Buccaneers and Skyliners Victorious in Peckville
The Reading Buccaneers continued their undefeated streak tonight at the Parade of Champions, a contest sponsored by the American Legion and Drum Corps Associates. A brief downpour hit the stadium before the start of the show but cleared out quickly resulting in a perfect night for drum corps. The opening ceremonies featured the Honor Guard from the American Legion presenting colors along with Honor Guards from all the competing corps. The Sunrisers’ Honor Guard consisted of four volunteer mothers, nicknamed “The Mom Squad” whose children march with the corps. This was a rare opportunity for them to join their sons and daughters on the competition field.
The Reading Buccaneers continue to stay atop the rest of their competitors with another victory. The corps has new uniforms which are giving the Bucs a whole new look this year. The show, ” From Here to There ” is a story about a group of bugs in search of their feast. Their final destination is the picnic blanket full of food. This theme is brought to life with the guard silks illustrating traditional picnic food and the members fully engulfed in character as bugs. The Bucs swept all captions except color guard this evening and proved they are more than ready to defend their championship.
Cadets2 had their strongest run of the season and closed the gap on the Buccaneers to under a point and a half. Armon Raygani took home the Best Drum Major trophy while the color guard took top honors. ” Industrial Awakening ” is the title of this years show and is about the rise and fall of steel production in the Lehigh Valley and the rebirth of the city of Allentown. The corps is well balanced in all sections and is primed and ready for the stretch run into Williamsport.
The Hawthorne Caballeros have new uniform tops with a modern and up to date look. The show is titled ” Duael ” and features dual pairings, voices, ideas, melodies, and visuals that contribute to the idea that two is better than one. For the first time in their corps history, the Caballeros selected a female lead Drum Major. The show music is mainly their trademark Spanish style with a few modern music selections. Don’t count them out of the running just yet as their show is still evolving and growing.
The White Sabers had a solid run tonight and edged closer to the Caballeros. Their show for 2018 is titled “cONvErgence ” illustrates how events in time shift during life’s journey but these experiences cause people’s paths to cross and allow many to become as one. Musical selections include ” Asphalt Cocktail “, ” Say Something “, and ” Firebird Suite “. The corps placed second in brass and color guard tonight. Their defending DCA Champion Honor Guard took home the trophy for best Honor Guard.
The Bushwackers are starting to gain momentum with their 2018 production ” Pablo ” A Homage to Picasso “. This show is visually strong with the different colors and images on their color guard uniforms well as prop panels depicting some of the artists works. The Bushwackers placed fourth in visual and their percussion section is also strong. When the musical portion catches up, this will be one very dangerous show. It will be interesting to see how far this show progresses over the remainder of the season.
The Sunrisers are also starting to get things in order for the final stretch of the 2108 season. ” The Outside In – The Phenomenon of Worry ” is the title of their show. The show depicts how our emotions guide our perceptions. The corps this season appears to be slightly smaller and younger but they have been working very hard to move up in the rankings. The new uniform tops worn by the members are modern as well as impressive looking. Sunrisers continue to improve and are getting into the mix with the Hurricanes and Bushwackers.
Welcome to one of DCA’S newest Open Class corps as Cincinnati Tradition made its east Coast debut to compete against some of DCA’s toughest competition. Coming off their Class A Championship, the corps has rapidly grown in membership numbers and is more than prepared to take the next step. Their 2018 production is titled ” Event Horizon “, a journey into the horizon. The journey is broken down into four musical parts as the journey into space continues. Brass and percussion are sound in numbers and should progressively improve as the season winds down.
The move back to Class A seems to be the perfect fit for the Skyliners in 2018. Their show this season is titled ” TOTALITY” – Everything Changes ” and shows the wonders of a solar eclipse.. The musical book is explored in five parts and appears to be in fine shape. Taking home first place honors in Class A, the Skyliners look to be on the right track for a highly successful season.
A full corps Olympic retreat followed the competition before the scores were announced. Things are really starting to heat up heading into the home stretch. As each corps has narrowed the gap, the season has become much more exciting. Which corps will not only close the gap, but surpass the corps ahead of them? The battle between the Bushwackers, Hurricanes, and Sunrisers may come down to the last show. Where will Atlanta CV fit in to all of this? As we start the second half of the season, the 2018 DCA season may go down as one of the most competitive in a long time.
Bill Flaker
DCA Staff Writer