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Two of Bridgeport's
remaining junior corps will enter their season of 1968 with new uniforms and
new music, and in the case of
the PAL Cadets a new musical arranger/instructor: Hy Drietzer of New York
Skyliner fame.
St Raphaels's Joe
Genero will provide the Buccaneers with the theme from the movie "Mutiny On
the Bounty", "Give Me
Your Tired & Poor/America" medley, and a concert of "Carmen Suite" as
new tunes for '68'. Retiring manager
Pete Padua hands over the directorship to Anthony Caroselli.
Hy Drietzer will write
an entirely new musical book for the PAL Cadets including "Exodus March" from
the motion picture "The
Ten Commandments", "Our Boys Will Shine Tonight", "Carribe", "Hall of the
Mountain King", "Big Spender"
and "Love Is Blue". Andy Lisko and Ron Findley will write and teach the percussion
book, and the Cadets
will field marching tympani, one of the first units in the East to do so.
The PAL Cadets "White
Wall" uniforms will be replaced by a red cadet jacket while St Raphaels black
vests will give way to a
gold satin blouse (which will itself be replaced in mid season by a return
to the "old" black uniform tops).
Both "City" corps
will be much smaller in numbers than those fielded in 1967. The military draft,
ageouts and a general loss of
interest in junior drum corps in the local area (the 'Baby Boomers' and their
parents are leaving the junior
activity) are contributors to the 'downsizing'.
Of the PAL Cadets
last season in competation, Andy Lisko writes:
"The most fascinating
thing about 1968 was getting the chance to work with Hy (Drietzer). It was
like our 'prelude to Sky'.
We went from 44 horns to 28 in 1968. Drumline stayed about the same. We were
one of the first corps to use
tymps on the field",
"It was a very mature
corps, definitely more of a close fraternity than anything around today.
For some reason, we went to
the 'red unis'. Funny, we knew we were on the 'way out', but didn't really
care. We just stuck it out together".
And of St Raphaels
1968 season "Mr Bill" Mischik says:
"I don't have many
memories of 1968. Joe (Genero) changed the field show all around. We felt
optimistic in the begining practicing
at Seaside Park. Then the whole world went crazy, we had only two or three
contests, the people from
Stamford all quit, and that was that. "
St Raphaels' all girl
unit, the Marionettes is sidelined due to the loss of it's colorguard who
break from the Parish unit and form
the Bridgeport Skylarks competation color guard. The Marionettes will be folded
at the end of the summer.
Neither of the Bridgeport
corps will make a "Nationals Tour", although the PAL Cadets will accept a
return invite to the CYO
Nationals. Milford's Shoreliners will travel to Detroit Michagan for VFW Natioanls,
while competing in "Open"
competations having left the Greater New York Circuit after winning that championship
in 1967. Notre Dame
High School's ND-Ettes will compete in Greater New York shows, and along with
the Troubadors and St
Adens travel to the World Open.
The Bridgeport PAL
Cadets debut their new sound for 68 at the Master Records "Sampler" concert
program in Springfield MA. The
corps performs in business suits (and DM Alice Dobson in a red miniskirt and
go-go boots, the pix is in
the 'Ct Corps' gallery)as the new uniforms have not arrived.
At the end a merger
was attempted between what was left of the PAL Cadets
& Buccaneers but
Joe Genero wanted all that talent for the Hurricanes
and he got it!
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