I am returning from a short business trip to Sodom on the Hudson (New York, New York). Was there for some business relative to the Bayonne Bridge (the Bridgemen were named for that historic arch bridge). Yesterday we were out looking at the bridge and passed by the site of old Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City as well as St Andrews church in Bayonne (the Bridgemen were orginally a CYO corps).

They demolished Roosevelt Stadium in the mid 1980s and the site is now a gated community called Society Hill. Also much of Jersey City has become upscale. I recollect the area around the stadium in the 1960s as being industrial and something that made Gary Indiana look like a garden spot. Today much of it looks like the high priced area on upper west side of Manhattan.

The same can't be said for Bayonne. Still looks like a tough place to live.

What did you do in the Corps? Baritone

What years were you a Corps member? Cadets 1959-1961 Imperials 1962-1966

I think I recently saw a new TV show set in Bayonne. Something about derilects in yellow coats and big hats...

What did you do in the Corps? Snare; Drum Major; Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73; 78-79

GaMor Ah think about it, you are right John - it was the pits around Roosevelt Stadium. It is funny how once you get away from Newark (seems like you always fly into that airport) the state actually is "The Garden State".

Roosevelt Stadium was the site of the famous "National Dream" Invitational contest for many years! It was an honor to be selected to attend that show. (I believe that the Imperials were only the 2nd midwest corps to be invited).

It was an old and "smallish" stadium, but it was a great site for a drum corps show. And,the audience was made up of true drum corps fans, who really appreciated and understood drum corps.

The VFW used it for their National contest in 1966 .. and the show was "held hostage" by a corps which protested their pre-lims placement .. the Immaculate Conception "Reveries", later to become the 27th Lancers. The corps made their way to the starting line by trickery and sat down on the line, refusing to budge until they were allowed to appear.

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What did you do in the Corps? drummer

What years were you a Corps member? 1958 -1963

John,

You are right New Jersey is nice once one gets out of the New York Metro area. But one has to get half way to Philadelphia before there is open country.

It is an interesting place to visit but I wouldn't like to live there.

John Anderson recently mentioned Roosevelt Stadium in another post. I found an interesting pictorial history of the stadium ... including photos of it's sad last days.

It was a good stadium for drum corps ... especially because of its location in the heart of drum corps activities in those days.

The website includes a few pictures of corps appearing there. Copt the link below ...

http://www.ballparks.phanfare.com/slideshow.aspx?s=0&username=ballparks&a_id=2414549&s_id=2619330&i_id=96253965&q=http%3A//www.ballparks.phanfare.com/2414549%23imageID%3D96253965

What did you do in the Corps? drummer; quartermaster 1964-66, ass't drum instructor 1964-70

What years were you a Corps member? 1958 -1963

I'd looked at those photos in writing my other post. What's interesting is how fast the place deteriorated after it was abandoned. I believe the same thing happen to Briggs Stadium (old Tiger Stadium) in Detroit. Detroit tried to get a minor league team to use the place but abandoned efforts when there were no takers. I believe that stadium has now been demolished.

On another thread, some comments were made about some contests being held on baseball fields.

Had to look at some pictures from the Dream contest, held at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City. That stadium was originally built as a baseball stadium, but was large enough to have a decent football configuration too.

But, when drum corps contests were held there ... they even modified that further. The "starting line" (remember that?) started about 10 feet past third base and went to mid left field. "Concert" ended up close to the pitchers mound (which was removed) and the corps played to the main grandstand crowd. Exit was played toward the right field bleachers.

This actually worked out very well .. largely because they had enough room to "move" the field and Roosevelt Stadium had very good grandstands.

The stadium is gone now .. replaced by a very upscale housing development.

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What did you do in the Corps? drummer; quartermaster 1964-66; asst. drum instr. 1964-70

What years were you a Corps member? 1958-63

I was in New York two weeks ago. Passed by the site which is now a gated community. Jersey City and Newark don't look anything like they did in the 60s. Now upscale. Jersey City is closer to midtown Manhattan than Central Park. Only place that is still a slum is Bayonne.

Insert Bridgemen joke here...

What did you do in the Corps? Snare; Drum Major; Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73; 78-79

Actually the east side of the Bayonne Bridge (Staten Island) is just as bad as Bayonne. I probably should have used the term "urban blight" rather than slum. Old warehouses, factories, and builtings that have seen better days. Actually except for Newark and Jersey City the rest of the New York area looks a lot like Bayonne.