OK ... here are the details of the planned event ....

Glory Daze” Reunion Party First, Largest Gathering of Midwestern Junior Corps from the 1950’s through the 1970’s

Wondering whatever happened to some of your teenage friends? You know, the ones you marched with or competed against in the early days of drum corps? Where are they now? What are they doing?

Ever wonder what it would be like to have a drum corps reunion, without the planning, the endless, thankless hours of organized effort and the mobilization of resources and volunteers that go into such massive undertakings? What if all you had to do was to show up and have the time of your life?

Stop dreaming and make it happen! Mark your calendars for Sunday, June 26, when the Chicago Royal Airs and other area alumni groups will host “Glory Daze,” the first and largest gathering of alumni from midwestern junior corps from the 1950’s through 1970’s... and beyond!

Relive those magical, musical, mayhem-filled moments! The “Glory Daze” Reunion Party will be held in conjunction with the DCI-sponsored “Big Blue’s Brass Review” junior corps competition, held at Maine West High School in Des Plaines, Illinois. This will be the first show hosted by the Chicago Royal Airs Senior Exhibition Drum & Bugle Corps.

Picture a giant tailgate party. Now fill the frame with ample parking, tents, tables, chairs, food and beverages, drum corps memorabilia, familiar music…and hundreds of welcoming faces and embraces!

The Reunion Party will start at 2:30 and this fun-filled, high-energy, and poignant march down memory lane will meander into the wee hours of the morning.

Guests will check-in with their respective corps and receive color-coded wristbands. (Blue for Royal Airs, Purple for Nisei, Maroon for Norwood, Red for Vanguard, etc.)

The wristband offers special privileges for the day:
· admission to both the pre-show and post-show parties
· Admission to “Big Blue’s Brass Review”
· Preferred block seating at the show
· Access to the Royal Airs Senior Exhibition Corps practice
· A barbecue dinner prepared by one of Chicagoland’s top catering companies (TASTY CATERING!)
· Exciting door prizes, including CDs from the 60’s Dream, Midwest Dream, and Scranton Alumni Corps Shows


Tickets will be sold through each corps’ alumni committee only. Ticket sales will need to be completed by May 15th to reserve the appropriate blocks of stadium seating. Corps that sell 80 tickets will have their own tent as well as a special acknowledgment during the show.

After the show, corps will once again gather to party at a reserved local bar or restaurant.

More information will be announced as plans solidify. Show your family members what drum corps was like! Renew or create new friendships. Don’t forget to bring your cameras!

Anticipated Cost
$40 – 50 per ticket

This is not an official function of the Royal Airs Drum & Bugle Corps. They are simply serving as the event’s first hosts. We hope that this will become an annual event, a reason and a purpose for all of us “old” drum corps nuts to get together…with different hosts each year. The Royal Airs have offered to discount the tickets for this event. This will allow each of our corps to generate funds in order to offset alumni group costs.

All Midwest area corps from the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s are welcome. Those that we have contacted include:

Belleview Black Knights
Cavaliers
Chicago Royal Airs
Knights of Geneseo
Giles Yellow Jackets
Guardsman
Nisei Ambassadors
McHenry Viscounts
Millstadt Crusaders
Morton Grove Cougars
Norwood Park Imperials
Phantom Regiment
Scarlet Knights
Spartans
St. Andrew’s Hornets
St. Michael’s Chi-Angels
Vanguard

And… if you are as excited about this idea as we are, you might want to help us make it happen. Be a part of the event planning team. If you want to be part of the “Glory Daze” Planning Committee, and serve as your corps liaison, your commitment will be limited to:

· Mandatory attendance at 3 planning sessions
· Communicating with your corps alumni
· Selling and distributing the tickets
· Recruiting alumni to “man” your corps’ registration table on the day of the event

1st Meeting
Wednesday, April 6, 2005 – 1495 Tonne Road, Elk Grove Village, IL 7:00 PM

Please RSVP by e-mail to Tom Walter by April 5 so enough seating can be arranged.

At least one representative from each corps must attend for participation in this event. The first meeting is on a short notice, so if you want to participate, but cannot send a rep for the first meeting, please contact Tom Walter. Notes from the first meeting will be sent to those who call Tom prior to that meeting.

There is limited tent space due to the configuration allowed by Maine West. We expect the limit to be between 240 and 320 guests.

Questions?
Contact Tom Walter
847.593.2000 work
224.629.6388 cell
tom@tastycatering.com

Prefer email communication because then common questions can be shared.

LETS DO THIS!!!!!!!!!! WE NEED YOUR HELP!

What did you do in the Corps? Percussion 1958-63; instructor 1964-70

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63