Hmmm... lets see
My dad marched
OLPH Ridgemen in the early 60's, then NY Skyliners in the mid 60's. He played soprano bugle.
Mom marched in the
Queensmen Marionettes...also mid 60's. She carried a flag (they used holsters back then...didn't do anything w/ them since they were so darn heavy!)
Knowing the reprobates dad marched with, mom swore her kids would NEVER march in a drum corps. She was wrong!
My sister (soprano) started it and marched in the
Long Island Kingsmen Squires in 1981 (our younger brother - cymbals- marched too).
Then both sis (french horn) and I (bass drum) marched in the
St. Ignatius Girls (Hicksville, LI) in 1982.
In 1983 and 1984 we both marched with the
Long Island Kingsmen (sis played mellophone and I played bass drum and carried a set of tenors...I wouldn't really call it "playing"... respectively).
Sis and I then marched (along w/ about 25 other ex LIK members due to LIK folding) with the
Bayonne Bridgemen in 1985. Sis again played mellophone and I played cymbals. For those that were around back then...this was the "Christmas" year.
In 1986, my parents made me stay home for one summer and "find other things to do other than drum corps."
Sis went and joined the
Garfield Cadets (pre name change), again playing mellophone. She ended up marching w/ them until she aged out in 1990.
In 1987 I joined
Crossmen and played cymbals. That summer I met (and dated briefly) my now husband.
I marched w/ the Crossmen until I aged out in 1989. I also volunteered with them HEAVILY through 1994.
My brother marched (baritone 88 & 89, cymbals 90, 91 and bass drum 93, 94.. I think those are the right years??...I'm probably off w/ something there) in Crossmen for multple years as well.
My dh marched in Crossmen's tenor line in 1987 and then marched multiple years with the
Westshoremen senior corps in the early '90s.
Most recently, he played at Serenade in Brass in Harrisburg w/ the Westshoremen Alumni Corps.
Whoosh... that was a lot of drum corps history! In total my siblings and I collectively marched over 25yrs. In 1989 my parents had three of us on the field at finals, in two different corps!
That all said, dh and I have been out of the drum corps loop for the most part due to us having two little ones. Dd is now turning 7yo this summer and ds is 2.5yo...so attendance at drum corps shows has not been a high priority! We've gone to Allentown a few different times over the years, including one night last summer and may be going this year as well. Some years when dd was younger we would take the ride up to Allentown, hang out in the park all day and come home w/o even going into the stadium!
