Norwood Park Imperials Alumni Forum
If you click on the Message Topic (first column in the table below) then you will see all of the messages for that Topic. You can then add your own comment by clicking the REPLY button for any message. If you click the QUOTE button on a message, that message will be copied into your reply so that it's clear what your reply is about.
You can start a New Topic as well. Just click the START A NEW POST link below.
All we ask is that you keep it neat, clean, polite, and reasonably intelligent.
There have been some posts about the Bayonne Bridgemen being "less than great" .. but let's speak about drums corps in Bayonne a bit. 
There may have been a number of corps in that poor area (by the industrial/ dock area) for a while. Most run by churches .. the most successful was the St. Vincent Cadets (called "The Vinnies").
In the late 1940s and through the 1950s, they were great. The top of the heap. National Champions MANY times. From the lowest area of the east. This corps gave a lot of really poor kids a chance at discipline and learning life skills. That was the original purpose of drum corps. 
St. Vincent's folded in 1961.
Bui, another local corps, The St. Andrews Bridgemen (sponsored by another Bayonne church) continued. May have picked up members from St. Vincents. Later in the 1970's they became the Bridgemen ...without the church sponsorship. Took on a whole new personna .. with new management and instructors. 
Did this NEW corps continue the mission of helping local kids? Not sure. Probably not .. since this was now the "new era of drum corps" ... DCI. 
But, for a while they really had fun and started new trends. A lot like their predessesors .. The Vinnies!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
There was a time when drum corps, (often through the sponsorship of local churches, Legion and VFW posts, community groups, parents organizations, etc.) actually focused on HELPING youth who were at risk .. by giving them discipline and goals in their life, positive activities, local friends to help them, adult mentors, etc.
NOW .. drum corps is a GLOBAL activity. People come from everywhere to join a corps. Pay big dollars too. 
The local youth needs are forgotten.
This is progress.
----------------------------------------------------------------
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
