Tuesday Trivia: June 30, 2009

We had two members respond to last week's Tuesday Trivia - double the response of the week before!

Here's last week's two-part question:
How many NJ AL championships did the Saints win, and in what years?

From Pete Chez:
Jo, If I remember correctly (and maybe I'm not - the 70s were a lot of fun you know), you could either compete in the show OR the parade. So my guess is '69. Purely a guess. If I'm way off base, DON"T PRINT THIS !!!! thanks.

From Jackie Bodzas:
To answer your question: 26 World Series championships and 39 American League pennants. Ooops ... I think that is the Yanks, not us.

And now, for the official answer:

I have no clue. I had forgotten about the either-or stipulation - thanks to Pete for the reminder, and to Jackie for confirmation. As far as how many and what years, the only one I can remember for sure is the guard field championship we won in 1973 (see the picture from the balcony at the Cara Mara below). We may also have won the guard title in 1972, but can't really say for sure. I seem to remember at least one parade win (could be the 1969 thing that Pete remembers), and I thought the corps won the field show once as well (1976?).

Thanks to my little brothers for responding!


Now, for next week's question (and I DO know the answer to this one!):
What corps used horns from the disbanded Saints in their DCI Championships alumni performance?

Remember ... prizes, prizes, we have no prizes!


Ready to send in your answers? Click here to submit, or if that doesn't work, send them to joparente DOT saintsdrumcorps AT gmail DOT com by the end of the day (whatever your time zone) on Monday, July 6th.


All for now - corpsdially yours from jo!

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 37 - On Tour, Chapter 2

March 37 - On Tour, Chapter 2
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.)



Okay if March is being extended, here is one for, as Mr. Lopez used to say, "one more once."

Of my favorite Saints memories, more than a few are from our days spent in Prospect, Ohio. This town literally opened its doors to us every year that we “stopped” by. Prospect was a great place, from its sheriff (who was also the justice of the peace and the candy shop owner) to its super friendly townsfolk, to its well water pump in the park gazebo. It was truly a wonderful place left back in time. Can’t say enough pleasant things about this place, it was good to just be there.

Here's a picture of a one corps parade that we put on for the good citizens of Prospect. I just really remember this parade/day/place as the main ingredient for the making of good times! Don’t try to figure this picture out, things got moved around a bit. . . Gary & Bob were drum majors, Glenn played tambourine, Sue the cymbals and who knows what everyone else was doing.


To those who missed the trips to Prospect with us, I can best explain it as one of the places that Garrison Keillor might write about. If you never read Keillor, his stories are of places a lot like Prospect, Ohio.

Ahhh ... the good old days.

Some postscripts - Several of our members are quite fortunate that Sheriff Crockett did not carry a gun and couldn’t run as fast as they could (see the March 18th Scribblings entry for more details). Also, stories detailing some of its friendly people are a whole other chapter or two, and some just can’t be printed at all on a family website.



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 15 - My First Time, Chapter 3

March 15 - My First Time, Chapter 3
by JoAnne Parente


It was the day of the FCBBBL (Fords-Clara Barton Boys Baseball League) start-of-season parade ... April 1968.

That morning, we attended Mass together - in uniform - at Our Lady of Peace Church. Pews were reserved for us, and I think we processed in together just before Mass started. Afterwards, we gathered on the steps of the grammar school just next door for our first group picture.

So many significant moments of my life have taken place in that church - four sacraments; 8th grade graduation; baptisms, weddings, and funerals for family and friends.

That blessed gathering of never-had-marched-before kids made what I'm writing today possible. Carrying my guide-on pole with its pennant flag that afternoon in our very first parade, I never could have imagined any of this.

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.

Weekend Wonderings: Dream Jobs

If you're already making money "doing" corps or something related to the skills you picked up back then, think of this Scribblings entry as some sort of validation if you'd like.

For the rest of us, here are two questions for you: If someone told you at this moment that your ideal job in corps / guard is available to you for the asking, what would it be? Also, do you take it, or keep doing what you're doing right now?

Here are some revisionist criteria to consider, if needed, to help you to dream a bit and decide if working in corps or guard is for you:

• You're physically / mentally healthy enough, and have all the skills needed to do the work.
• If you'd like to do it full-time, you can afford to do the work without pay, or they're paying you more than enough to do it.
• If you're interested in part-time work, the schedule around everything else that you want or need to do will accommodate the gig with no problem.
• Corps and guard culture (for lack of a better term) is exactly what you want it to be - like we remember it from the mid-70s, as it progressed during the 80s, as it is now, etc. (This item was added for those who just don't like what corps and guard have become.)
• The important people in your life are fully supportive of your decision to take the gig.

If I've left something off the list that poses a potential barrier for you, feel free to add it as you consider your career change ...

I haven't thought about this topic in quite awhile. Time spent over the past few weeks has brought me back there, and I find myself wondering. If you're looking for my answer, you'll have to wait a bit - I want to savor the possibilities for just a tad longer before making my decision.

I hope you'll share your dreams with us - feel free to use the Comments area below, the Guest Book on www.saintsdrumcorps.com, or get in touch with me directly at joparente.saintsdrumcorps@gmail.com.

All for now - corpsdially yours from jo!

PS: In case you're wondering, right now there are 47 people registered for the November reunion. About 20% are members who are coming in from outside the greater Jersey metropolitan area. The first wave of people who registered can be found in last week's Tuesday Trivia (scroll down below). An updated list will be posted here as part of the October 16th Tuesday Trivia, so stay tuned!

Insistence, Persistence, Ownership

Yesterday brought a bit of insight to me about something that I don't think I truly understood before about the phenomenom we know as the Saints.

As part of other conversations we were having, I asked Jimmy Pic what it was about the Saints that attracted him when he joined. Since I signed up for the Saints as an original member without a lick of marching experience, I was curious to see why someone would leave another corps to be part of us -- especially since getting to Fords and Woodbridge for rehearsal wasn't exactly a walk around the block for him [Side note to Pic -- please don't walk along 287 to get to Fords anymore!!!].

Pic was very free and open about sharing his experiences with the Silver Lancers, a corps which was a valid competitor of ours for many years. His primary reason for coming to the Saints was to be on the field -- we were competing that summer, while his first corps was only marching parades.

As we continued our discussion, though, the difference between the corps was much more than a decision to be on the field. To summarize everything Pic explained, it really boils down to three words: insistence ... persistence ... ownership.

I thought the things he described about us happened in all the corps we competed against -- I was wrong! I just know how much the three concepts were such a big part of how we created our excellence ...

Insistence is all about the getting-in-your-face attitude we had when it came to what we did. Be it musical notes, cadence, equipment position, or whatever, we challenged each other to do it right, or to do it better. We weren't afraid to tell each other when things needed to be fixed.

Persistence is when we got together to hold our own rehearsals outside of regular practices. How many of us gathered at each other's homes to go over some particularly difficult piece of music or equipment work? Most of us. Were the instructors there to help us? Probably not.

Ownership is each time one of us suggested something better, something extra we could be doing with drill, equipment work, or whatever. We weren't soley dependent on the powers in charge to create who we were. Our unique stamp as members was found in every part of what we did when we performed.

What a lesson ... thanks, Pic!

All for now -- corpsdially yours from jo!

Tuesday Trivia - September 11, 2007

Last week's results ... the overwhelming winner is Althea Mazar! Champ, since your answers are more thorough than mine, I'll use yours!

• Part 1: In what city were the competitions held?
  Wildwood
• Part 2: What was the name of the field where the competitions were held?
  Maxwell Field
• Part 3: What two field competitions were held that weekend?
  There were at least 3 - State American Legion Jr., Sr., and Color Guard
  (note from Jo -- I was only looking for guard and corps ... Thea was more precise)
• Part 4: Who was the weekend's sponsor?
  American Legion
• Part 5: Who was our first sponsor?
  Father and Son (I think) Post 324, Edison
• Part 6: Who was our last sponsor?
  T. Nulty Post 471, Iselin
• Part 7: What were you required to do on Saturday afternoon?
  March the parade down Atlantic Avenue
• Part 8: Besides the reviewing stand, what was one required "stop and play" location for the parade?
  Kellys until they closed during the parade due to "shenanigans" by the "seniors", then the Garden State Bar. FYI - Kellys is open again during the whole weekend now that we "seniors" are better behaved.
  (note from Jo -- either Kelly's or the Garden State were acceptable answers. Thea included both)
• Part 9: Where did most of us go on Saturday evening?
  The Boardwalk, after going to the hotel where our Legion Post stayed (the Olympic) to play a concert
  (note from Jo -- either the concert or the Boardwalk were acceptable answers. Thea included both)

A close second place is awarded to Judy Stewart Sgammato, who only missed the name of our first Legion sponsor. Honorable mentions go to Priscilla French Lyons, Alan Goober Chesnovitz, and Jackie Bodzas.

This week's trivia question -- an easy two-parter:

• Part 1: What horns did we replace with when we bought our mellophones?
• Part 2: What was the major defining characteristic about the players in our mellophone line that made it unique in corpsdom at the time?

Send your answers to joparente.saintsdrumcorps@gmail.com -- please use Trivia in the Subject area. Thanks!

All for now -- corpsdially yours from jo!

Tuesday Trivia - September 4, 2007

This week's Tuesday Trivia is something just about anyone who ever marched with the Saints should be able to answer, at least in part. First, last week's questions and answers:

• What was the Saints Spring Festival of N.O.I.S.E?
  A member-run individuals / quartet competition (rifle, sabre, horns, drums)
• Where was the first one held?
  Our Lady of Peace School Cafeteria
• How many times was it held?
  Twice
• What did N.O.I.S.E. stand for?
  No one individual sounds ensemble ... we actually came up with NOISE before we had a meaning for it.

We had one contestant, and one winner ... Jackie Bodzas's response was:

• N.O.I.S.E. - No One Individual Sounds Ensemble
  (Although I always thought it should stand for: No One Individual Sounds Equal)
• It was an individual and quartet competition for Horn/Drum/Harmonica/Rifle/Saber
• was at Our Lady Of Peace Church Cafeteria on April 20,1974
• I think there was only one held.

Jackie, you were close -- the second one was held in 1975 ... do you still have the sample score sheets for the harmonica competition?

This week's Tuesday Trivia ... while mostly everyone should get at least some of the questions right, there's enough of an additional challenge for our veteran Tuesday Trivia competitors!

The weekend after Labor Day was, back when we marched together, the end of the summer season for corps in NJ. The question, in nine parts:

• Part 1: In what city were the competitions held?
• Part 2: What was the name of the field where the competitions were held?
• Part 3: What two field competitions were held that weekend?
• Part 4: Who was the weekend's sponsor?
• Part 5: Who was our first sponsor?
• Part 6: Who was our last sponsor?
• Part 7: What were you required to do on Saturday afternoon?
• Part 8: Besides the reviewing stand, what was one required "stop and play" location for the parade?
• Part 9: Where did most of us go on Saturday evening?

Send your responses by Monday, September 10th, to joparente.saintsdrumcorps@gmail.com. PLEASE use Trivia in the subject line ... thanks!

All for now -- corpsdially yours from jo!

Tuesday Trivia - August 14, 2007 (with a post script for July 30)

First, the post script: In case you don't remember the original series of questions from July 30th, use the navigation on the right side of the screen to get back to the August 7th entry (has both questions and answers) for Saints Scribblings. All the questions about our first award were answered EXCEPT "Who has the award?"

Last evening, I received this e-mail from Priscilla French Lyons:

Jo,

OK, I have been away so I haven't been looking at the web page but I do know who took home the CUP!! MY MOTHER!!! My mother's slip (yes, back then women still had dresses on most of the time!) was driving her crazy through the entire parade. Half way around the track she just could not take it anymore, and in front of the grand stand just took it off. Everyone gave her such a hard time that because she did a strip tease, WE WON! They gave her the Cup for having the nerve to "strip in public." Where it is now I have no idea.

So, now we know what happened to the beer stein, sorta!

For those of you who didn't know or don't remember, Jean French was our corps Business Manager for many years. I'm also proud to say that she and Joe were my favorite employers as the owners of Fords Sporting, the source for all things Saints. A bit of Tuesday Trivia fun facts for you -- we actually made all the NJJCGEA championship flags at the store ...

This week's question: What does NJJCGEA stand for, and how many chapters were there back when the Saints were marching? Send your answers to joparente.saintsdrumcorps@gmail.com by Monday evening, August 20th.

All for now -- corpsdially yours from jo!

Tuesday Trivia - results from July 30, 2007

Here are the answers from last week's Tuesday Trivia:

• What was the name / title of the first award won by the Saints?
  BEST MARCHING UNIT
• What did we do to receive it?
  WE PERFORMED THE PINWHEEL IN FRONT OF THE REVIEWING STAND
• What was the prize?
  A PEWTER BEER MUG
• When was it, and where were we?
  1968, AT FREEHOLD RACEWAY
• Who has the award? (I don't have the answer to this, but would like to know!)
  NO ONE HAS OWNED UP TO THIS YET
  

Here are the results!

The winner this week was Pete Chez, who submitted his answer while in Hawaii:

• JO, great question, I was playing cymbals on this day. The award was Best Marching Unit, we did the pinwheel, we won a beer mug, at freehold racetrack I think in 69. I have no idea who has it.

A close second, along with the Creative Fundraising prize, is awarded to Jackie Bodzas:

• The award was a Beer Mug for the best marching unit that: 1.showed up 2. finished the entire parade 3. wore uniforms that matched 4. played a complete song/same song with most everybody in a similar key 5. marched in the same direction as the rest of the participants
  
  The MUG is on a shelf in Ray Chemileskis’ kitchen, holding – pencils, rubber bands, a button, 3 pennies and a ticket stub to the 1979 Dream.
  
  Seriously, if Mr. C does not have it, and it is found, we should raffle it off, and forward the proceeds to the reunion fund.

The Jumping into Murky Waters Honorable Mention goes to Jimmy Piccolo:

• You got me on that one, but I would say it either had to be a parade,or a Color Guard title. NJA Chapter 3 1971???

Thanks to the participants!

Do you have a penchant for trivia? Are useless factoids stuck in your head that are screaming to get out? Join the Tuesday Trivia Team by contacting me at joparente.saintsdrumcorps@gmail.com.

All for now -- corpsdially yours from jo!

Tuesday Trivia - July 30, 2007

It's Tuesday again!

This is a multi-part trivia question, with most of the answers readily available on www.saintsdrumcorps.com ...

• What was the name / title of the first award won by the Saints?
• What did we do to receive it?
• What was the prize?
• When was it, and where were we?
• Who has the award? (I don't have the answer to this, but would like to know!)

You have until 8 pm EDT on Monday, August 6 to submit your answers. Use Trivia in the subject line and send your answers to joparente.saintsdrumcorps@gmail.com.

Again: prizes, prizes -- we have no prizes other than the fame and glory associated with being mentioned in Saints Scribblings!

Good luck!

All for now -- corpsdially yours from jo!

Independence Day 2007

It doesn't take much to remind me of all the parades and competitions we marched in together ...

A couple of days ago, I spent a few minutes chatting with a former St Mary's schoolmate. We talked about the SMHS Drill Team for a bit -- she mentioned how she always wanted to march with them because they wore those "cute little white boots."

Rose, those boots might have been cute, but trust me -- having worn them my first few years in the Saints, they were not on my Top Ten list of good marching footwear! I think I still have a couple of faint scars from where the top edges ripped my legs to shreads ... despite the blisters and pain, I still wouldn't have traded the experience for the world.

These days, 4th of July finds me, Karen, and our family and friends gathered at the "Big Yellow House" (as our nephew calls it) for a much more sedentary celebration than we had during our drum corps days. Wherever and however you celebrate today, here's some advice -- moleskin still works great to prevent those nasty marching blisters!

Happy Independence Day!

All for now -- corpsdially yours from jo!