DCA News Update

DCA I&E - MiniCorps - Limit Set

2009-06-05T09:33:00.002-05:00

The Mini Corps competition on Friday night of Championship Weekend has proven to be one of our most popular events. In 2007, we had 19 mini corps and although we fell back to 12 in 2008, the quality and popularity continued to skyrocket. We were advised by the Riverside Convention Center people that the Mini Corps Championship drew over 2500 fans to the grand ballroom.

This year, entries and discussion about the Friday night event are brisk – to say the least. We know that for September 4th of this year, we are already beyond last years twelve and have inquiries about many more. Mini Corps Chairman, Dick Pronti, advises that handling the 19 mini corps was difficult but manageable, but that any number beyond that would be near impossible to fit in. It appears at this time that we may very well exceed that 19 entrant level. To keep the show viable, it has been decided to limit entries to a maximum of 20 Mini Corps and that will require an earlier starting time and some overlap with the I&E compeition.

Entries will be accepted by postmark and the first 20 will constitute this year’s competition. If your group is considering competing in the Mini Corps Competition, we STRONGLY suggest you get your paperwork and entry fee in NOW. Applications are available by going to http://www.dcacorps.org and selecting schedule. Scroll down to the I&E/Mini Corps contest and you will find a link to all necessary rules and applications. See you all in Rochester for the 2009 DCA Championship.

Corps attending DCA Championship and those declaring Class A

2009-06-04T12:59:00.003-05:00

The following corps are expected to participate in the DCA Championship.

OPEN CLASS (13)
Alliance
Brigadiers
Buccaneers
Bushwackers
Caballeros
Corps Vets
Crusaders
Empire
Hurricanes
Kilties
Minn Brass
Music City Legend
Renegades

CLASS A (11 or 12)
Austin Stars
Carolina Gold
Excelsior
Fusion Core
Govenaires
Grenadiers
Lakeshoremen
Shenandoah Sound
Sun Devils
Vigilantes
White Sabers
AWAITING FINAL APPROVAL (They have declared as Class A)
Sunrisers - Evaluation visit scheduled for 6/14/09

Bruce McCready Services Set

2009-05-29T12:19:00.001-05:00

Calling hours Sunday, May 31 2-4 and 7-=9 PM at
Gilmartin Funeral Home
333 W Main St
Batavia

The memorial service will be Monday June 1 at 11:00 AM atFirst Presbyterian Church
300 East Main Batavia

PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN LOCATION FOR THE MEMORIAL FROM THAT LISTED IN SOME OBITUARIES!!!A reception will follow in the church fellowship hall.Please feel free to bring photos or other memoriabilia to share.Bruce's biggest concern throughout this experience was that our mother would not be able to stay in their home. In lieu of flowers, we are asking that contributions be made to a fund being set up to maintain Mom here. It will be used solely to offset costs of her housing. Contributions can be sent to Dave McCreadyc/o M Mccready14 Ellicott AveBatavia NY 14020

Submitted by the McCready Family 5/29/09

Bruce McCready - services

2009-05-28T20:05:00.001-05:00

Calling hours for Bruce will be this Sunday from 2PM to 4PM and from 7PM to 9PM at the following location:

Gilmartin Funeral Home
329 West Main Street
Batavia, NY
(585) 343-8260

Funeral services will be held on Monday morning, location to be provided shortly.Bruce's Family along with the entire Brigadier family would like to thank everyone for their support and prayers during this difficult time. Thank you all again..... Rick Martin, Corps Director, The Brigadiers.

Brigadier's Asst. Corps Director Bruce McCready passes

2009-05-27T13:49:00.002-05:00

The Brigadier's Assistant Corps Director Bruce McCready succumbed to an all too brief battle with cancer, today 5/27/09. Bruce was a well known instructor and adjudicator in Drum Corps, Marching Bands and Winter Guards. He instructed Marcus Whitman HS Winter Guard for many years and won the first WGI World Scholastic Winter Guard Championship. Bruce has been either an instructor or adjudicator for DCA for the past 30 years.

DCA President, Gil Silva upon hearing of Bruce's passing advised "one of the great things about drum corps is being able to meet a guy like Bruce". He went on to say that he was one of the nicest guys in the activity whose influence and kind heart touched everyone he met.

DCA sends it condolences to Bruce's Mother and Siblings and the entire Brigadier community. He will be sorely missed by all.

The 2009 DCA World Championships, September 4 - 6, Rochester NY

2009-05-20T07:30:00.002-05:00

Let the 2009 DCA Season begin!

OFFICIAL TICKET INFORMATION - The 45th DCA Championship

Individual, ensemble an mini-corps contest:
Friday September 4th, downtown Rochester, 6:00PM Open to public
FREE No tickets required.

Preliminary contest:
The ONLY time all corps will appear. Saturday September 5th, Rochester Rhino Stadium 2:00PM
All seats reserved. All tickets $27.00.

Alumni Spectacular:
Don't miss this very special event. Sunday September 6th, Rochester Rhino Stadium 10:00AM
General admission seating. All tickets $18.00.

Final contest:
2009 DCA World Championships. Sunday September 6th, Rochester Rhino Stadium 5:30PM
All seats reserved. Ticket prices are $32.00 and $57.00.

SEATS ARE AVAILABLE FOR ALL SHOWS!!!!

THE BEST WAY TO ORDER TICKETS! On line: www.dcacorps.org
Orders will be taken until midnight September 3rd.

NOTE: Orders placed after August 21st will be filled and HELD at the box office for pick up.

By telephone: 1-888-300-6910

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9:00AM to 9:00PM

NOTE: The last day to place phone orders will be Thursday August 27th.

In person during Championship Week in Rochester NY
Box office at the Crowne Plaza Hotel
70 State St, Rochester, NY 14614 – 7th floor.
Thursday September 3rd 9:00AM to 8:00PM
Friday September 4th 9:00AM to 8:00PM

Box office at Rochester Rhino Stadium
Saturday September 5th 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Sunday September 6th 8:00AM to 8:00PM

SEATS ARE AVAILABLE FOR ALL EVENTS!!

Bruce McCready

2009-05-17T12:57:00.001-05:00

Most of you know who Bruce McCready is and what he’s been going through, but for those who don’t, let me fill you in. Bruce is currently the Assistant Corps Director of The Brigadiers. He has been a drill arranger/instructor for numerous corps and color guards over the past 35 or so years. He – along with Brady Rouse – instructed the first ever Scholastic WGI World Champion Marcus Whitman Color Guard. He is a NY Federation Judge and has judged for DCA. He has taught many high school bands. He also is one of the nicest guys in the drum corps, marching band and visual performance activities.

A few months ago he went in for minor surgery and came out with a major diagnosis of both Pancreatic and Liver Cancer. Bruce is a fighter, but the doctors at University of Rochester’s Strong Memorial would not agree to an aggressive chemotherapy or radiation driven attempt to either cure his disease or at least prolong his life. Bruce has quite literally spent the last few weeks fighting for the right to fight for his life.

This week, the Doctors at Roswell Cancer Institute in Buffalo agreed to some highly aggressive treatment. There in lies the problem. Bruce has some basic medical insurance. However, the treatment the Roswell people are willing to try is too new and is NOT covered by any insurance. Bruce must pay for the procedure himself. Needless to say, it’s quite expensive. To make things worse, they must know where the money is coming from before they start the procedure. He needs to start this procedure immediately.

The Brigadiers have agreed to spearhead a fund raising drive to give Bruce the funds needed to proceed with this treatment – the funds he needs to mount the kind of fight Bruce feels he must. Call it the “drum corps” in him, but the man simply does not have an ounce of “quit” in him. He only knows to try his best on the competition field and in life. He will not quit until the Chief Judge declares the contest over.

The Brigadiers and all of Bruce’s friends are asking everyone in Drum Corps – including DCA, DCI, WGI and Field Band – to step in and assist Bruce in getting his chance to fight. Every little bit will help.

Donations are tax deductible and checks should be made out to The Brigadiers Music Association/McCready Fund. Please send your donations to: The Brigadiers Music Association/ McCready Fund, c/o Diann Meek, 2804 Latta Road, Rochester, NY 14612. Every penny donated will be immediately forwarded to Bruce and his family. Donations small and large would be most appreciated. We appreciate everyone helping one of Drum Corps’ real winners carry on the contest of his lifetime. If anyone can win this battle, it’s Bruce McCready.

DCA I&E - MiniCorps Information

2009-05-12T10:07:00.002-05:00

It's time to get started on those I&E applications and Mini Corps Contest participants. All information is available in WORD format. Go to Schedule. Scroll down to Labor Day Weekend and click on the participants link to the right of I&E. This will give you all rules and applications. Let's make this the largest ever. Get those applications in early. Earliest postmark - Last on.

I&E/Mini-Corps Competition has become one of the highlights of Championship Weekend. Friday night 5:30PM of Labor Day Weekend is the opportunity for everyone to join in the comradery that is drum corps and enjoy great entertainment, too. See you there.

Scranton, PA and Lawrence, MA Tickets Available

2009-05-09T19:43:00.004-05:00

Tickets are now available for the Lawrence, MA Mission Drums contest on July 18th and the Scranton, PA Parade of Champions on August 1. Simply click on the championship logo on the home page and a link to both these shows is available - just click on buy tickets.

Both shows are sponsored by DCA. The revived Mission Drums enters its second year with another great line up. Kingston Grenadiers, Rochester Crusaders, Hawthorne Caballeros, Connecticut Hurricanes and the Empire Statesmen will vie for the Mission Drums title and be joined in exhibition by the Citations, Park City Pride, Mass Brass and Crusaders Senior Alumni of Boston.

The August 1 Scranton Parade of Champions is DCA's oldest current running contest and will feature a special tribute to the life of Dr. Almo Sebastianelli, one of the founding fathers of DCA who was chairman of the Parade of Champions for 45 Year and recently passed at the age of 93. Doc was truly a special person, a dedicated Legionaire and great drum corps fan and supporter. The show will feature the Harrison Bushwackers, Empire Statesmen, Reading Buccaneers, Connecticut Hurricanes and Hawthorne Caballeros with an exhibition by the Caballero Alumni.

DCA Spring Meeting Report - 2009

2009-04-30T22:12:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, April 25th, DCA President, Gil Silva, brought together all competing corps for the final preparation meeting prior to the 2009 DCA Season. 27 competing corps were represented which may be the most ever at a meeting. This meeting was held in Drum Corps Mecca – the trophy room of American Legion Post 199 – Hawthorne, NJ. This is always an awe inspiring experience – even for those of us who have been there many times, but looking at the representatives of the many new corps from around the country and watching them stare in amazement at the trophy cases and tradition that this room represents was particularly gratifying. If you’ve never been to a post show party at Hawthorne Post, put it on your calendar. It’s a MUST see for all drum corps fans. A large “well done and thank you” to the Caballeros for hosting this meeting.

The primary purpose of the meeting was to finalize all DCA sanctioned contests. This included all the necessary ingredients of where the show is, who is competing and drawing for the order of appearance. The order of appearance and show location information will be available very soon at http://www.dcacorps.org/.

The first announcement was that the first show of the year will be exhibition only. Canastota, NY on June 13th is now a 4 corps exhibition at Canastota High School – “The World Boxing Hall of Fame exhibition”. The following contest clarifications were made. Crusaders show on July 11th will not be in Batavia. It has been moved to Auburn, NY. The Caballeros Grand Prix, also on 7/11 will be at Passaic County Technical Institute in Wayne, NJ. Music City Legends 8/1 contest has been moved to Antioch, TN and the 8/23 contest in St. Peter, MN has been moved to St. Peter High School Stadium.

We’re pleased to advise that three new shows have been added to the schedule: 7/25 in Merrill, WI, 8/15 in Toms River, NJ and 8/22 in Secaucus, NJ. This brings the number of sanctioned DCA contests to 23 - 2 in DCA South, 4 in DCA Midwest and 17 in DCA Northeast. One of the big differences between DCA and any other organization is that of the 23 sanctioned shows prior to the DCA Championship, 20 are sponsored by DCA and/or its member corps. Your support by attending these shows represents a direct support of the DCA Member Corps.

DCA will sponsor two contests again this summer. “Mission Drums” on July 18th at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, MA continues the historic revival of one of drum corps’ most celebrated contests. 5 competing member corps along with exhibitions from The Citations, Mass Brass and Boston Crusaders Sr. Alumni Corps will complete a full evening of Drum Corps. On August 1st, DCA continues its longest standing tradition with the “Parade of Champions” in Scranton High School Stadium in Scranton, PA. This show takes on new meaning this year with the passing of its show chairman and one of the founders of DCA, Dr. Almo Sebastianelli. His life and dedication to the drum corps activity and his beloved American Legion will be celebrated that night in a special remembrance. For further information, go to our website http://www.dcacorps.org/.

Prior to the draw for positions, reports were received from the various department heads. One significant change this year was clarified by President Silva. For the first time, DCA Prelims will be two separate classes: Class A and Open Class. Finals on Sunday night will consist of the top 10 Open Class and the top 4 Class A corps. In past years, the rule had been that if you finished in the top 10 in prelims you MUST compete in Open Finals. This is no longer the case. If you declare Class A by May 30th, you will compete in Class A prelims for one of the spots in the Class A finals. If you do not declare Class A, you will compete in Open Class Prelims for a spot in Open Class Finals on Sunday evening. However, the top 10 highest scoring corps in either preliminary competition will be the voting members for 2010.

Much discussion followed centered around the economy and the concerns it brings to everyone as well as how to control costs this summer. DCA Vice-President, Larry Hershman, advised that championship ticket sales were brisk and on target. This was very encouraging news. Concerns over how the economy will effect both recruiting and the turnstiles this summer were voiced. Several corps discussed recruiting issues and the consensus was that although it may have slowed recruiting – overall – all corps are on target for a successful summer. Recruiting is a 24/7, 365 days a year item for all DCA corps. Anyone interested in performing should stop by the rehearsal of your choice. If you have the desire and proper attitude, you will be warmly welcomed. Check out the corps websites at http://www.dcacorps.org/ and click on “corps”. You will find all the information you need to contact them.

In concluding the day’s business, President Silva pointed out that the number one way the drum corps fans can support the activity they love and offset any negative effect the economy may have this season is to attend as many shows as possible in 2009. Every person coming through the turnstile at every DCA show is critical to the existence and growth of their favorite corps, the organization and the activity as a whole. “Support your local drum corps” takes on new meaning in these difficult times.

On Line Ticketing Now Available

2009-03-20T14:34:00.001-05:00

DCA is pleased to advise that on line ticketing for the 2009 DCA World Championships in Rochester, NY September 4, 5 & 6th is now available. Go back to the home page and click on the championship logo and select “buy tickets”. Telephone ordering will not be available until late Spring/early Summer.

This is the 4th consecutive year the DCA Championships has been hosted at the drum corps friendly confines of Rochester Rhinos Stadium (formerly Paetec Park). Built for soccer, the stadium offers a great venue to showcase the 45th Annual Championship show and present drum corps the way it should be viewed in a football type stadium. DCA President, Gil Silva, recently announced that the championship will stay in Rochester through 2012. Rochester has often been referred to as the drum corps capital of the world and it has now hosted the DCA Championship more times than any other city. Corps friendly and cooperative, everyone is looking forward to another bigger and better championship in Rochester for DCA 2009.

Jeff Collins Appointed DCA Director of Corporate Development

2009-03-16T20:57:00.000-05:00

DCA President, Gil Silva is pleased to announce the appointment of Jeff Collins as Director of Corporate Development. In this position, Collins will bring a long history of marketing excellence and will spearhead corporate sponsorships and advertising. Jeff comes to DCA with a long and varied drum corps background and is celebrating his 42nd consecutive season in the Activity. Beginning as a performer in a small Sacramento, CA corps in 1967, Jeff has served as a drum technician, drum caption head/arranger, staff coordinator and the first assistant director of the Concord Blue Devlis, under drum corps legend and hall of fame member, Jerry Seawright.

Jeff has a successful sales and marketing background and was Sales Manager of a large cable TV operation. Working with companies like, ESPN, CNN, USA and MTV. In the early 90’s, Jeff was approached by Drum Corps World publisher/owner, Steve Vickers (a recent DCI Hall of Fame Inductee and member of the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame), and asked to bring his sales background and his passion for the drum corps activity to the national publication. As Director of Advertising Sales for Drum Corps World (a position he still holds today), Jeff became well known to manufacturers supplying the industry as the one to contact to market their products.

In 1999, Jeff was asked by DCI Executive Director Dan Acheson, to discuss creating sponsorship opportunities for the next DCI championship event. Jeff was, at the time, handling advertising sales for DCI’s program book. Jeff comments that “In 1999 I had no idea what the challenges would be, it was truly a pioneering experience. I didn’t know what to expect. Buying an ad is one thing, but forking out big bucks to sponsor an event, was quite another”. When the dust Settled, DCI had 15 corporate sponsors, and the “marketplace” was born. He went on to add, “I’m proud to say I had something to do with the success of the DCI Marketplace that is still doing so well today. I intend to bring that same enthusiasm, passion and now an even greater knowledge to DCA! DCA has so much to offer, that THEY are not being recognized for. We need to change that and we will.”

Jeff is currently he Director of Advertising Sales for DCWorld and is also the Assistant Director of Sacramento Freelancers WGI winter percussion group. President Silva advises that Jeff will begin work immediately in preparation of the 2009 DCA Championships this coming Labor Day Weekend in Rochester, New York. He will work closely with DCA Director of Marketing and Public Relations, Tom Peashey who advised, “I’m thrilled to have Jeff on board with DCA. His knowledge and enthusiasm for marketing the activity we all love will go a long way towards getting DCA the recognition we deserve. We have been going through a growth spurt the past few years and it’s important that those providing the equipment we all use learn that their support of DCA will give them the kind of visibility and identity they need to market their products successfully to not only drum corps, but to the hundreds of band directors associated with those corps as playing members, staff members and adjudicators. Jeff Collins will be the professor to educate these companies and bring them to Rochester.”

DCA to Stay in Drum Corps Friendly Rochester for 2010/2011

2009-03-13T18:37:00.001-05:00

DCA President Gil Silva and the DCA Executive Board are pleased to announce that the DCA World Championships will be staying in Drum Corps Friendly Rochester, New York for at least 2 more years. The 2009 championship completes a record setting 4 year run in Rochester. Inquiries and bids were received from a number of different areas. However, in the end and weighing all issues, the Executive Board chose a new 2 year bid from the “Visit Rochester” visitor and convention bureau.

Many had anticipated a move to a different area. However, Rochester Mayor, Robert Duffy and County Executive, Maggie Brooks both arrived at the December Rules Congress Meeting and promised to do whatever it takes to keep the championship in Rochester. This direct involvement and support from the primary local political leaders created an atmosphere of success, which will allow the DCA Championships in 2010 and 2011 to continue to grow and prosper. It will continue to be the fan-friendly event we have all become used to.

Rochester Rhinos Stadium (formerly Paetec Park) has received an influx of government money and will sport new VIP areas for the 2009 championship. Ron Clark, owner of the Rhinos and his crew are unquestionably the most supportive local stadium crew any drum corps organization has ever worked with. The Rochester Police Department remains most cooperative and provides a security cooperation level that is beyond anything ever seen before. The Riverside Convention Center People continue to provide a major league facility for the I&E and Mini Corps Championship events. The City will continue to block Main Street turning the heart of Rochester into Drum Corps Central on Friday of the long Championship Weekend.

Visit Rochester with the support of both the local governments and many of the hotels in the area will continue to be the focal point of all preparations for the championship weekend. President Silva, in addition to pointing out the cooperation of Mayor Duffy and County Executive Brooks advised that the efforts of the Visit Rochester people were critical to the success of their 2010/11 bid. He also wanted to thank DCA Championship Coordinator, Allen Buell for his tireless efforts over the last 12 months to insure that DCA would have the best possible facilities through 2011 for both the corps and the fans.

He went on to add that the search for a 2010/11, championship site has coincided with the economic collapse and deepening recession. During these difficult times, the economy has and will continue to affect everything we do. Under these trying circumstances, the prudent decision was to stay in Rochester for 2 more years. Its drum corps friendly confines, excellent bid and highest of cooperation levels made staying in Rochester not only the best choice, but the smart choice for everyone – fans and corps alike.

Preserving the Legacy: Announcing the Drum Corps Collectors & Historical Society

2009-03-11T22:55:00.002-05:00

Drum Corps World, Drum Corps Associates, Drum Corps International, as well as private collectors and other individuals, have come together in an unprecedented collaborative effort to launch the Drum Corps Collectors and Historical Society, a brand new initiative intended to preserve the historical records and artifacts, photographs, video/film archives, audio recordings and other memorabilia tracing the history of the drum and bugle corps activity ... "from the battlefield to the performance field, to Broadway and beyond."

According to Steve Vickers, publisher of Drum Corps World and co-chairperson of the fledgling group, “We want to make sure that the legacy of the drum and bugle corps activity is preserved for future generations, and we’re inviting folks to get involved now with this unprecedented effort. The spirit of cooperation for this project is tremendous, and we are focused on organizing our efforts to celebrate the storied past of the organized drum corps movement, tracing back to its earliest military roots through various fraternal and community-based ensembles, while also supporting the outstanding performances of those currently involved in modern-day drum corps groups of all sorts, scattered around the world.”

These thoughts are echoed by Drum Corps International marketing director and executive director of the Jersey Surf, Bob Jacobs, who is an avid collector of historical drum corps items and is assisting the startup effort as co-chair. “The history of drum corps is fascinating and far-reaching, and is one certainly worth preserving for generations to come. This effort is inclusive to embrace and involve drum corps supporters and enthusiasts of all sorts. It will enable fans young and old to share in the tremendous legacy of the competitive and non-competitive drum corps art forms, while also creating opportunities for the uninitiated to share in the rich and colorful narrative that accompanies the evolution of the drum and bugle corps activity throughout history.”

A first-stage goal for the self-funded DCCHS it to create a network of enthusiasts, enabling the identification and organization of the whereabouts of existing repositories of historical information, memorabilia and resource materials. The open call for interested parties will now begin in earnest, with future plans calling for “Webinar” conferences and potential organizational and informational meetings this summer at the Drum Corps International and Drum Corps Associates World Championships, in Indianapolis, Ind. and Rochester, N.Y. respectively.

“There is truly a need to preserve and celebrate the past while we work to support and create the future,” said Gil Silva, President of Drum Corps Associates. “The establishment of this society will be a great thing for drum corps fans throughout the world, and will undoubtedly lead us to the discovery of many interesting aspects of the drum corps activity and countless stories which will be engaging, entertaining and enjoyable for current and future fans of drum corps.”

“We are extremely pleased to assist in fostering the creation of the Drum Corps Collectors and Historical Society,” said Dan Acheson, Executive Director of Drum Corps International. “There is no better time for fans of drum corps from around the globe to come together to celebrate this great activity, and we’re proud to play a supporting role in creating a forum for the vast audience of passionate drum corps fans to share in a spirit of conviviality.”

“Once we identify those who are interested in contributing to the initial stages of this effort, we will further develop some of the plans already on the drawing board,” said Vickers. “We hope that we can put the wheels in motion to one day create a museum with permanent, rotating and traveling exhibitions, created through loaned personal collections and bequests.”

Jacobs added, “We also hope to eventually create a Web-based educational library and establish a dedicated resource center, from which students from around the world can access a vast array of materials for use in their research projects and classroom presentations.”

To learn more about and to get involved with the Drum Corps Collectors and Historical Society, please contact Steve Vickers (publisher@drumcorpsworld.com) or Bob Jacobs (bjacobs@dci.org).

Brigadier's Bruce McCready Hospitalized

2009-03-06T09:07:00.003-06:00

Well known DCA Visual Judge, Instructor and Corps and Color Guard Manager, Bruce McCready is hospitalized in Strong Memorial Hospital, University of Rochester, NY. Bruce is a huge part of the Brigadier's current management crew. He entered the hospital for Gall Bladder surgery and it was determined that he had a mass pushing on the Gall Bladder area. Diagnosis is in process after which, a course of action will be decided upon between Bruce and his doctors. The good news is that he is in one of the finest hospitals in the world and is receiving the best of care.

DCA, it's member corps and especially the Brigadiers wish Bruce a speedy recovery. Further information will be made public when available.

Doc Sebastianelli - Arrangement Information

2009-02-26T16:34:00.003-06:00

Dr. Almo Sebastianelli - 93 years old

Viewing - Friday Feb. 27, 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Louis M Margotta Funeral Home
511 Church St
Jessup, PA 18434
Phone: (570) 489-2230

Funeral– Saturday Feb. 28, 11:30

St Marys Assumption Church
516 3rd Ave
Jessup, PA 18434
570-489-4726

Dr. Almo Sebastianelli - Co-founder of DCA - Passes

2009-02-25T16:36:00.003-06:00

This evening, 2/25/09, DCA, The American Legion, Lackawanna County, PA and all of the drum corps world has just lost one of its biggest supporters and promoters. Dr. Almo Sebastianelli has died. I don't have his exact age yet or any other details, but suffice to say, he was well into his 90's. Doc was a walking encyclopedia of drum corps. He was huge in the American Legion and a major part of the Legion National Championships for decades... quite literally since he returned from World War II.

When the situation among contest sponsors, corps and the Legion began to reach critical mass in the very early 1960's, Doc was a bolt of energy determined to help drum corps survive as an activity - even if it meant at the expense of his beloved American Legion. The major meeting held in 1963 to consider forming Drum Corps Associates was hosted by Doc and held in Scranton. He quite literally was one of a hand full of giants of the activity who gave birth to DCA. In 1965 and 1966, DCA was in a struggle to survive. There were corps who had refused to participate. There were rivalries to be considered. Just when it seemed that DCA might fail, Doc stepped in and set up a meeting in CT between Jim Costello of the Caballeros and the other corps. His work that night saved DCA and began a heritage we are all so proud of.

Doctor Almo Sebastianelli - he will be dearly missed by all. Details will follow soon.

2009 DCA Championship Ticket Sales

2009-02-09T16:00:00.002-06:00

The invitations to pre-order your 2009 DCA championship tickets were mailed on Friday, February 6th. Everyone on our mailing list should receive the information any day. Canadian mail will take a bit longer. Tickets will be reserved - based on your preference - on a first received/best seat basis and will take your preference into account.

If you have moved, the post office will forward your invitation and notify us of your address change. If you do not receive your invitation within a "reasonable" amount of time, email Tom Peashey at info@dcacorps.org and the list will be checked and corrected if necessary.

Watch the mail and act fast, the best seats go VERY fast. See everyone in Rochester on September 4th, 5th and 6th.

Michael "Cozy" Baker

2008-12-27T19:19:00.003-06:00

This morning, Dec. 27th, Cozy Baker 58 passed on from a lingering lung infection. Cozy was the author of "Cozy's Corner" in Drum Corps World Newspaper for many years and currently served as senior editor for the paper. He was one of the most gifted and creative writers in the activity. He has also been a frequent performer and talented musician with a number of different DCA competitors over the years and a valuable asset as a volunteer at many DCA championships. This past summer, he took on the task of writing the corps pages for the 2008 DCA Yearbook.

Cozy was a retired naval aviator who flew fighter jets off aircraft carriers. He had many hobbies that ranged from scuba diving - the scuba shop he had on Bainbridge Island (Puget Sound) is still open - to Cantina singer - an art he perfected last winter in sunny Mexico - but his true love was drum corps. He would never turn down anyone who asked him to do something as long as he felt it would help the activity.

He will be sorely missed by all. DCA sends its condolences to his family. A memorial will be held on the afternoon of January 18th in Alabama. (this was changed from the 17th)

Prayers for Cozy Baker

2008-12-24T13:31:00.002-06:00

Cozy Baker, long timed performer with several corps (Kilties, Empire and others), talented lead soprano player, gifted drum corps writer for Drum Corps World, responsible for much of the written content of the 2008 DCA Yearbook and frequent volunteer worker at the DCA Championship weekend has been fighting for his life. He has been in ICU for over 35 days and on a respirator throughout, fighting a lung infection. Now he has had a setback with other complications. All of us in the DCA community send along our well wishes and prayers for a complete recovery. Further information can be found on his Caring Bridge page at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/cozy or on the all aged section of Drum Corps Planet.

DCA Championship Schedule

2008-12-21T13:49:00.002-06:00

We have received several requests for the DCA Championship Schedule. The U.S. Labor Day holiday determines the dates for the Championship. In 2009, Labor Day - always set by law as the first Monday in September - is September 7th. This is the latest possible date for it. Correspondingly, DCA Finals in Rochester, NY will be September 6th - Also the latest possible date for the DCA Championship.

I&E/Mini Corps will be September 4th and Class A and Open Class Prelims will be September 5th. The Alumni Spectacular as well as the the Class A and Open Class Finals Competition will be September 6th. Make your plans early. Now is not too early to book hotels. For local information, go to http://www.visitrochester.com. For drum corps related information, you may email info@dcacorps.org.

Rules Congress Most Successful

2008-12-14T15:02:00.002-06:00

DCA President Gil Silva had help from Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy and Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks in opening the 2009/2010 DCA Rules Congress at the George Eastman House Museum. Rarely are politicians as drum corps savvy and cooperative as this “cross party” pair. Both spoke about their sincere appreciation for all DCA and drum corps in general have done for the Rochester area and promised their complete cooperation in making the 2009 championship another success story. A record number – 30 corps – were represented.

This, of course, was a hardworking weekend with over 150 in attendance and many separate meetings, caucuses and seminars going on simultaneously. Seminars on everything from show design to fund raising were well received including a most appropriate and very funny session presented by DCA Vice-President, Larry Hershman, called Drum Corps 101 done Jeff Foxworthy style. “You may have a problem if: It takes longer to explain your show concept to the judges than it does to perform it!” That and many more gems of wisdom were most well received.

DCA’s new judging team headed by Judge Coordinator John Kreitzer joined by Brass Caption Chairman Rich Guillen, Percussion Chairman John Stauffer and Visual Chairman Tony Smith set the tone of cooperation as all three elements worked together to investigate potential changes and various new adjudication techniques. Much time was spent on cooperation between Brass and Percussion and consideration was given to a 7-judge panel and the changes that would require. In the end, the corps decided on a freshly “tweaked” 9-judge panel similar to the previous 2 seasons, but with some new language and a new look to the sheets and criteria scale.
From the outset, it was obvious that the multitude of “younger” corps – many aligned with the Class A movement – were going to have substantial input to all aspects of the rules and adjudication system. This culminated in a significant change in DCA policy. Prior to this day, Class A was designed and intended to cultivate more corps and give newer and smaller corps an avenue to strive for and improve until they ultimately make the top 10 corps status. Several changes were initiated that now clearly separate Class A from Open Class. In recognition of the growth of the Class A movement and conceding that many Class A corps – for one reason or another – intend to remain Class A, much discussion addressed this situation. The final vote to solidify this class definition was that at the DCA Preliminary Competition at Championships, the Class A Prelims will occur first and then, Open Class. All corps declaring Class A status at the beginning of the season will compete against each other with a designated number (depending on the number of entrants) moving on to the finals to compete for the Class A championship. Should a Class A corps score higher in Preliminary Competition than an Open Class corps or, perhaps, even achieve a top 10 position, they will NOT be moved to Open Class as previous rules required. They will compete for the Class A championships. Any movement of a Class A corps to Open Class would only occur when the corps has more than 65 performers or elects to compete in open class.

Many other topics were covered, discussed and voted on. Most of which were basically operational issues with little effect on the final product. One proposal that got some press prior to the congress – the proposed use of amplification of pit equipment – became a non-issue as the proposal was voted down in the Percussion Caucus by the percussion instructors – never making it to the directors for consideration.

Allen Buell and the staff of the George Eastman House and International Museum of Photography were the perfect hosts. A reception Saturday evening for all participants was a great opportunity for everyone to socialize and reflect on the day’s happenings. Tours of the 35,000 square foot George Eastman House were conducted giving everyone the opportunity to enjoy the historical setting for a most successful weekend. A few final votes and housekeeping on Sunday morning were quickly concluded and President Silva thanked everyone for their hard work, cooperation and input and closed the books for another 2 years on the DCA rules and regulations.

Rules Congress - Weather Promising

2008-12-11T11:49:00.002-06:00

Saturday morning will see the DCA Rules Congress and Symposium. Registration begins at 8:30AM at the George Eastman House Museum in Rochester, NY. Meetings begin promptly at 9:00AM. So far, so good weather wise. No major storms and a heat wave on Sunday. See everyone there.

Curt Anderson - Mighty St. Joe's Alumni

2008-12-02T16:46:00.002-06:00

DCA would like to send along condolences to the family and friends of Mighty St. Joe's Alumni Assistant Director, Curt Anderson who passed away suddenly on Monday, December 1st. Curt can only be described as a "gentle giant" - large enough to carry his contra bass, with a heart to match. While standing at Bob Sullivan's side as Assistant Director, Curt was instrumental in the success of the Alumni movement and a tremendous supporter of DCA. He will be missed by all.

Calling Hours will be this Thursday, Dec. 4 from 4:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. at the Alvah Halloran & Son Funeral Home, 2125 Chili Ave., Rochester, NY 14624 (this is actually at the corners of Chili Ave. and Howard/Beahan Rds. across from the Super Walmart in Gates). Church Services will be this Friday, Dec. 5 at 11:00 A.M. at the Calvary Chapel/Westside, 2407 Union St., Spencerport NY, 14559 (at the intersection of Ogden Townline Rd.) There will be a reception in celebration of Curt's life to immediately follow the church service at the Chili Post American Legion, 450 Chili-Scottsville Rd (Rte. 386), Scottsville NY, 14546 (at the corner of Stryker Rd.)

Allen Buell Joins DCA Staff

2008-11-21T22:44:00.000-06:00

DCA President, Gil Silva, has announced the appointment of Allen Buell to be the Director of Operations for the DCA Championships. President Silva advises that Allen has been doing a wonderful job with the Rochester Championships these past 3 seasons as local contest chairman and now will continue in this position permanently - no matter where the championship may be held.

In addition to his specific duties Championship Weekend, it will be his duty to market our DCA Championship to various communities, assist, solicit and encourage Championship bids as well as working closely with Dick Eschenmann, DCA Business Manager and Championship Contest Chairman. Allen is well known in drum corps and color guard circles. He has performed with several upstate New York corps and color guards, has been a successful color guard instructor, past president of the Northeast Color Guard Circuit and is a visual judge for New York Federation of Contest Judges and Winter Guard International. He is the long time business manager of the Empire Statesmen and will continue in that position for the 2009 season at which time he will conclude his tenure with the corps and come on board the DCA Staff full time in the new position.

Anyone wishing further information on bidding on the DCA Championship should contact Allen at allengun@aol.com. Bids for the 2010/2011 DCA Championship are actively being solicited and should be submitted by January 15, 2009. Allen resides in Rochester, NY where he is director of events for the George Eastman House and the International Museum of Photography housed there.

DCA Rules Congress - Final Schedule

2008-11-07T21:22:00.004-06:00

DCA President, Gil Silva, Vice-President Larry Hershman and Local Chairman, Allen Buell have released the schedule for the 2009/2010 DCA Rules Congress and Seminars to be held on December 13th and 14th at the George Eastman House Museum (http://www.eastmanhouse.org/) and the Strathallan Hotel (http://www.strathallan.com/) in Rochester, New York. All all-aged corps planning on competing during the 2009 DCA Season are encouraged to attend.

This event is particularly critical to new corps planning on competing in 2009 or 2010. It will provide them with a wealth of information planned to help ease their transition into the all-aged competitive ranks. Those attending should notify DCA Secretary, Glen Johnson of the number of people attending and receive hotel discount information. secretary@dcacorps.org All corps will pay a $100 registration fee. Corps who competed in the 2008 DCA Championship Preliminary Contest have already paid this fee.

A new addition to the Rules Congress this year is the addition of numerous seminars for Corps Directors and Business Managers. The following seminars will be held:

Key note session: “Drum Corps 101” – Larry Hershman, Chairman
“Programming for DCA” – Jim Dugan, Chairman
“Strategy Development” – DNS Associates, Davis Condon, Chairman
“Secrets of Success in DCA” – Carl Ruocco, Chairman
“Fundraising for Drum Corps” – Tom Gabianelli, Chairman

Larry Hershman: Over a period of 20 years, Larry Hershman played all the percussion instruments and soprano horn with the Westshoremen, of Harrisburg, PA. He then devoted many more years to the corps as marching and maneuvering instructor, show coordinator, business manager and director. He was the show coordinator and marching instructor for the United States Naval Academy drum and bugle corps from 1983 to 1986. While serving on the Drum Corps Associates (DCA) board of directors, he chaired the committee, which completely revised the organization’s bylaws, rules and regulations and devised the mileage system used by DCA in dealing with contest sponsors. He also applied his skills as a marching instructor and program director with the Bluecoats junior drum and bugle corps, of Canton, Ohio. He has judged for several organizations, including Mid Atlantic, National, KIDA, CIDA, CBA and the International Band Fest. He organized a number of ongoing drum and bugle corps contests and concerts, including the Carlisle Review of the Corps, Serenade in Brass and the Hershey Invitational senior/junior contest. He is past Judging Coordinator of DCA and current Vice-President. Larry is a member of the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame.

Jim Dugan: Jim is the program coordinator for the Connecticut Hurricanes. He has been involved in drum corps practically his whole life. His dad, Jim Sr. first taught Jim to play snare at the age of six. He went on to march junior corps with the Ct Classics, Milford Shoreliners and his last 4 years with the Bayonne Bridgemen. He was percussion caption head with the Bushwackers from 1984 - 1995 where they won a record 6 DCA drum titles in row. Jim also held the position as co-program coordinator from 1988 - 1995 while winning 5 DCA championships and again as program coordinator from 2002-2007. In addition Jim was program coordinator for the Sunrisers (97) and the Hurricanes (99-00). He taught the Bluecoats from 1987 - 1990, was a clinician for the British Youth Band Association and has taught many high school bands in Connecticut and New Jersey.

David Condon, Chairman & CEO, Diversified Non-Profit Services: David joined DNS Associates, LLC in 1985. David is a nationally recognized expert on fundraising, capital campaigns and nonprofit strategy. He has provided professional counsel to hundreds of nonprofits. His expertise and passion for his clients’ causes has been instrumental in clients closing over 200 solicitations of one million dollars or more. David is an outstanding motivational and professional development speaker. He is able to communicate big ideas and practical advice. His presentations are successful at moving prospective donors to action. He energizes and motivates Board members and professional staff to higher levels of performance. Audiences consistently place him among the most informative and entertaining speakers at the conferences and events he attends.

David has extensive understanding of nonprofit management and he is an expert at applying successful business practices to the nonprofit sector. David began working with nonprofit agencies in 1968. He was Director of Special Services for the Derby, Connecticut Public School System and later was President and CEO of Durham Hill School, a nonprofit residential treatment facility for severely retarded/emotionally disturbed children and adolescents. In May 2007, David was inducted into the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Alumni Hall of Fame in recognition of the positive influence and inspiration he has brought to the Boys & Girls Clubs movement.

CARL RUOCCO: Carl is currently Show Coordinator for the World Champion Reading Buccaneers. He began his involvement in drum corps with the Dumont Police Cadets in 1960 playing the tenor drum. As a senior, he played in the percussion section of the New York Skyliners. He instructed the Ridgemen, Colts, Star of Indiana, New York Skyliners, and the Westshoremen. Carl was the Assistant Director of Star of Indiana and the Director of the Crossmen. He judged with the International Judges Association, and was percussion caption head of the National Judges Association for 11 years. Carl has also arranged and instructed numerous high school bands and is a member of the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame.

Thomas Gabianelli, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer Diversified Non-Profit Services: having sat on both sides of the fundraising table both as a donor and solicitor has prepared Tom Gabianelli to provide a unique perspective on the solicitation process which carries over into his solicitor training sessions during the campaign. Tom's knowledge of finance, accounting and business helps DNS clients to achieve a higher level of economic accountability.
Prior to joining DNS Associates in 1991, Tom was President & CEO of OmniBank of Connecticut. Tom's involvement in the community includes serving on the Board of Directors of the Valley United Way, Valley YMCA, Seymour Land Conservation, The Salvation Army of the Lower Naugatuck Valley, Citizens Advisory Committee, West Haven and Ansonia Businessman's Association, Advisory Board Chairman (Durham Hill School), State Association-Bank Operations Committee, and Connecticut Hurricanes World Champion Drum & Bugle Corps. He is also President of Northeast Data Com's Banking Committee. Tom is a graduate of the U.S. Navy Finance, Class "A" School, and Brown University's School of Finance and Management.

The schedule is as follows:

Saturday December 13th, George Eastman House
8:30AM Dryden Theatre Lobby Registration for all
9:00AM Dryden Theatre Roll call and presentation of rule proposals
9:30AM Dryden Theatre General meeting – Business
9:30AM Curtis Theatre Captions – Percussion
9:30AM Discovery Room Captions – Brass
9:30AM Council Room Captions – Visual
11:00AM Break Break
11:15AM All return to meeting rooms
1:00-2:45PM Lunch (on your own)
3:00-3:30PM Dryden Theatre Key Note – Drum Corps 101
3:40-5:00PM Dryden Theatre Programming for DCA
3:40-5:00PM Curtis Theatre Strategy Development
5:10-6:30PM Dryden Theatre Secrets of Success in DCA
5:10-6:30PM Curtis Theatre Fundraising for Drum Corps
6:30-8:30PM Potter Peristyle &Mansion Reception for all – meet new judging staff

Sunday, December 14th, Strathallan Hotel

9:00AM-12 Noon Voting on rules proposals
Note: This meeting is mandatory for voting members – others are welcome to attend.
12:00 Noon Rules Congress is completed

December Rules Congress and Seminars

2008-10-26T23:02:00.001-05:00

DCA will hold its bi-annual rules congress on December 13th & 14th at the George Eastman House Museum on East Ave. in Rochester, NY. A meeting for voting member corps will begin Saturday morning at 9:00AM, followed by the first general session at 10:00AM. All competing all-aged drum corps are welcome to attend. Hotel arrangements are available at the Strathallen Hotel, Rochester’s most exclusive hotel that is located just a few blocks from the Eastman House right in the Museum District. Anyone requiring housing or wishing to attend, need only contact Glen Johnson, DCA Secretary at secretary@dcacorps.org.

Following the first general session while staff members caucus on rules changes, seminars will be held for corps directors and managers. One will be a presentation by a professional non-profit advisory group. A second will be a round table with one-on-one discussions between some of the most successful corps directors in the business. This is a wonderful opportunity for a less experienced director to ask questions and receive great input on what works in every area. Recruiting, show design, staff recruitment and fundraising are sure to be major topics. Finally, DCA Officers – headed by Business Manager, Dick Eschenmann and President Gil Silva – will meet with directors of new corps wishing to compete in 2009. They will receive first hand, precise information on exactly what is expected of them, what is involved in the evaluation process, how to get music performance rights, what insurance is required, information on potential shows and a lot of great advice on how to make their transition to a competing corps as smooth, efficient and successful a process as possible. Any corps director wishing to be evaluated for competitive approval in 2009 is STRONGLY urged to attend or at the very least send a representative. There will be a $100 fee payable that day for all corps attending. The 24 corps who competed in the 2008 DCA Preliminary Competition, have already paid this fee.

There will be a reception for all in attendance Saturday evening at the Museum hosted by President Silva and DCA Rochester Chairman Allen Buell. Allen is an employee of the museum and urges everyone to take a little extra time and tour the facility – one of the premier tourist spots in Western New York. Sunday’s session will be the general DCA meeting where the final vote on changes takes place. This meeting is only required for voting members. However, everyone is invited to attend. There is no limit on the number of staff members a corps may bring to participate in the caucus meetings. We do ask each corps to advise Secretary Glen Johnson how many will be attending from your corps and which captions they represent. This will allow better preparation and proper meeting room selection. We hope to see everyone in Rochester December 13th.

Championship Bids for 2010/2011 Accepted Until 1/15/09

2008-10-26T22:59:00.001-05:00

DCA President Gil Silva, announced this weekend at the fall executive board meeting that the final day to submit bids for the 2010/2011 DCA World Championships will be January 15, 2009. So far, he has received requests for information from several cities. The DCA Championship presents not only a great time for drum corps fans and performers, but also is one of the largest conventions of its type each year. With several thousand participants and many more fans, the DCA World Championship weekend offers an economic impact of 8 to 12 Million Dollars to the host area. Participants alone amount to almost 6000 guaranteed room nights in hotels, putting the DCA Championship in the highest tier for the visitors and convention business activity.

Anyone desiring information on bidding for the championship is requested to contact DCA directly, attention President Gil Silva at president@dcacorps.org.

2009 DCA Adjudication Leadership Announced

2008-10-07T22:01:00.001-05:00

DCA President, Gil Silva, has announced the election of John Kreitzer as DCA Judging Coordinator for 2009. Kreitzer was the choice of the member corps to fill the void left with the resignation of long time Judging Coordinator Rich Templin. He will be joined by an experienced, and talented team of elected Chief Judges including Tony Smith, Visual Caption Chairman, Rich Guillen, Brass Caption Chairman and the returning Percussion Caption Chairman, John Stauffer. Their first duty will be preparation for and leadership of the upcoming Bi-Annual Rules Congress where each will be charged with moderating the sessions and ensuring that the changes presented are coordinated from caption to caption and result in the fairest and best possible adjudication system for the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

John Kreitzer from Lewes, DE, comes with a solid education background as a special education teacher, high school principal and now education administrator. He received his Doctor of Education degree from Wilmington College in Delaware. In drum corps, John was a performer and visual instructor with the Harrisburg Westshoremen of the 1970’s and 80’s. He became a DCA Judge in the late 80’s and has adjudicated over a dozen DCA World Championships. He has been the Southern Regional Director of Tournament of Bands for over 10 years. John brings to the position of Judge Coordinator a solid background in drum corps leadership and accomplishment combined with a career devoted to education and a fresh enthusiasm that will permeate the DCA Judging community in 2009.

Tony Smith takes over as Visual Caption Chairman. He started as a young percussionist with Boston Crusaders going on to teach, arrange and judge percussion before becoming Boston’s visual arranger and eventually, Corps Director. He turned his attention to visual design and adjudication and has been a DCA Adjudicator for many years. He went on to design and instruct a long and distinguished list of both junior and senior corps including Crossmen, Blue Devils, Skyliners and Caballeros. For the past 3 years he has been visual consultant/arranger for the Blue Devils. Tony owns his own design company specializing in retail store design and marketing. He also has taught retail design and marketing at both the Rhode Island School of Design and the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

A familiar name to DCA is Rich Guillen, from the Hudson Valley of Downstate New York. Rich becomes Brass Caption Chairman after a long career in music including both performance and education. He is currently the band director of the Arlington, NY High School Band – often recognized as one of the best programs in the nation. He was a marching member of the Garfield Cadets and the Sunrisers Drum and Bugle Corps, and instructed the Sunrisers, the Hawthorne Caballeros and Dutch Boy Drum & Bugle Corps. He is an active adjudicator for marching band and drum corps circuits throughout the United States.

Returning as Percussion Caption Chairman is John Stauffer. Hailing from Harrisburg, PA, John was a performer and instructor for the Westshoremen for many years. John has been a DCA Adjudicator since 1995, and having led the caption since 2004, he brings a stable and experienced wisdom to the DCA adjudication team.

Bi-Annual Rules Congress Adds Seminars

2008-10-02T17:28:00.000-05:00

DCA President, Gil Silva, has announced that the Bi-Annual Rules Congress for DCA will be held December 13th and 14th at the George Eastman House Museum in Rochester, NY. This magnificent facility is one of the major tourist stops in New York State. (http://www.eastmanhouse.org) All DCA corps directors have already received the information detailing how to propose rules changes for the 2009/2010 seasons. New this year, President Silva has advised that there will be several seminars to create an information highway among all corps. While staff members work on rules changes, corps directors and managers will be able to attend a variety of seminars dealing with all aspects of running a competitive drum corps in 2009. Details of the seminars will be available following the DCA Executive Board meeting later this month.
President Silva has opened these seminars to all corps. Any corps director, whose corps is planning on competing in 2009 in the DCA arena, is encouraged to attend. This will be an excellent opportunity to open lines of discussion, meet the management of both the other corps and DCA, receive valuable information from some of the best and most experienced leaders in the activity and find out exactly what is expected from competing corps in 2009. This will be especially beneficial to new corps taking the field for the first time this coming season. If you would like to attend these seminars and have not already received the information, please contact Glen Johnson at secretary@dcacorps.org and he will send you details and hotel information. Watch for information in the coming weeks about seminar registration. Book transportation early and save those last minute price penalties.

THANK YOU Rochester - Back in 2009

2008-09-01T12:35:00.003-05:00

A huge thank you must go out to so many people for making the 2008 DCA World Championship a success. To Local Show Chairman, Allen Buell and his staff, you guys make this look so easy and we all know it is so hard. To Matt Ford and Allen Dungy from the Rochester Rhinos, it's impossible to match your level of cooperation. You guys are amazing and made us all feel so welcome. It truly is a world class facility. For those who weren't there, there is a top notch jumbotron and the show is broadcast live on the jumbotron as they perform. At the top of the jumbotron is the championship logo... so clear and just hanging there in space. Once dark... it is an awesome sight. What a facility.

To Visit Rochester and President Ed Hall and his staff - wow, you gave a world class welcome to everyone - fan, performers and officials... and now you can take credit for some of the best championship weather on record. To Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks and Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy - thank you so much for your cooperation and your contributions to the Championship Weekend. To the Rochester Police Department, you guys are the best - never have so many people been told "you can't go there" with such professionalism that you simply smile and say thank you and take their direction on where you really should be going... these guys are pros - Thank you!

We will be back in 2009. If you had a problem or a suggestion, feel free to forward them to info@dcacorps.org - we have listened in the past and we will listen now. The planning for the 2009 championship quite literally began last week. Plan now - the 45th annual DCA World Championship - September 4th, 5th and 6th - Rochester, NY - Paetec Park.

Scores and Recaps Posted

2008-09-01T12:33:00.001-05:00

Finals Scores and Recaps are available in the scores section of the website. Find out the details of how your favorite corps did and how each judge scored the show.

Caption Awards

2008-08-31T23:10:00.003-05:00

Here are the caption awards for the 2008 DCA World Championship:

Class A
High Brass - Fusion Core
High Percussion - Alliance
High Visual - Fusion Core
High Total Effect - Alliance
High Color Guard - Fusion Core
Best Drum Major - Alliance

Open Class
High Brass - Empire Statesmen
High Percussion - Buccaneers
High Visual - Buccaneers
High Total Effect - Buccaneers
High Color Guard - Hurricanes
Best Drum Major - David Bruni Empire Statesmen
Showmanship Award - Bushwackers Color Guard
Best Honor Guard - Connecticut Hurricanes

2008 DCA World Champions Crowned

2008-08-31T23:03:00.003-05:00

The 2008 DCA World Championship is over. In open class the Reading Buccaneers pulled off the 4 peat and held off a charging Minnesota Brass with a 97.913 to MBI's 96.513. In Class A competition, Atlanta's Alliance held their prelims first place by only the narrowest of margins beating Fusion Core of Morris County NJ 82.750 to 82.463. Perfect weather and an amazing crowd saw what must go in the record books as one of the most amazing DCA Championships in the entire 44 year history of the event. More details to follow...

I&E/Mini Corps Schedule

2008-08-25T05:47:00.001-05:00

The I&E/Mini Corps Schedule is now available. At the home page Click on the DCA World Championship. Then, click on I&E and it's there... See everyone Friday.

It's DCA Championship Week - On Line Ticket Information

2008-08-24T22:14:00.002-05:00

It's finally here. DCA 2008. This week, everyone in the DCA world will be packing their bags and traveling to Rochester, NY for the 2008 World Championships. Take special note that on line ticketing will cease Thursday evening August 28th, at 10:00PM. However, Tickets will be available on Thursday and Friday at DCA Headquarters in The Rochester Plaza Hotel on State Street just a few hundred feet north of Main St. The latest in DCA information will be available at the headquarters suite. This ticket location is only a few minutes walk from all the other downtown hotels and Friday night's I&E/Mini Corps Venues.

Regular Season Concludes

2008-08-23T21:46:00.003-05:00

The regular season is now officially over and a great one it has been. In the last two shows of the season, Reading Buccaneers in their own show, retained #1 seed in prelims with a convincing 5 point victory over the Brigadiers and a final score of 95.538. In West Haven, CT, Empire Statesmen survived going on first and remained seeded second by posting a 94.213 score over second place Caballeros and Third place Hurricanes.

Other significant happenings included Brigadiers squeeking over Bushwackers in seeding as they broke the 90 barrier at 90.075 in Reading while Bushwackers posted an 89.680 in West Haven. One of the more significant scores of the night was Crusaders strong 3rd place finish in Reading with a 85.238 raising them back into the top 10 in seedings just slightly ahead of Racine Kilties. Declared Class A positioning moved about a bit as Fusion Core and Dansville White Sabers both moved up in seedings.

The strength of the top 7 or 8 corps combined with the fight for the top 10 make next week one of the most interesting in the 44 year history of The DCA World Championships and what about Class A??? Amazing competion with clearly 7 or 8 corps with a shot at those final 4 positions and scores amazingly close to the coveted 10th place member corps status... The entire weekend at Paetec Park in Rochester is going to be exciting and just plain fun to watch and enjoy.

Final seedings and order of appearance in Prelims will be posted tomorrow.

Mini Corps Order Announced

2008-08-22T19:32:00.004-05:00

Chairman Dick Pronti has announced the order of appearance for the 2008 DCA Mini Corps Contest held at the Riverside Convention Center in Rochester on Friday August 29th. This event follows the annual I&E competition at the same site starting at 5:30. Main St. is blocked off to allow drum corps fans from everywhere to join together in Drum Corps' biggest block party. This FREE event kicks off the Championship Weekend - it's definitely a don't miss...

2nd Floor Convention Center
8:35 Crossmen Xtreme
8:49 Music City Legend
9:03 Amoskeag
9:17 Outlaws
9:31 Capital Brass
9:45 Mass Brass
9:59 Ghost Rider
10:13 Minn Brass
10:27 Thunderbirds
10:41 Golden Eagles
10:55 Star United

Bucs Continue Winning Ways - American Legion Champions

2008-08-16T21:16:00.002-05:00

The corps that started their career with a VFW National Championship has won another American Legion National Championship and added another coveted orange flag to their color party. The Reading Buccaneers fought off the charge of DCA's showmen - Empire Statesmen - and took the title by over a point (actually 1.813). Close behind, the Caballeros caught the upstart CT Hurricanes by a scant .175 as the battle for the top 4 continues to tighten.

In a battle of their own, Bushwackers edged out the Brigadiers by slightly over half a point. Rochester's Crusaders were a very respectable 7th. This meeting of the Northeastern 7 sets the stage for the final weekend of the regular season as they prepare to be joined by the corps from the other regions at the Rochester DCA Championship Prelims on August 30th.

1. Reading Buccaneers 93.238
2. Empire Statesmen 91.425
3. Hawthorne Caballeros 90.850
4. CT Hurricanes 90.675
5. Bushwackers 86.663
6. Brigadiers 86.038
7. Rochester Crusaders 82.375

DCI Completes Most Successful Season

2008-08-10T08:11:00.004-05:00

DCA would like to congratulate DCI on a wonderful championship week in Bloomington, IN. Large, enthusiastic crowds and a wonderful facility greeted drum corps people from around the globe. The competition was keen and produced many surprises. In both classes, there was no certain winner going into finals. This added to the excitement. To their wonderful champions, Rockford, IL Phantom Regiment and Santa Clara, CA Santa Clara Cadets, a huge "Job Well Done" from everyone in the drum corps world and expecially those of us at DCA.

Hurricanes Continue Hot Streak in Kingston, NY

2008-08-09T21:27:00.003-05:00

CT Hurricanes continue their hot streak in Kingston, NY - winning their third contest in a row with a 90.475. The newly crowned Mission Drums 2008 Champion is poised to challenge Reading Buccaneers for the DCA 2008 World Championship, but they will need to keep a close eye over their shoulder as second place Rochester's Empire Statesmen were only a bit over .3 behind with a 90.038. Third place went to Hawthorne Caballeros just a point behind at 89.038. Bushwackers continue strong in the middle of the pack with 84.738 for 4th place. Two of the stronger Class A corps completed the pack with Fusion Core getting a 77.55 and Dansville's White Sabers hanging close with a 75.538. The pack tightens and the plot thickens as the season moves to Scranton PA next Saturday night where all of the Northeast corps in contention will hammer it out for the 2008 American Legion National Championship.

1. CT Hurricanes 90.475
2. Empire Statesmen 90.038
3. Hawthorne Caballeros 89.038
4. Bushwackers 84.738
5. Fusion Core 77.55
6. White Sabers 75.538

Fusion Takes 1st NE Class A Regional

2008-08-02T21:34:00.002-05:00

Waterloo, NY - The Brigadier's Pageant of Drums and the first ever NE Class A Regional Championship. Class A awards: Brass - Fusion, Percussion - Grenadiers, Visual - Fusion, GE - Fusion, Color Guard - Fusion

1. 75.550 Fusion
2. 73.775 White Sabers
3. 73.075 Grenadiers
4. 70.900 Carolina Gold (.3 penalty)

In Open Class, Brigadiers took Best Color Guard while Brass, Percussion, Visual, GE went to Rochester's Empire Statesmen

1. 88.463 Empire Statesmen
2. 85.852 The Brigadiers
3. 81.825 Rochester Crusaders

A capacity crowd watched in this new venue at Tom Coughlin Stadium. Turned out to be a beautiful night for a show with no rain but lightning all around - everywhere but there. Must have been an omen of success.

Scranton Parade of Champions

2008-07-31T22:20:00.003-05:00

There are still plenty of great seats available for the August 16th, 7:30PM Parade of Champions at the newly renovated Scranton Memorial Stadium. This great facility will see the American Legion team with DCA to provide one of the great shows of the summer - and send the coveted American Legion Championship Orange Flag home to one of these great corps:

Reading Buccaneers
The Brigadiers
Rochester Crusaders
Hawthorne Caballaros
Empire Statesmen
CT Hurricanes
The Bushwackers

Order tickets now by clicking on tickets on the home page. See you there!

First Ever Class A Regular Season Show

2008-06-16T18:42:00.004-05:00

The Brigadiers are pleased to announce that the August 2nd show in Waterloo, NY will be promoted as a Class A Regional event. Class A will have its own 1st through 3rd awards for the Pageant of Drums this year.

Competing Class A Corps
Excelsior
Carolina Gold
Fusion Core
White Sabers
Grenadiers

Competing Open Class Corps
Rochester Crusaders
Empire Statesmen
Brigadiers

New Stadium Info Syracuse Aug. 2nd

2008-06-16T18:37:00.001-05:00

The August 2nd Pageant of Drums show originally scheduled for N. Syracuse HS, will now be held at Waterloo High School stadium. The show will start at 7PM.

Address for the Show:

Waterloo High School
96 Stark StreetWaterloo, NY 13165

Tickets for Major Shows

2008-06-15T21:28:00.002-05:00

In case you didn't notice on the home page, you can now order tickets on line - not only for the DCA Championship Labor Day Weekend, but also for the Parade of Champions August 16th in Scranton, PA and Mission Drums in Lawrence, MA on July 26th. Plenty of excellent seats remain. Order now while they're still available.

July 12th & Aug 2nd Show Changes

2008-06-14T13:39:00.004-05:00

DCA has been informed by the contest sponsor that due to loss of the stadium and inability to locate a suitable replacement location, the July 12th contest scheduled for Buffalo, NY has been cancelled. Due to the late date of the cancellation, it will not be replaced. DCA and the Brigadiers sends it's regrets to all of our fans in the area, but this seemed to be the only possible decision.

We encourage those in the region to consider attending the July 5th show in Rochester at St. John Fisher College and the Brigadier's August 2nd Pageant of Drums which is being moved from North Syracuse to Waterloo, NY. Details on the location will be released soon. Also, the Brigadiers are pleased to announce the addition of Carolina Gold to the August 2nd line up.

This change was necessary due to numerous High Schools around the country forbidding use of their artificial turf stadiums until the safety of these fields can be confirmed. The government advised that unsafe lead levels have been found in specific stadiums that were produced from used tires. North Syracuse was one of them.

DCA To Increase Number of Class A Finalists

2008-06-06T15:48:00.001-05:00

We here at Drum Corps Associates are thrilled to announce the expansion of our Class A Final competition this year! For the first time ever, there will be FOUR finalists competing for the Class A crown, up from three in previous years. Our Executive Board made the decision to add another corps to finals in Class A, in response to the explosive growth in that category over the last several years. The pre-contest ceremonies will be shortened a bit to accommodate the extra time needed, and we expect the first finalist to hit the field at 5:30 PM sharp on Sunday, August 31, 2008.

Class A corps are limited in size to 65 performers (not including drum majors and National Color Party). DCA rules allow for the top 3 declared Class A corps, not finishing in the top 10, to compete at the Sunday evening Finals Competition for the Class A Championship. For the 44th Annual Championship at Paetec Park in Rochester, NY Labor Day Weekend, there will be 4 corps moving on to Championship Competition. The winner of the Mini-Corps Championship from Friday night’s Mini-Corps Competition will also exhibit at the Sunday Finals following the last competing corps. This means that a total of 15 corps will perform at the Championship Finals on Sunday evening, August 31st at Paetec Park Rochester, NY – truly the “don’t miss” event of the DCA drum corps season.

The preliminary competition on Saturday, August 30 may break the record for the largest number of corps competing in our 44-year history! Visit www.dcacorps.org/2008 for tickets.

DCA Class A Competitors Set

2008-06-03T00:58:00.003-05:00

The following corps have declared Class A Status and will be eligible to compete for a spot in the DCA Championship Finals in Rochester, NY on August 31st. The 3 highest scoring declared Class A corps (not achieving a spot in the top 10) will compete that evening for the Class A Championship Title - joining the top 10 highest scoring corps competing for the Open Class Championship.

Grenadiers - Kingston ONT
Govenaires - St. Peter MN
SoCal Dream - Irvine CA
Fusion Core - Morris County NJ
Alliance - Atlanta GA
Chops, Inc. - Minneapolis MN
Frontier - Denton TX
Gulf Coast Sound - Houston TX
White Sabers - Dansville NY
Lakeshoremen - Troy MI
Sun Devils - Kissimmee FL
Carolina Gold - Rocky Mount NC
Excelsior - Albany NY
Grenadiers - Kingston ONT
Shenandoah Sound - Sterling VA
Cincinatti Tradition - Cincinatti OH****
Derby City Knights - Louisville KY****

**** These corps have declared Class A but have yet to be evaluated

Note: This edit adds Kingston Grenadiers who were erroneously left off the original list.

I&E Applications Now Being Accepted

2008-05-04T22:48:00.002-05:00

It's time! You can now enter the Individuals, ensemble and mini-corps competition for the 2008 DCA Championships on line. Just go to the DCA Home Page at http://www.dcacorps.org and click on the championship logo. Then, click on the I&E link. Once there you can download all the necessary information. Remember, your early application will mean a prime appearance slot. Any questions, contact Chairman Dick Pronti at ie@dcacorps.org.

The 2008 I&E Mini Corps Championship will be held at The Rochester Riverside Convention Center on Main Street beginning at 6:00PM, Friday, August 29th. It is open to all - all aged corps, alumni corps, mini corps members. 2007 saw 176 entries and an unbelieveable 18 mini corps. This year, all expectations are to exceed that and set an all time record. Be sure to sign up now if you're planning to compete. Not competing? Be sure to put this event on your calendar. Don't let anyone tell you that nothing is ever free. See some of the finest musicians in the world, and there's NO admission charge. Join in the block party and reunite with old friends. This is the night when all the performers kick back, let their hair down and enjoy the DCA experience before the pressure of prelims and finals.

Join us at the Mini Corps segment - one of the fastest growing parts of the drum corps activity. Watch, see and hear as Star United takes on all in defense of their DCA Championship. Will someone wrestle the Donna Ernst Memorial Trophy from this talented group of Indiana musicians? We will all find out Friday night, August 29th. Be there!

DCA Spring Meeting A Success

2008-04-29T14:38:00.003-05:00

Saturday, April 26th, all corps and executives from Drum Corps Associates met in Scranton, PA for their Spring Meeting. President Gil Silva, opened the meeting with the roll call. The first thing noted was that after polling all corps present, Business Manager Dick Eschenmann, advised that currently we expect at least 25 or 26 competing corps to attend the DCA Championship Prelims in Rochester August 30th. He also reminded all corps that if they wish to compete at the Championship in Class A, they must declare so no later than June 1st. Proper procedure for doing this is provided in the rulebook. Other notable items from the meeting included:

· Vice President, Larry Hershman advised that DCA Championship ticket sales (pre-sale and on line) are progressing well. He was particularly pleased with a sharp increase in Canadian sales. Phone orders will begin June 3rd.
· President Silva advised that the DCA Contest Committee is currently encouraging bids for the 2010 DCA Championship. Anyone knowing of an interest in hosting this event can get further information by contacting prdirector@dcacorps.org who will forward the necessary requirements to bid as defined by the Contest Committee.
· The draw for positions took place. An excel spreadsheet reflecting the draw for positions in 25 sanctioned DCA contests is available by contacting prdirector@dcacorps.org. Competing position in the Championship Prelims is determined by seeding rules and will not be known until after the last regular season contest of the year. Everyone was extremely pleased with the number of DCA Central and DCA South contests and congratulations was offered to all the groups involved and regional directors Amber Roeker and Vic Kulinski.
· So far, 5 corps who did not compete in 2007 have either completed the evaluation process or are close enough that a positive completion is imminent. They were allowed to draw for positions in the shows they are participating in. They include 2 returning DCA former member corps, Kingston Grenadiers and Carolina Gold. Joining them are newcomers Austin Stars, Sun Devils and Excelsior. President Silva noted with regret that Sunrisers and Skyliners will not be competing this summer. It is still possible that other new corps could be evaluated prior to the season. Evaluation is necessary to compete in any sanctioned DCA regular season contest.
· DCA Rochester Chairman, Allen Buell, advised everyone of the progress toward Labor Day Weekend. After some questions of ownership of Paetec Park over the winter, all has been resolved with the sale of the Soccer Club and the Stadium to a new owner. Among other things, a new stadium concession operator was chosen and they have advised a much-improved stadium food situation is expected.
· Judging coordinator, Rich Templin, advised that the Judge’s Clinic for 2008 will be June 7th in the Allentown, PA area. He also was pleased to announce that the General Effect portion of the clinic will be conducted by well known Hall of Fame personality, arranger, instructor and soloist, Frank Dorritie. This news was very well received by the membership.

DCA adds Mini Corps Champion to Sunday Finals

2008-04-27T09:44:00.002-05:00

At the April 26th DCA Spring meeting, President Gil Silva announced that the winning Mini Corps from Friday night’s DCA Mini Corps Competition will be invited to perform at the DCA Finals Competition on Sunday night of Championship Weekend, August 29, 30 and 31. While time is precious during the long evening, President Silva welcomed the opportunity to honor the Mini Corps – one of the fastest growing activities under the “Drum Corps umbrella”. The corps will perform during the coveted time slot between the final DCA competitor and the retreat/awards ceremony. This will give them a golden opportunity to show the huge final’s crowd at Paetec Park in Rochester just what the Mini Corps are all about and prove that while limited in numbers they are mighty in quality entertainment.

With groups like defending champion Star United of Bloomington, Indiana, Mass Brass, Ghost Riders, Erie Thunderbirds, West Sayville’s Golden Eagles, San Francisco’s Renegades and a multitude of others all competing Friday August 29th for the coveted DCA Mini Corps Championship, we are assured of a great performance on Sunday night at finals. If for travel reasons, the 2008 winning Mini Corps champion is unable to perform on Sunday, they will be allowed to pass on this great opportunity to showcase the Mini Corps to the next highest finishing corps.

DCA Coming to Boston - Tickets Available NOW!

2008-04-18T16:25:00.004-05:00

DCA is coming to Boston on July 26th. DCA President, Gil Silva, announced that DCA is joining with the Citations of Burlington, MA in producing Mission Drums, the first full DCA regular season show in the Boston area in many years. The show will be at Veterans Stadium, Lawrence, MA and feature in competition: Caballeros, Crusaders, Empire Statesmen, Hurricanes and Fusion Core. Exhibitions will be performed by the Citations, Mass Brass and Boston Crusaders Senior Alumni Corps. Tickets are available now through Crown Tickets at http://www.crowntickets.com/. See you there!

DCA Championship Tickets Now On Sale

2008-04-14T07:17:00.006-05:00

This morning, April 14, 2008, all tickets for the DCA World Championships went on sale. They are available on line. Don’t wait till the last minute. Get them now. Plenty of excellent seats still available for all shows. Go to the home page and click on the championship logo and select tickets. Telephone orders will be available soon.

August 30-31, 2008 Paetec Park Stadium, 460 Oak St, Rochester, NY.

Click here to order on line.

Order early to get those prime seats.

Bob Cardaneo In World Drum Corps Hall of Fame

2008-04-14T07:08:00.003-05:00

DCA would like to congratulate long time DCA Brass Coordinator, Bob Cardaneo for receiving the President's Award from the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame. He will be inducted into the WDCHOF - http://www.worlddrumcorpshof.org/ - at the induction dinner on August 30th in Rochester, NY DCA Championship weekend. Bob has been an adjudicator and brass chief judge for many years and is well deserving of this recognition. From all the DCA Staff and Corps, a big thank you and well done to our own Bob Cardaneo.

Joining Bob in induction to the WDCHOF for the 2008 class are: Art Hylwa, Steve Cooley, Neil Smith, Thom Hannum, Larry Darch and Robbie Robinson. Congratulations to all.

DCA Survey Now Closed

2008-02-02T16:15:00.001-06:00

Thanks to the more than 1,000 fans and active corps members for your feedback. We have now closed the most recent DCA Experience Survey. Stay tuned for more information and additional opportunities to provide your feedback and insight in the coming months.

Only One Week Left to Participate in DCA Experience Survey

2008-01-25T20:26:00.001-06:00

There's only one week remaining to participate in Drum Corps Associates survey of all-age corps fans and participants, The survey is designed to provide insight into who currently attends, participates in and supports all-age drum corps events. This survey will be available online until February 1, 2008.

"Drum corps fans and corps members are encouraged to share the survey link with other fans and family that might not visit Drum Corps Planet on a regular basis," TMI Entertainment Marketing's Ed Dempsey explained. "The more input we get, the easier it is to tell this really cool story about all-age drum corps."

Click here to participate in the survey

For more information about Drum Corps Associates, visit www.dcacorps.org.

We're Listening! DCA Launches Survey of Fans and Participants

2008-01-20T11:16:00.000-06:00

Drum Corps Associates today launched a survey to learn about the experiences of DCA fans and participants, while also gaining insight into who currently attends, participates in and support all-age drum corps events. This survey will be available online until February 1, 2008.

Click here to participate in the survey

For more information about Drum Corps Associates, visit www.dcacorps.org.

DCA Administration Team Returns for 2008

2007-10-20T14:00:00.000-05:00

Drum Corps Associates (DCA), the leader in sanctioning and producing competitive all-age drum and bugle corps events, today announced that its voting member corps have unanimously reelected the association's current officers to another two year term through 2009. Returning for 2008/2009 are DCA President, Gil Silva; Vice-President, Larry Hershman; Secretary, Glen Johnson; and Treasurer, Michael Corso. The announcement came during the association's fall business meeting in Newark, New Jersey

DCA also announced that it's voting corps have voted to retain Judging Coordinator Rich Templin and the three judging caption heads for the 2008 season. Returning will be Brass Caption Head, Bob Cardaneo; Percussion Caption Head, John Stauffer and Sal Adamo, Visual Caption Head.

"Between them, these four gentlemen have brought an enormous wealth of knowledge to the task of managing the competitive aspects of DCA and the all-age drum corps activity," said DCA President Gil Silva. "Its great to have stability in the judging community and the confidence of the voting member corps for the job they did in 2007 is testament to that."

About Drum Corps Associates

Drum Corps Associates (DCA) is the governing body for modern senior or all-age drum and bugle corps in North America. Founded in 1965 as the first heir to the modern drum corps activity, DCA has crowned 44 Open Class World Champions and 12 Class A Champions to date. For the 2007 season twenty-three units competed in twenty-four events throughout North America. The 2008 DCA World Championships will be held August 29-31 in Rochester, NY. For more information on Drum Corps Associates visit http://www.dcacorps.org.

DCA Welcomes TMI Entertainment Marketing for 2008 Season

2007-10-20T12:30:00.000-05:00

Drum Corps Associates (DCA), the leader in sanctioning and producing competitive all-age drum and bugle corps events, announced today that it has retained Oak Park, Illinois based TMI Entertainment Marketing to assist in the development of its sponsorship and marketing programs for the 2008 season.

DCA President Gil Silva, made the announcement during DCA's annual business meeting in Newark, NJ on October 20, 2007. "We are very excited to have access to Ed Dempsey and the TMI team", said Silva. "His experience as Manager, Strategic Alliances at Drum Corps International combined with a long history with a variety of DCA corps make him a great asset and we look forward to working with him to help grow our brand".

"We are pleased to be a part of the DCA team for 2008", said TMI Entertainment Marketing founder, Ed Dempsey. "They're a great organization with a long legacy and a quality product and are in the perfect position to both expand their audience and to better serve the all age corps that operate in the association".

Core responsibilities for TMI will be the development of a formal corporate sponsorship program as well as the development of promotional materials for DCA member corps and event promoters. The company will also coordinate media relations efforts for the organization and for the 2008 DCA World Championships in Rochester, NY.

About Drum Corps Associates
Drum Corps Associates (DCA) is the governing body for modern senior or all-age drum and bugle corps in North America. Founded in 1965 as the first heir to the modern drum corps activity, DCA has crowned 44 Open Class World Champions and 12 Class A Champions to date. For the 2007 season twenty-three units competed in twenty-four events throughout North America. The 2008 DCA World Championships will be held August 29-31 in Rochester, NY. For more information on Drum Corps Associates visit http://www.dcacorps.org.

About TMI Entertainment Marketing
TMI Entertainment Marketing was founded in June 2007 to aid in the creation and production of events and experiences that touch, move and inspire guests, participants and partners. The creative force behind the company is Ed Dempsey, former Manager, Strategic Alliances for Drum Corps International, the world leader in producing and sanctioning competitive marching music and related stadium events for the world’s most elite and exclusive marching music ensembles. TMI Entertainment Marketing is based in Oak Park, Illinois.

First Meeting of 2008 Season

2007-09-14T14:25:00.000-05:00

We're already starting planning for the 2008 season! The first official DCA meeting of the 2008 season will be held on Saturday, October 20, 2007 in Newark, NJ. Corps representatives will meet to discuss scheduling among many other things. Corps with an interest in competing in 2008 should contact DCA Secretary Glen Johnson to attend this meeting. The 2008 competitive season will open in June at Wildwood, NJ and the championship events will be held August 29-31 in Rochester, NY.

Buccaneers & Sunrisers Win 2007 DCA World Championships

2007-09-02T23:59:00.000-05:00

The Reading Buccaneers completed their 3rd consecutive undefeated season tonight by winning the Open Class title with a score of 98.313, just a few tenths shy of the all-time DCA record high score. The Sunrisers captured the Class A crown scoring 83.988, moving up from second place in prelims.

Some confusion occurred when the color guard scores were announced incorrectly. The visual composite scores were sent to the announcer instead of the guard scores. The high guard score in Class A belongs to the Govenaires, and the Bushwackers in Open Class. Our apologies for the mix up.

The Sunrisers and Buccaneers were presented with the 2007 DCA Championship flag, restoring a tradition that was discontinued many years ago. The flags are emblazoned with the Rochester '07 logo, designed for DCA by Jeff Zehner.

Congratulations to the Sunrisers, Buccaneers, and all our competitors for making 2007 a memorable season!

And a special thank you to all of our volunteers, who worked tirelessly during our 3-day event, and to YOU, our fans; the reason why we do it at all!