Drum, bugle corps to compete at Hamilton High School


HOW TO GO

What: Hamilton Drum Corps Classic 2015

When: Saturday, July 25, 7 p.m.

Where: Virgil Schwarm Stadium at Hamilton High School, 1165 Eaton Ave.

Admission: Reserved seating $15; general admission $10. Concessions will also be available.

More info: Tickets may be purchased online at: www.hhsbandevents.org or by phone (888) 547-6478. High school band members are also selling tickets to the event.

Hamilton Drum Corps Classic 2015 will feature

7th Regiment - New London, CT

Blue Devils B - Concord, CA

Cincinnati Tradition - Cincinnati, OH

Coastal Surge - Myrtle Beach, SC

Legends - Kalamazoo, MI

Les Stentors - Sherbrooke, Quebec

Raiders - Wayne, NJ

Spartans - Nashua, NH

HAMILTON – Hamilton High School Marching Band will host the First Annual Hamilton Drum Corps Classic at Virgil Schwarm Stadium at Hamilton High School Saturday, July 25, at 7 p.m.

“I am very excited that we are able to bring this to Hamilton. I love drum corps. What you get to see in a two-hour show is amazing,” said Shawna Lindsay, president, Hamilton High School Band Parents, Inc., who is serving as co-chair of the event with Shawn Davis. “With all of the music, color and sounds, it’s almost like marching band on steroids. I’m also excited when I see our kids there. It’s a great learning experience for them,”

The Classic is a major competition that showcases a handful of open-class drum and bugle corps. Hamilton’s event will showcase eight drumline groups from California to Myrtle Beach, S.C., as well as Les Stentors from Quebec, Canada.

“We have worked with Fairfield when they host their Summer Music Games. For the third year, we have hosted one of their corps, ‘Spirit of Atlanta’ at Hamilton High School,” Lindsay said. “Our students have the opportunity to be up-close and personal with these corps. They come to watch them practice, they can talk to the members and learn from them.”

The event is a fundraiser for Hamilton High School Marching Band, but the main purpose is to expose the city to Drum Corps International, and also to allow the students to have the opportunity to work with these corps and see how they operate. The goal is for this to become an annual event and much of behind-the-scenes work began in December, Lindsay said.

“Fairfield also held their show at Hamilton High School this summer, so we partnered with them to work together and learn how to put on a show like this. It’s been a really good partnership. So, Hamilton High School is having two DCI events this summer, and it’s been a great experience,” Lindsay said.

Throughout the course of the competition, four of the corps will be housed in Hamilton – at Hamilton High School, Wilson Middle School, Hamilton Freshman School and Garfield Middle School.

“No matter where we have a student in Hamilton, they will be able to go to one of these schools and interact with the drum and bugle corps members,” Lindsay said.

The following corps will compete: Blue Devils B (2014 DCI Open Class World Champion), 7th Regiment, Cincinnati Tradition, Legends, Coastal Surge, Spartans, Les Stentors and Raiders.

Additionally, The Columbus Saints, a SoundSport team, will present an exhibition prior to the start of the show at 6:45 p.m. The Hamilton High School Marching Band will perform the National Anthem at the start of the competition at 7 p.m.

We are very excited to have this event at Hamilton High School,” said Hamilton High School Marching Band Director Paul Dixon. “We were fortunate to host two indoor performance events this year and this outdoor summer show with Drum Corps International is quite exciting. We have some major musical talent and pageantry coming to our town.”

DCI has developed into a powerful, nonprofit, global youth activity with far-reaching artistic, educational and organizational influence. There will be 103 DCI events held across the country, which will culminate in mid-August with the world championships at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. For more information and details, visit www.dci.org.

About the Author