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Local schools to host world’s top drum corps for Drums Along the Waterfront event

Jul 7, 2017 | Entertainment

Eight local schools will host the top drum corps in the world when they converge on Orchard Park for the annual Drums Along the Waterfront Tour of Champions event taking place on Aug. 6 at New Era Field.

“The visiting drum corps will spend one night at each of the host schools, where these musical athletes will eat, sleep and practice,” said Drums Along the Waterfront Director Jack Gaylord Jr. “We thank the schools and the entire community for being so welcoming year after year. We could not pull off an event of this magnitude without their cooperation.”

Local school serving as hosts include:

• Akron High School: Blue Knights of Denver, Colorado. The Blue Knights have been a DCI World Championship finalist more than 20 times. Since its inception in 1958 as a drum and bugle corps, the Blue Knights have developed into a multi-faceted youth performing arts organization which serves thousands each year. For more information, please visit http://ascendperformingarts.org.

• Depew High School: The Cadets of Allentown, Pennsylvania. The Cadets are 10-time DCI World Champions. Founded as the Holy Name Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps in 1934, The Cadets quickly became one of the top competitive corps in the country and are known as a leader in drum corps innovation. No other corps has competed in more Drums Along the Waterfront competitions; this will be The Cadets 11th appearance. For more information, please visit https://yea.org/programs/cadets/cadets.

• Erie Community College South Campus, Orchard Park: Carolina Crown of Ft. Mill, South Carolina. The Crown hold one DCI World Championship title. Founded in 1988 as the Charlotte Drum Corps Association, the Carolina Crown is known for winning the 2013 DCI World Class Championship and becoming the first former Open Class/Division II corps to do so. For more information, please visit http://www.carolinacrown.org.

 

• Holland High School: Bluecoats of Canton, Ohio. The Bluecoats are the reigning DCI World Champions and Drums Along the Waterfront title holder and have consistently placed in DCI’s elite “Top 12” since 1987. For more information, please visit http://bluecoats.com.

• Martin Road Elementary School, Lackawanna: Blue Devils of Concord, California. The Blue Devils are 17-time Drum Corps International (DCI) champions. The most decorated corps in the history of Drum Corps International (DCI), the Blue Devils A Corps have finished in the top five for the last 31 consecutive years! For more information, please visit https://bluedevils.org.

• Pioneer High School, Yorkshire: Phantom Regiment of Rockford, Illinois. The Phantom Regiment hold two DCI World Championship titles, combining the complexity and grandeur of timeless music with the clarity and impact of world-class drum corps. The Regiment has received many honors throughout its history, including serving as 1996 and 2008 Drum Corps International World Champion. For more information, please visit http://regiment.org.

• Springville High School: Santa Clara Vanguard of Santa Clara, California. Celebrating 50 years of excellence in 2017, The Vanguard hold six DCI World Championship titles and are a world class performing ensemble and one of the founding groups of Drum Corps International (DCI). For more information, please visit https://www.scvanguard.org.

• West Seneca West Senior High School: Blue Stars of La Crosse, Wisconsin. The Blue Stars hold four DCI Open Class World Champion titles. The organization strives to build a lifelong family of camaraderie and friendship for alumni and supporters and aspires to be competitively successful at the highest levels. For more information, please visit http://www.bluestars.org.

Additionally, the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps of San Antonio, Texas, visited Western New York on July 6 and stayed at Gowanda High School. The Crossmen visited the area as goodwill ambassadors and to help “drum up” excitement for the Drums Along the Waterfront event. For more information on the Crossmen, please visit http://www.crossmen.org.

To learn more about the upcoming event, please visit www.drumsalongthewaterfront.org or follow Drums Along the Waterfront on Facebook for frequent updates.

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