stephens (March 26, 28)
• Chris Trimblett (March 33)
• Jim Trimblett (March 40)
  
• Rhonda Yates Breen-Simone (March 10)

The first time I aged out - September 11, 1976 - was no where near as fun as it's been this time. Start saving your stories now for next March, when we'll go down this path again.

Thanks, everyone - love you all!

All for now - corpsdially yours from jo!

March Moments 2009: March 41 - Present Tense, Chapter 1

March 40 - Present Tense, Chapter 1
by Pete Crafts

(Editor's note: March doesn't end until we all decide it does - the ultimate antithesis of aging out. As long as entries for March Moments keep coming in, March keeps going, too.)


There were many highlights on Kim's and my vacation to Central Florida this past March I would like to tell about.

• We rode Harleys with Kenny Chiocchi Saturday,Thursday, and Saturday again.
• Met up with Sue Palasak on Main Street Daytona.
• We had dinner Wednesday night with Kim Mega Trimblett ,Jim Trimblett, Laura and Alex their children, Chris Trimblett, and my Aunt Carolyn. Kim was a wonderful hostess.
• We spent Saturday night and Sunday with Jimmy and family at the shore in Ponce Inlet.

Backing up to Friday night we saw The Payne Brothers. Chris went out of his way to get some lights set up in the club so I could play with a few lights that night. His band was just awesome that night. Molly Hatchet's drummer showed up with a few ladies in tow and played a whole set with The Payne Brothers. We had a great time, took some photos, and said our sad goodbyes with hugs.

Well the next day, Kenny came by and we rode to The Cabbage Patch Bar where they were having biker festivities. Well, we weren't that keen on watching women wrestle in shredded up cabbage in the hot Florida sun, so somehow I convinced Kim and Kenny to go down to JB's Fishcamp (which is where The Creature of The Black Lagoon was filmed) to see Chris play at 3pm. We pulled up and I waved to Chris up on the stage behind his keyboards. The surprised look on his face was that super smile I had not seen for 30 years ... Then I pointed to Kenny on his Harley and Chris came running down to us from that stage, hugging Kenny and not believing we came back for more.

We had some super highlights on our trip and I owe it all to some folks here who spent a lot of their time bringing us Saints closer together ... You know who you are and thanks again.

Peter and Kim Crafts



Comments or questions about our March Moments series? Click here to submit, or if that doesn't work, send them to joparente DOT saintsdrumcorps AT gmail DOT com.

March Moments 2009: March 40 - Memories from 1974, Chapter 6

March 40 - Memories from 1974, Chapter 6
by Jim Trimblett

(Editor's note: March doesn't end until we all decide it does - the ultimate antithesis of aging out. As long as entries for March Moments keep coming in, March keeps going, too.)


This is a postscript to yesterday's “Did this really happen?” story.

If Pic’s story is true, I’m sure the trooper’s exact words would have been, and I quote, "I hear tell you boys been ridin’ bear ass at high speeds."

Of course, because I wasn’t there, that would only be speculation.

Thanks for the great story Pic.




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March Moments 2009: March 39 - Memories from 1974, Chapter 5

March 39 - Memories from 1974, Chapter 5
by Jim Piccolo

(Editor's note: March doesn't end until we all decide it does - the ultimate antithesis of aging out. As long as entries for March Moments keep coming in, March keeps going, too.)


This is a “Did this really happen?” story.

Several members of the corps had started to compete in Individual and Ensemble contests that were usually held in the off-season back in the day. It was a chance to let individual members take center stage and to show off their talents.

Some of the members traveled up to an I&E show that was scheduled to take place in the Boston, Massachusetts area. They had traveled for at least 6 hours to get there only to find out that the show had been canceled, to their dismay. When the corps that was actually sponsoring the show (an all girl corps which is practically unheard of today) learned that members had journeyed all that way for nothing, they asked the members to march in a parade with them that they were scheduled to march in that day as their guests. The corps members graciously accepted the offer and marched in the parade.

On the way home, the members were bored, and as teenagers did, decided to have a little fun by chucking moons at people as they drove by. Well as it happened, one of the people who had been mooned did not think it was fun at all, and called the Connecticut State Troopers.

The Trooper caught up to them and pulled them over. The driver rolled down the window and the trooper asked, “Are you the guys driving bare ass down the road?”

The occupants in the car replied, “Not us officer!” After all was said and done, the driver was let go with a warning.

Did this really happen? Truth or fiction. You decide.

Note from Jo: The names of the people who may - or may not - have participated in the alleged events above were missing from the story when I received it. If this really did happen, you know who you are - or aren't. All I can tell you for sure is that I wasn't there (if there was, indeed, a there) - after all, I never competed in an I&E show. Now, for the rest of you ... only Pic admits to knowing for sure - or not.



Comments or questions about our March Moments series? Click here to submit, or if that doesn't work, send them to joparente DOT saintsdrumcorps AT gmail DOT com.

March Moments 2009: March 35 - Memories from 1974, Chapter 3

March 35 - Memories from 1974, Chapter 3
by Jack Bodzas

(Editor's note: March doesn't end until we all decide it does - the ultimate antithesis of aging out. As long as entries for March Moments keep coming in, March keeps going, too.)



On the way to the ’74 World Open one of our buses or trucks broke down, believe it or not! I gotta think our drivers spent as much time under the vehicles as they did driving.

Of course, kids being kids, multiplied by being cooped up in a sweaty smelly ole bus for a bunch of hours singing many, many verses of Barnacle Bill the Sailor, or Shaving Cream, or 100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall or ... oh never mind, you get the picture ...

The first thing we did after we jumped out the back door was to start up a roadside football game.

The second thing I did was to trip over a hole and ram into someone - I think it was Pete (where oh where are you now) Boyle who was very much like running into a refrigerator with a head. He just did not budge, not one itty bitty bit.

The third was this incredibly loud snap I heard, coming directly from my right ankle area.

The next thing I knew I was in some hospital getting a cast put on by a man wearing a BoSox hat.


Within days I was back on the field marching - cast, tympani, uniform and all, unlike today’s modern timpanists who have their drums carried onto the field for them, and sit down to play.

Ah ... the good old days.

Jack

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March Moments 2009: March 34 - Classic Cage Moments, Chapter 2

March 34 - Classic Cage Moments, Chapter 2
by Verne James

(Editor's note: March doesn't end until we all decide it does - the ultimate antithesis of aging out. As long as entries for March Moments keep coming in, March keeps going, too.)


It was the Bayonne show of probably 1976, though it might have been 1977.

Mike Hickey was walking the aisles of The Cage with a tin can making a collection to entice him to swim in Newark Bay. Though I don't remember the whole story from this point, what I do seem to recall is somehow the tin can got filled with a human liquid excretion (which will remain unnamed), and ultimately someone knocked the can all over Mr. Hickey.


Comments or questions about our March Moments series? Click here to submit, or if that doesn't work, send them to joparente DOT saintsdrumcorps AT gmail DOT com.

March Moments 2009: March 32 - Fundraising, Chapter 2

March 32 - Fundraising, Chapter 2
by Jennifer DiGaetano Wehking

(Editor's notes: First, talk about putting the FUN into fundraising [just kidding]! As Len Berman would say, "And no one got hurt." Second - March doesn't end until we all decide it does - the ultimate antithesis of aging out. As long as entries for March Moments keep coming in, March keeps going, too.)


Oh Jo, I don't think Priscilla or I will ever forget tagging at US 1 and Ford Ave.

We approached a car containing a single person. A young man sat in the driver's seat and called us over as he had a "secret" to share. After leaning towards the car window, we saw his "secret"! He was wearing nothing but a shirt!!!



Comments or questions about our March Moments series? Click here to submit, or if that doesn't work, send them to joparente DOT saintsdrumcorps AT gmail DOT com.

March Moments 2009: March 31 - Parades, Chapter 1

March 31 - Parades, Chapter 1
by Verne James


(Editor's note: March doesn't end until we all decide it does - the ultimate antithesis of aging out. As long as entries for March Moments keep coming in, March keeps going, too.)

I don't recall the exact events which lead up to it, but it happened either after a show or after a practice. It possibly happened at other times, but this was the only time I had the experience of it.

One evening, a number of members drove on over to a nearby downtown area (in GPS Navigation Systems, we now call them "City Centers") and decided to have parade down the main street. Not sure who all was there but it was one of the coolest things I did while in the Saints.



Comments or questions about our March Moments series? Click here to submit, or if that doesn't work, send them to joparente DOT saintsdrumcorps AT gmail DOT com.

March Moments 2009: March 27 - A Couple More Tales

March 27 - A Couple More Tales
by Bill Berliner


Story edited for content: One of the Chez brothers got extremely wasted at a party, which might have been at Kubinak's (editor's note: I removed the name so there's only a one out of three chance of getting it right in the case of background checks). We dragged him up to his front porch, rang the bell, and bolted (nice guys that we were …). That led to a new dance number — “Do the Chez.” According to Peaches, they still laugh about it ... although I suspect Mrs. Chez is still pissed.


Recruiting, Saints-Style: Andy Vescey had one of the old-style VW vans, and he used to haul a bunch of us (me, KMRO, LOIS REED?!, etc.) back and forth to practice. A few times, we had our horns with us — around 2:00 AM, we’d set up in front of a fraternity house in New Brunswick and play the off-the-line. We considered it a form of PR work for the corps …



Comments or questions about our March Moments series? Click here to submit, or if that doesn't work, send them to joparente DOT saintsdrumcorps AT gmail DOT com.

March Moments 2009: March 26 - My First Time, Chapter 6

March 26 - My First Time, Chapter 6
by Craig "Clav" Stephens


I still remember how incensed (no pun intended) I was when we marched into the Garden State championships and saw off to the side the Crossmen burning a Saints T-shirt on a cross.

I vividly recall the memory of stomping on Crossmen and Bridgemen buttons as we headed towards the field.

I remember inspections.

My most vivid memory is seeing The Saints for the first time. It was at the Garden State Championships. The only reason I could even tolerate going to the show was because, well ... it was at Wildwood.

I watched with detached boredom the expected drudgery of one corps after another.

Then The Saints took the line. I knew I should look interested as my brother was marching (The Skull aka Art Stephens).

Then 6 notes were played that took my breath away and changed my life forever.

I know ... dramatic much? LOL But it's the truth. For if I had not heard that off the line I'd have never met my wife.

I blame ya'll and will never forgive you!!

LOL

j/k

Sort of ... *whistles*



Interested in submitting your own favorite memories for March Moments? Click here to submit, or if that doesn't work, send them to joparente DOT saintsdrumcorps AT gmail DOT com.

March Moments 2009: March 25 - Memories from 1974, Chapter 2

March 25 - Memories from 1974, Chapter 2
by JoAnne Parente


Missing the World Open

Where's the irony in this? Two original members miss the chance to march in the World Open, our first world-class competition.

My absence from the field started about a week earlier. The morning of the Dream (again, another first for the corps), I literally collapsed in my parents' living room with a fever of a bazillion point nine. Calling Ralph Fair to tell him was almost comical - he kept asking me if I was sure I wasn't able to march as I was propped up against the wall while on the phone with him ... eventually he got the message.

Many of us are old enough to remember where they were when they found out Kennedy was shot (in my 3rd grade classroom, coloring with Robert Warshany, and at Perth Amboy General Hospital after Karen's tonsil surgery when we found out JFK had died). I also remember where I was when Nixon resigned - the evening of his announcement (August 8) and his departure from the White House (August 9), I was isolated from all but my mother, trying to keep from infecting the rest of the world with that nasty liver thing I had going.

The phone calls kept coming from members of the Board while you were all in Massachusetts, with the first one bringing news of Jackie Bodzas's unfortunate accident playing football or whatever it was at some rest area (Jackie, did I get the story right?). The highs of winning the prelims, and the horror of what happened at finals, left me as excited and disappointed as all of you.



Interested in submitting your own favorite memories for March Moments? Click here to submit, or if that doesn't work, send them to joparente DOT saintsdrumcorps AT gmail DOT com.

March Moments 2009: March 24 - Mazur's Birdbaths

March 24 - Mazur's Birdbaths
by Bill Berliner


Over the years, I “borrowed” about 8 birdbaths from Mark Mazur’s lawn. One time was the toughest, though. It was the middle of the winter, and the ground was frozen — when the birdbath came out of the ground, it came out with about 20 cubic feet of frozen dirt, and left what looked like a bomb crater in the lawn. We (maybe Jim Brady) almost got hernias trying to get it in my trunk.

Sorry, Maze…


Interested in submitting your own favorite memories for March Moments? Click here to submit, or if that doesn't work, send them to joparente DOT saintsdrumcorps AT gmail DOT com.

March Moments 2009: March 21 - Recurring Dreams, Chapter 1

March 21 - Recurring Dreams, Chapter 1
by Jack Bodzas


(Editor's Note: You know you have them. There's even a group out on Facebook about drum corps recurring dreams. Send yours in.)

I have a recurring drum corps dream, and it gets scarier every time I have it - but I love it just the same.

Goes like this:

My dream always starts where I am in the kitchen / drum room of the OLP Annex, learning new drum parts for the new season. I come to realize that at the end of April I will age out, and I should tell somebody.

But I really don’t want to turn myself in. I still want to play on. It was the good ol’ days and I knew it. Pete, Joey, Eric, Mike, Brad, Danny, Gary, Gary, Gary, and Gary . . .they are all there and all are still kids (even Peaches playing cymbals!).

It all seems so real except for the fact that I am fifty-something, have a lot less hair and the uniform doesn’t even come close to fitting.

Then I wake up.



Interested in submitting your own favorite memories for March Moments? Click here to submit, or if that doesn't work, send them to joparente DOT saintsdrumcorps AT gmail DOT com.

March Moments 2009: March 20 - A Favorite Marching Memory, Chapter 2

March 20 - A Favorite Marching Memory, Chapter 2
by Bill Berliner


(Editor's Note: Keep on sending in those favorite moments from parades or competitions!).


Jim Brady at DCI Prelims in 1975: Jimmy wanted to put a little tag on the end of his solo in the Ellington medley. Mr. Swan told him not to do it, but Gus Wilkie liked it. Not only did he play it, he turned and played it right at Mr. Swan! Of course, it was great, and old Bucky could only smile and fix his comb-over.

Great memories of great friends …


Interested in submitting your own favorite memories for March Moments? Click here to submit, or if that doesn't work, send them to joparente DOT saintsdrumcorps AT gmail DOT com.

March Moments 2009: March 19 - Name Changes, Chapter 1

March 19 - Name Changes, Chapter 1
by JoAnne Parente


(Editor's Note: No surprise - lots of us still are known by the other names we acquired while with the Saints. This is my story.)


Facebook. That magical, virtual place where my two names are colliding over and over again. Nick, Tony, and everyone else out there who are confused by my name, this one's for you ...

Today, on the feast day of my adopted patron Saint Joseph, I'll share with you all how I went from Marilyn to JoAnne. (stop snickering!)

Ralph Fair came to the Saints in mid-1968, and primarily worked with what we called the Big Guard. I was with the Little Guard, or Guide-Ons, at the time, and still remember how thrilled I was when Ralph asked me to march with the Big Guard after their first winter season ended in Spring 1969.

Around the same time, a new member named Joann (last name intentionally omitted) joined the guard. Other than the color of our hair, we looked NOTHING alike. For some reason, Ralph called her Marilyn, and me ... well, you figure it out.

She quit after only a few weeks. My name went with her.

It got to the point that people had to refer to me as "Marilyn, the one you call Joann," for Ralph to know who they were talking about. That shortened to "the one you call Joann." Finally, once I accepted the idea that Ralph was NEVER going to call me Marilyn, I embraced the name change with my own spelling.

Since the JoAnne thing happened the summer before I started at St Mary's, I used that name all through high school and college. Even though my parents never changed how they addressed me (the first few times people called the house asking for JoAnne, my parents would tell them they had the wrong number), somehow my two youngest sisters (born in 1969) didn't realize my first name was Marilyn until their first day of kindergarten - that's a story I'll save until the next time I see you.

When I started working for the federal government after graduation, it became too cumbersome to use a non-legal name. That's when I went back to the M-word. To this day, I respond to people based on the name used when we were introduced.

Which do I identify with more? Depends on the situation, but most of the time it's JoAnne ...

Ralph, thanks ... I think



Interested in submitting your own favorite memories for March Moments? Click here to submit, or if that doesn't work, send them to joparente DOT saintsdrumcorps AT gmail DOT com.

March Moments 2009: March 18 - On Tour, Chapter 1

March 18 - On Tour, Chapter 1
by Bill Berliner


(Editor's Note: The title comes from me. I'm sure many of you have other tour-based stories - send them in already!).


Running from Sheriff Crockett: That was in ’76, the second year we stayed in Prospect, OH. He chased us all night after he caught us skinny-dipping in the community pool, and was shining his searchlight — it felt like something from “The Great Escape.” Also, when I say “all night,” I’m not exaggerating. Every time we thought we lost him, his car came out of some alley, and we had to run like hell.

I lost most of a pair of jeans on a metal fence that I hit sometime that night. I don’t remember who I was with (Pic? Peaches? Mongo?), but I remember finally hiding out in a church loft until the sun came up. He was relentless … as was Ray Kadash when we came staggering back in the morning. (“Where were you #!@&! guys?!)

Great memories of great friends…



Interested in submitting your own favorite memories for March Moments? Click here to submit, or if that doesn't work, send them to joparente DOT saintsdrumcorps AT gmail DOT com.

March Moments 2009: March 4 - Days of the Week, Saints-Style

March 4 - Days of the Week, Saints-Style
(by Pete Chesnovitz)

(Editor's note: This March Moment was submitted as part of last week's Tuesday Trivia bonus question)

All winter season weekends were the same back then:

• Saturday - horn practice at the Annex, then board the bus for a color guard show
• Sunday - another show
• Monday - a day off (we all hung out at the Annex anyway)
• Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - color guard practices that we hung out at
• Friday - was horn rehearsal

Then, it was back to do it all over again. I spent more time at the Annex than anywhere else growing up, more than school anyway. Maybe that's why I work for the post office and can tell you where most high school football fields are.


Interested in submitting your own favorite memories for March Moments? Click here to submit, or if that doesn't work, send them to joparente DOT saintsdrumcorps AT gmail DOT com.

All for now - corpsdially yours from jo!

March Moments 2009: March 2 - Tony Fills In, Chapter 1

March 2 - Tony Fills In, Chapter 1
by Jack Bodzas

(Editor's Note: There are lots of times that Tony Cataneo filled in for one of us over the years. To keep all the stories straight, I labeled this one Chapter 1).

In the first season that the Saints fielded tymps, Eric, for probably a better-than-damn-good reason, could not make a show. Tony Cataneo stepped up to help.

He just so happened to have a uniform left over from the previous color guard season (there is a picture in the Photo Gallery to prove this), so we taught him most of the parts on the bus ride to the show (I think it was Moonachie). He taught the marching drill to us originally; therefore he already knew where to go. If he was about to forget a drum part, he just signaled, shot me a frantic look, and I reached over and banged a few notes on his drum.

Ahhh, the good old days +/-.



Interested in submitting your own favorite memories for March Moments? Click here to submit, or if that doesn't work, send them to joparente DOT saintsdrumcorps AT gmail DOT com.

All for now - corpsdially yours from jo!

March Moments 2009 - March 1 (by jo)

March 1 - Off The Line
(by jo)

Call it cliche, but I think we can have some fun with this.

It's March, as in MARCH. How lucky are we Saints - a holy day of obligation named after us (All Saints Day on November 1 each year, on Mr. French's birthday no less), and a WHOLE MONTH named for the thing we loved to do together for about 10 years.

Here's what I'm suggesting - a WHOLE MONTH of your trivia, memories, whatever.

Call it a month of March Moments.

Submit your favorite marching moments. The only two restrictions are that is has to pass my editing sensibilities in a public forum (don't worry - I can clean up MANY a story), and it must be about your time with the Saints. After all, it's only fair. If you have a favorite marching moment that came from another corps or band, submit it to their blog.

• It can be a big deal, a small (up until now) private thing, or anything in between.
• It can be written or a photo
• It will have your name associated with it unless you ask to submit anonymously (I'd offer your name with big shiny lighting, but that's what Sue Brady does for a living and I don't want to compete with an expert!)

I'd rather that your ideas fill up each of the days - if I have nothing from you to submit, you'll be stuck with my insignificant special moments. Trust me - yours are better.

Click here to submit, or if that doesn't work, send them to joparente DOT saintsdrumcorps AT gmail DOT com. I think you get how to connect the pieces together for the e-mail (trying to keep the amount of spam to a minimum).

All for now - corpsdially yours from jo!

Weekend Wonderings: Remembering

There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes.
(Dr. Who)

By now, word has probably reached you about Lorraine Porowski's passing. While I didn't know her as well as many of you, I spent enough time around her to know that she kept it real and reminded us that we were, after all, kids. The nature of what we did in corps was serious stuff - precision beyond belief under the aerobic pressures of marching and social pressures of performing in front of thousands. She provided that escape valve for me and others, leaving us convulsing with laughter beyond repair.

We don't know too much about what Lorraine was up to post-Saints much beyond that she's survived by her mother and had become a mother herself. This not-knowing is true for lots of members of our corps family. While it's unfortunate, it's also a gift - remembering her and others through the lens of who we were back during our days together is a cool thing in so many ways.

Lorraine, thanks for letting me be 19 once again!

All for now - corpsdially yours from jo!