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.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
March Moments 2009: March 38 - Memories from 1974, Chapter 4
March 38 - Memories from 1974, Chapter 4
by Eric Meyer
(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.)
Thanks, Jim, for your March Moments that posted on March 23rd.
I've been to the Manning Bowl a couple of times in the past ten years to see shows - felt like I was at an historic site. For 14 years I drove by that exit on I-495 where they held the '74 WO on my way to work. They had the only McDonald's that had not switched over to the restaurant style facility - still the white building with the golden arches for many years after that.
My fondest (and strangest) memory of that night was Pete Boyle and I in the back seat of a car listening to Lopez and Swan go on about how we were ripped off. We must have been in that car for a half an hour before Lopez asked me if I wanted some "garbage" and threw the envelope with the score sheets in my lap. I still have them somewhere in my attic. If anyone is interested I'll try to find them and scan them to send out.
I still can't remember how Pete and I ended up in the car with Lopez and Swan.
Another memory from 1974 is our arrival in Ithaca to watch DCI. I can't remember who all was there but we got there late and were walking around town looking into shops. Looking into one window we saw a Vanguard uniform on a mannequin with a spotlight on it - we knew we had arrived in DCI Mecca.
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.
by Eric Meyer
(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.)
Thanks, Jim, for your March Moments that posted on March 23rd.
I've been to the Manning Bowl a couple of times in the past ten years to see shows - felt like I was at an historic site. For 14 years I drove by that exit on I-495 where they held the '74 WO on my way to work. They had the only McDonald's that had not switched over to the restaurant style facility - still the white building with the golden arches for many years after that.
My fondest (and strangest) memory of that night was Pete Boyle and I in the back seat of a car listening to Lopez and Swan go on about how we were ripped off. We must have been in that car for a half an hour before Lopez asked me if I wanted some "garbage" and threw the envelope with the score sheets in my lap. I still have them somewhere in my attic. If anyone is interested I'll try to find them and scan them to send out.
I still can't remember how Pete and I ended up in the car with Lopez and Swan.
Another memory from 1974 is our arrival in Ithaca to watch DCI. I can't remember who all was there but we got there late and were walking around town looking into shops. Looking into one window we saw a Vanguard uniform on a mannequin with a spotlight on it - we knew we had arrived in DCI Mecca.
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.
Monday, April 6, 2009
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
March Moments 2009: March 36 - Indoor Shows, Chapter 2
March 36 - Indoor Shows, Chapter 2
by JoAnne Parente
(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.)
Going Over the Scoresheets
The beginning of rehearsal on Wednesday evenings for the Saints Guard was always the same once the season started: reviewing the scoresheets and GE tapes.
Somehow, it made me feel more grown up that we invested time in going over the judges' feedback each week. We were trusted to learn from each performance, and to make decisions about the value of opinions of others. We were the recipients of valuable lessons, and benefited from failure as well as success.
I've carried those lessons with me, and practiced them in some circumstances better than others. Thirty years later, I'm still benefiting - and I guess you are, too.
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.
by JoAnne Parente
(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.)
Going Over the Scoresheets
The beginning of rehearsal on Wednesday evenings for the Saints Guard was always the same once the season started: reviewing the scoresheets and GE tapes.
Somehow, it made me feel more grown up that we invested time in going over the judges' feedback each week. We were trusted to learn from each performance, and to make decisions about the value of opinions of others. We were the recipients of valuable lessons, and benefited from failure as well as success.
I've carried those lessons with me, and practiced them in some circumstances better than others. Thirty years later, I'm still benefiting - and I guess you are, too.
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.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
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
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.
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
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.
Friday, April 3, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
March Moments 2009: March 33 - Classic Cage Moments, Chapter 1
March 33 - Classic Cage Moments, Chapter 1
by Chris Trimblett
(Editor's Note: This entry originally was posted in the Saints Guestbook on March 17th. To put tomorrow's entry into better perspective, I've included it here today.)
The other day Pete Crafts was asking about memories from our days as Saints. One that comes to mind is the water fight on the Cage.
As I remember it, we were headed to the Midwest to compete and there was a huge stainless steel cooler that looked like a milk jug right in the middle of the isle. It was filled to the top with water, and after several hours on the hot bus we couldn't wait any longer.
Everything and everyone on that bus was wet. People were dipping Pringle cans and wax cups, whatever they could find, and winging water in every direction. We all had one of the best laughs ever, and that is saying a lot for the Cage. We stopped at McDonald's and the back door of the bus opened and I remember seeing a waterfall out the back just pouring out into the parking lot.
Mister Fastuca gave me a disappointed look like he didn't know what else he could do with us, but I have a feeling that he had to think it was awesome 'cause it was. And that was just the first day of our trip.
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.
by Chris Trimblett
(Editor's Note: This entry originally was posted in the Saints Guestbook on March 17th. To put tomorrow's entry into better perspective, I've included it here today.)
The other day Pete Crafts was asking about memories from our days as Saints. One that comes to mind is the water fight on the Cage.
As I remember it, we were headed to the Midwest to compete and there was a huge stainless steel cooler that looked like a milk jug right in the middle of the isle. It was filled to the top with water, and after several hours on the hot bus we couldn't wait any longer.
Everything and everyone on that bus was wet. People were dipping Pringle cans and wax cups, whatever they could find, and winging water in every direction. We all had one of the best laughs ever, and that is saying a lot for the Cage. We stopped at McDonald's and the back door of the bus opened and I remember seeing a waterfall out the back just pouring out into the parking lot.
Mister Fastuca gave me a disappointed look like he didn't know what else he could do with us, but I have a feeling that he had to think it was awesome 'cause it was. And that was just the first day of our trip.
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.
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