Join your corp for the Barnum parade alumni corps today. Plans are developing very well and more than 70 members have signed up already. Rehearsals will be at The Christmas Village on Quarry Road in Bridgeport (thanks to former Buccaneer, Mike Marella). Equipment is being delivered this week. And we have an open house afternoon gathering scheduled for February 22nd at the Three Corners Restaurant in Bridgeport. Pizza is free all afternoon and there'll be a cash bar.
The parade activity is going to be more fun than work, really something you'll either remember doing, or regret not doing, for the rest of your life. The work required to prepare for the parade will be minimal by design and engineered to be doable by dedicated people of our age group in the allotted time frame.
I've written down a few facts that will help describe what this historic experience will be like for us. All corps alumni should be encouraged about how careful the planning has been for this event in order to be sure our work load is sustainable by those of us who have not touched a drum or bugle or carried a flag or rifle in many, many years.
Here are some notes on the logistics of our preparation routine that will help answer some of the thoughtful questions being asked by interested, cautious alumni: 1. We will be learning at least 2 songs, maybe as many as 4, depending on the work load the group is capable of handling and the progress we make at the first two rehearsals. If things get too tough, we'll go with just the 2 songs, 1 from the Buccs song book (Taste of Honey or How the West Was Won) and 1 from PAL's (Semper or Never Walk Alone). 2. The arrangements of Semper and Taste of Honey will be re-scored and reworked by Joe Genaro to be somewhat easier to play than they were originally. 3. Rehearsal agendas will be carefully paced. There will be several long breaks of 30 minutes each during each of the monthly Sunday afternoon rehearsals taking into consideration the obvious fatigue factors. 4. The early signers-on have among them several members of existing senior alumni corps. These people, like Cliff Richmond and others, have never stopped playing drums and bugles. We will build our Park City Pride parade corps around those people who, happily, are already in great musical shape for this event. They are ready to assist the rest of us with moral support and more to make this event rewarding both as a memorable reunion experience and as a musical one as well. 5. We have horn, drum and guard instructors used to working with alumni members of our age group and who understand the possibility of physical limitations and how to work with them. Join the parade. Join the fun! Smiles, Carl Rodia(SRGB) and Bill Duquette(PAL)
