The End of Canadian (junior) Drum Corps

[I found this sitting in the pending queue. Like me, it's few years old]

This sounds dramatic but I think I did witness this at the 1980 Canadian Championships in Jonquiere, QC.

It was my second year in drum corps with the Ambassadors. That year the ODCA and the FAMQ had cooperated to make a real Canadian chamionships in Jonquiere, Quebec under the CDCA. The result was spectacular.

I remember thinking as I looked out over the retreat at finals: "All these corps are Canadian". It was one of the biggest shows I had yet marched in.

Wandering amongst the servers again...

 Maaaaany years later I find this old blog.

If, somehow, there are still people checking in here:

I am in the midst of migrating the Ambassador web site once again. Telus has shut down their personal websites and so I am looking for another free site for it. It may wind up on a Wordpress site, however that will take some reformatting.

I will post here again when there is something to look at.

Ivor Wynne Stadium 1927-2012

The storied Ivor Wynne Stadium, home to DCI Canada in the eighties is finally coming down:

Farewell to Ivor Wynne Stadium | Football | Sports | Toronto Sun Time for one last huzzah! Time for one final chorus of Oskie-Wee-Wee. Then, Saturday, the music will be stilled, the lusty cheers of a sellout crowd will be quieted and the lights will darken for all time as Ivor Wynne’s gates squeak shut. For 85 years, the corner of Balsam and Beechwood Aves. has been the gathering ground for organized sports in Hamilton. Scott’s farm at the turn of the 20th century was a social meeting place, officially becoming known as Scott’s Field around the Roaring ’20s, morphing into Civic Stadium through the age of hoop skirts and bobby socks, finally being reincarnated as Ivor Wynne in 1970. Unofficially, it has been called everything from quirky and quaint to a rat hole. And, to be honest, it has been — and is — all of those.

Canadian Nationals 1981: and the score is...

I have had question from an alumnus of the Blue Saints. He is asking for scores from the 1981 Canadian Nationals in Windsor. Does anyone have then in their scrapbook? Unfortunately they are missing from corpsreps.com and all I have on the Ambassadors site is the placement in "B" class. If you know make a comment on this post. In particular we would like to know the placement and score of the Blue Saints who should be in "C" class in ODCA in 1981.

Thanks

Service for Bobby Fallows

From Andrew Summers via facebook:

"Saturday January 23 2010 at 1 pm at Salvation Army Northridge Community Church, 415 Pickering Cres., Newmarket. In lieu of flowers the family likes donations to Southlake Regional Health Centre Foundation (Paediatrics). On-line condolences may be may be made at http://www.facebook.com/l/b013c;www.roadhouseandrose.com
The Notice of Bobby pas[s]ing was in the paper in Barrie today. He will be deeply missed by all."

In Memoriam: Bobby Fallows 1969-2009

I received this from Andrew Summers through facebook:

"Just a sad note top pass along....Bobby Fallows passed away today at age 40.
Dec 15/69-Dec 15/09"

I don't have any details about a service for him as of yet. If you would like to attend (assuming there will be one) you should monitor the Ambassadors group on facebook.com for the latest updates:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=2261350884

- Sam

Plus ça change...

Those of you who marched with the Ambassadors in 1979 may identify with this letter writer in the Red Deer (Alberta) Advocate: Complainer an embarrasment

The group in question, the Red Deer Royals Drum Corps, seems to be a junior corps from Red Deer Alberta with a familiar problem with their rehearsals.

Photos of Ambassadors 1976 and 1977

Doug Smith, official ODCA photographer in 1976 and 1977 has sent me some pictures of the Ambassadors from 1976 and 1977. It will be a little while before I can get them on the web site proper so here they are for your viewing enjoyment until then.

The first image is Karen Salmon in 1976, the rest are from 1977.

Click on the images to see the original extra-large version. This is good for recognizing faces in the crowd. I think I see Stirling and Wolfie already.

Update: Memorial for Danny Maracle

From Theresa Andrews:

Okay guys, word just came down the line.....



Danny's funeral will be held on Monday, March 6th, at The Skwarchuk Funeral Home, in Bradford. There will be a one hour viewing from 9-10 a.m., and then his service will be at 11:00 a.m. There will be a reception after; more information and directions will be given there.



Skwarchuk Funeral Home is located at 30 Simcoe Road. The phone number is 905 775 3335.

If you need more info., or directions on how to get there, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'll get back to you a.s.a.p!!



Thanks,

Theresa

tdewarw307 "at" rogers "dot" com

Map for Skwarchuk Funeral Home

UPDATE:

Hello once again...

Just found something out.....the viewing time for Danny will now be from 9:00 until 11:00 a.m., with the first hour being open casket. The service is still at 11:00.

Sorry for any confusion, I'm letting you know as I hear it.....

Theresa

Danny Maracle remembered

I must give some of you some sad news: Danny Maracle, an Ambassador alumnus, passed away on February 26, 2006. I was notified of this by Theresa Andrews who is coordinating contacts for some sort of memorial which is still being organized.

Those of you in Ontario who might like to attend please contact Theresa at the following e-mail (written out to thwart the spambots): tdewarw307 "at" rogers "dot" com



Here is the text of Theresa's email sent recently to Ambassador alumni:

For those of you who do not remember me or recognize my name; I was once a member of the Ambassadors......I've received your address from Sam King - (thank you once again Sam!)

I'm contacting you with some sad news-
This past Sunday, Feb. 26, Danny Maracle passed away.

Funeral arrangements have not been made up to this point.

When more information is available I will contact everyone again.

Please visit http://ambassadorsdbc.blogspot.com - (well done Sam!)

Pass this on to as many members as you can think of...Anita really needs our support right now.

I'll be in touch!
Theresa Andrews

I'll update this post as I receive more information.


This picture of Danny was taken at the 2000 Ambassadors reunion.





Here are a few pictures of Danny in the Ambassadors:

This one is Dan in the 1980 Ambassadors. He is the big guy on cymbals doing a hi-hat for the snares. (Click for a slightly bigger version)







Here he is in the 1983 Ambassadors at the PC convention in Ottawa. I believe he is the last bass drum in line (on the right).

Ambassadors Drum and Bugle Corps

Just a reminder: my Ambassador alumni web site has moved. See the above link.

The old site will go down sometime after the end of this month (January 2006).

Ambassadors Dec., 1978: Aurora Christmas Parade

Here are some scans of one of my first parades with a drum corps. I am the guy holding the French Horn pointed at the ground. To my left is my first role model for drum corps: Kevin Middleton.

This is probably one of the last appearances of a marching tympani line with the Ambassadors; They were grounded in 1979, my rookie year. I don't know why the one player has no tympani. The keyboards were still marched in '79, carried by the skinniest girls in the corps which apparently was an unwritten rule.



... I got better.

A lot of Ambassadors

Ambassadors - DrumCorpsWiki

Pete Bredow please e-mail me.

Pete Bredow please e-mail me.

I have managed to delete the e-mail you sent me today.

Will post some pictures of you and Kurt here that I already have on the Ambassadors site.

:P