A Visit to the Museum - XVI
It has been a busy summer and fall for those of us involved in various capacities in the marching pageantry arts. The American drum corps season is complete and the fall schedule of band contests rolls on toward the various championships in different parts of the country as preparations continue for the impending indoor competitive season. As a result, there is much catching up to do as many donations continue to roll into the Marching Pageantry Arts Museum.
Back in July, I had the opportunity to visit the Museum on one of my many trips up to the northeast. I was accompanied by my lifelong friend Joe Light, a veteran of the Bux-Mont Raiders, Crossmen, Archer Epler Musketeers, Capital Brass Ensemble, and the Milton (PA) Keystoners. Along on the trip was a Blue Coats Alumni uniform donated by Rod Keppel and several buttons and patches and a Corning (NY) Spectrum Drum Corps jacket donated by Jim Ellison, both current members of the Hamburg Kingsmen Alumni.
The Museum travelled to Allentown for the DCI East contests with an impressive display honoring the Holy Name/Garfield/Cadets at the invitation of John Hannigan. The display, showing many other artifacts, received an amazing number of visitors. The Museum also received a $1,000.00 cash donation from Mr. Hannigan, which was greatly appreciated!
Curator Ives travelled to Allentown again this fall for the Collegiate Band Festival, again with a van full of memorabilia from the Museum. One item attracting much attention, was the Blue Rock pink elephant from their 1971 competitive repertoire. Many visitors from the various bands were familiar with Star of Indiana’s 1987 “Greatest Show on Turf.” Also generating much interest was the valve/rotor baritone bugle (pitched, of course, in “G”). Many of the band visitors had never seen such a horn and wanted to understand how it was played. A number of interns from West Chester University helped in the set-up of this display.
John Brady and Ralph “Buster” Sodano stopped by the Museum to deliver several items, including a St. Kevins Alumni uniform, and a jacket and the 1962 New York State Championship flag from the Loretto Knights.
Genevieve Vesley, a former member of St. Ignatius All-girl Corps, contributed her New Image jacket from when the corps added males in the late 1970s. This is another valuable addition to the history of our activity.
A major donation was recently received from drum corps laureate photographer Moe Knox, who recently celebrated his 90th birthday. His entire collection of over a half-century of drum corps history, in black and white and in color, was trucked down from Mr. Knox’s home in Devon, Connecticut to a climate-controlled storage facility near the Museum home in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Assisting Curator Bill Ives in the herculean effort of packing were Larry Eckert, Glenna Urban Kane, Jon, Brandon, and Dylan Kane, Roger and Dawn Ames, Gail Langan, Nancy Urban Szfranski, Bryan Urban, Aaron Cylinder, and others. Tom Norton and Greg Cinzio are members of the team who will establish the protocols for scanning and tagging the tens of thousands photographs, slides and negatives for this multi-year project.
The Museum and the Archer-Epler VFW Post recently hosted Albert “Albi” Bachmann and Markus Estermann, two drummers from Switzerland touring the United States. The Swiss drummers presented a program attended by about 25 people and set up and publicized just days before. Proceeds benefitted the Museum and its home at the Archer-Epler Post. Bob Fizette and Doreen Sandor stepped in to assist in readying the post home for the event. Additional similar events are planned.
Another addition to the Museum collection is a Crossmen Alumni color guard uniform worn by Judy Bustard McMahon, presented by Jay McMahon. (I remember Judy from high school!)
Also on display since 1990 on the second floor of the Museum, is a rare photo of Raymond A. Gabarina and John Mazarakos. It is after these two gentlemen which American Legion Post 1523 was named. Famously, Post 1523 was the sponsor of the New York Skyliners. The photo, probably from the late 1940s or early 1950s, is from the archives of the late Bob Booth.
Among a number of items received relating to the General Butler Vagabonds of Pennsylvania, is a membership card donated by Barbara Greco.
Last month, a special visit was paid to the museum by three icons of the activity: Larry Kerschner, Dennis DeLucia, and Joe Marella. A podcast of their discussion was recorded by Michael Lark. This and similar vide presentations will be added as time allows to the Museum web site.
There were quite a few additional items sent to the Museum for archiving. I will catch up on these additional items in the coming weeks.
Updates to the Museum web site continue as items continue to be added to the collection. Past Drum Corps World articles in this series can also be found there. The web site may be accessed at http://www.mpamuseum.org. You’re invited to check in from time-to-time and watch its progress!
The Marching Pageantry Arts Museum is currently located at the historic Archer-Epler VFW Post 979, 6736 Marshall Road, in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia. Bill Ives is President, CEO, and archivist of the museum corporation, an IRS 501(c)(3) charitable corporation. Donations of drum corps, marching band, and color guard memorabilia are always welcome. Cash donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law and may be made payable to:
Marching Pageantry Arts Museum
c/o Bill Ives
1024 Second Avenue
Media, PA 19063
The museum, a member of the American Alliance of Museums, is currently open on Monday evenings from 6:00 to 10:00 PM by appointment only. Bill can be reached by e-mail at ivesbill@mac.com or by phone at (610) 937-6555.
The Marching Pageantry Arts Museum – “A story worth telling and worth knowing”