A Visit to the Museum - XX
A lot of memorabilia has been received this month at the Marching Pageantry Arts Museum, while a number of other documentation projects continue to be codified by Museum staff and volunteer personnel.
In addition to traditional audio and video formats (cassette, 8-track, CDs, and DVDs), work continues on the cracked audio disc found by Matthew Harris in an antique store in Waynesville, North Carolina. Entitled, Squad Right – March, performed by the 12th Regiment New York National Guard Drum and Bugle Corps, the record, apparently a 78 RPM recording, will undergo laser scanning and digitizing to allow the broken tracks to be pieced together into a contiguous recording. That will recording will be equalized and subjected to some additional “audio magic.” The Museum may also be receiving some “Edison rolls” – tubes similar to those used in Thomas Edison’s original invention. These, too, will require a lot of TLC and “audio magic” to fully restore.
Matthew has recently joined the Museum staff as the Winter Guard Research Assistant and Archivist. He is seeking donations to the Museum of costumes, uniforms, flags, and significant props from shows across the history of the winter guard activity, whether recent or old, local or nationally. He has already received items from Avon, Center Grove, and Holly Springs High School and from Awaken Independent and First Flight World winter guards. Matthew can be reached on Facebook.
It’s probably time to recognize three people who have served on the Museum staff on a very hands-on basis moving material, cutting wood for displays, record keeping, maintaining the instrument inventory. They are Geoff Cabrera, Tony Arena, and Chuck Katze. These fellows are three big reasons why the Museum is making the progress that it is.
Several people are also pouring through cases and cases of pictures snapped over many years by drum corps photographer extraordinaire Moe Knox. This huge legacy Moe has donated to the Museum is being stored in a controlled-environment area. But it is taking the efforts of many individuals – and expected to take a few years – to identify and categorize these snapshots of our drum corps heritage. You will occasionally see several of the Museum volunteers posting a few of these pictures on Facebook seeking your help in identifying corps, years, and individuals.
Over the past month, the Museum has received a number of interesting contributions to the history of the activity. From Leeds, England, John McAulay sent 15 program books and yearbooks across the pond. These items represented items from the Drum Corps United Kingdom (DCUK) and Winter Guard United Kingdom (WGUK) circuits. It’s interesting to see how, in many ways, they are different and the same from similar items produced here in the Colonies.
Bob and Ken Buck stopped by the Museum to drop off seven horns and a few shirts. Ken, 87, and Bob, 68, have both been around the activity for a long time. Notably, they have performed with the Emmaus Sentinels, Bridgemen, and Skyliners Alumni. Among the horns they donated, are some rather unusual looking lower voice horns from the 1960s including some more recent models.
Greg and Lynn Cinzio visited the Museum to return the first archival box of Moe Knox photographs that he had been digitally scanned. They also brought three file boxes of cassette tapes and compact discs, along with a red sign saying “Cadets of Garfield” – a name only used by the corps for one season. They also had the opportunity to “try on” some Cadets uniforms. As it was Lynn’s first visit, she received the tour of all three floors on the Museum!
In the mail were received two jackets and a ball cap from the Belleville Black Knights, a 1973 finalist at the DCI Championship. The Black Knights, renown in their later years for their chrome headgear with the high tassel, were one of many top notch corps from Illinois. These were donated by Forrest Cresson. Also received was a uniform top and pants from Florida Brass, essentially a corps made up by a number of longtime veterans of the drum corps activity and a few “snowbirds”, based in Zephyrhills, Florida. Florida Brass is led by brass arranger and instructor Ralph Venezia.
Also received from David Borck was a nearly mint condition uniform of the Norwood Park Imperials, uniform bag, and patch. Along with a letter from David, these items were donated by Gary J. Spiece. The Imperials were a championship unit prevalent in the 1960s. Bill Ives indicated that he had been waiting 10 years to receive this amazing uniform and is thankful that it has been received in such good condition.
Renown trumpeter Al Chez donated his corps jacket from his days with the Cadets of Bergen County. His career springboarded from his participation in the competitive drum corps activity. As many of you know, Al was a standout with “The Worlds Most Dangerous Band” (and other names) on CBS’ The Late Show with David Letterman years ago. He has also been featured on a number of commercial recordings. The Museum is especially pleased to have received what must be one of his most cherished mementos from his time in drum corps.
The Marching Pageantry Arts Museum is currently located at the historic Archer-Epler VFW Post 979, 6736 Marshall Road, in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia. Bill Ives is President, CEO, and archivist of the museum corporation, an IRS 501(c)(3) charitable corporation. Donations of drum corps, marching band, and color guard memorabilia are always welcome. Cash donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law and may be made payable to:
Marching Pageantry Arts Museum
c/o Bill Ives
1024 Second Avenue
Media, PA 19063
Cash donations may now also be made on the website at https://www.mpamuseum.org. The museum, a member of the American Alliance of Museums, is currently open on Monday evenings from 6:00 to 10:00 PM by appointment only. Bill can be reached by e-mail at ivesbill@mac.com or by phone at (610) 937-6555.
The Marching Pageantry Arts Museum – “A story worth telling and worth knowing”