A Visit to the Museum - XXII
Due to declining membership in the Archer-Epler VFW/AL post 979, the current home of the Marching Pageantry Arts Museum in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, and passing of many members from the corps and posts over the last five years, it has been a real challenge to keep post open.
Curator Bill Ives, Tony Arena of the Museum staff, VFW Post Commander Charles Coffman, American Legion Post Commander Bob Gorman, and members of the Musketeers drum corps held a Zoom meeting to discuss the closing of the post home. MPAM has offered to help pay the necessary bills as they come in. But this is a short-term solution.
In the meantime, the search for another location is picking up steam. The Museum needs to find the right building that is affordable. There is also the need to have an adequate flow of cash donations to make the move. Ideally, they will have $50,000 in the bank when the move happens. Plans are in the works to create fundraising events for the Museum and the aging post home. Dates for these events will be set in the next few weeks. Additional volunteers will be needed to help run them.
While vacationing in Oklahoma, Bill and his wife Terri met up with DCI contest announcer Dan Potter for dinner. Dan brought a number of items from the Geneseo Knights he wanted to donate to the Museum; his drum major’s cape, a button, and a framed photograph of him in uniform.
I recently had the opportunity to visit the Museum in late April. The place is bursting at the seams with various artifacts. The main hall contains thousands of uniforms, hats, jackets, horns, drums, and flags. There is basely enough room to move around and see everything there. The second and third floors of the building are packed with drum corps publications, photographs, records, cassettes, 8-track and open reel audio recordings, CD, VHS video tapes, and DVDs. It is amazing how the collection, even in the last three years with more donations arriving regularly.
During my visit, my friend Joseph Light returned some documents relating to the original production of Blast! that he gone through and organized. These “bibles” detail choreography, uniforms, cast member photographs, and all the behind-the-scenes details at the genesis of this Tony Award winning production.
The daunting task to identify and catalog all of these items continues, a project which likely must be completed prior to any move. Curator Ives recently purchased a number of display cases from a local Jo-Ann’s store at bargain basement prices. (The ownership of Jo-Ann’s Stores LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last year and announced in February that it is closing all 800 stores and liquidating their contents.) The displays will best be put to use when a more permanent home for the Museum is found.
Back in December, two boxes were received from Alan Thompson in the United Kingdom. These contained a huge collection program books, buttons, and patches from various years from the Drum Corps United Kingdom (DCUK) Championship and a uniform from the Southern Knights. The Knights, from Brighton, England, travelled across the pond in 1990 to compete at the DCA World Championship.
Tracey Doherty donated an assortment jackets and uniforms from Black Watch (NJ), Blessed Sacrament Golden Knights, Emerald Grenadiers, Reilly Raiders, and Hawthorne Caballeros Alumni.
In addition to the administrative tasks, Curator Ives has been on the road with a number of mobile displays. A display at the Great Alliance of Seniors (G.A.S.) reunion in Williamsport, Pennsylvania attracted much attention and a number of additions to the Museum. On behalf of the late Ralph Chapman, Steve Henn brought number of flag pole finials, some interesting clothes pin marching figures, and a large assortment of program books.
Also received was a Ravens Marching Band uniform from Rick Reely. The Ravens band plays at events in support of the NFL Baltimore Ravens. John Parkinson donated some uniform items from the Canadian Commanders, Jolly Jesters (from 1961), and corps jackets from the Toronto Optimists and Guelph Royalaires. As part of the display, a number of binders of Moe Knox photos and contact sheets. The Museum collection contains over 100,000 photographs, negatives, slides and contact sheets, most obtained last fall.
Most recently, a display was shown at the Reading Buccaneers’ Music in the Mountains indoor concert. A Buccaneers-themed display highlighted a number of Buccaneer uniforms over the years (including the vaunted “long coats”), snare drums, corps jackets, and several binders of the late Moe Knox’ photographs.
Among the donations received there was a can of Pilsner beer (not sure if it was still full!), allegedly brewed in Wyoming by an alum from the Casper Troopers, received from Mike Doherty. Bob Lease contributed a megaphone from the York White Roses (perhaps used before electronic amplification came into the activity). Bucs’ Alumni President Rob Danner donated a pair of posters, one touting the Bucs’ Membership Day and the other promoting the DCA Championship weekend in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
A financial contribution was received from David Borck of the Norwood Park Imperials.
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: 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”
-- 30 –