Rebs Win Reading Bucs Show

By: Rosemary Feliney
DCN June 12, 1963 issue

READING, PA., June 1 - A packed house enthusiastically acclaimed the Reading Buccaneers' "Big Sounds In Motion" contest here tonight and applauded the victory of Baltimore's YANKEE REBELS, who came in first with a score of 85.023.

Archer-Epler MUSKETEERS opened the show as they hit the line with 42 horns, 6 drums, and a 16-man Color Guard under the capable direction of Major Rip Bernert.

This year Archie is looking for perfection plus in the horn line, no more blasting. They come off the line so soft you can just about hear them. As always, the highlite of their performance is "Camelot" and "Stars and Stripes Forever" complete with soprano solo.

The YANKEE REBELS are on their way to the Nationals with 48-plus horns, 2 Bass Drums, 8 Drums, 2 cymbals, and a 15-man Color Guard, which includes 8 Rebel flags. They're off the line to "Dixie" "Waitin' For The Robert E. Lee" "Swanee," and "Return to Me" with a soprano duet and drum major dancing. Color pres is "Battle Hymn of the Republic" into "Till There Was You" and that great crowd-please "The Stripper." Other numbers include "Together," "Let Me Entertain You," and ending with "The Party's Over" --- and can they hold that last note on "Party's Over." Wow!

With white trousers, white bucs, red socks, red and white candy striped blazers, white shirts, black bow ties, and pancake straw hats the Niagara MILITAIRES from Niagara Falls, Ont., captivated the hearts of the audience. Their theme is shades of the Roarin' Twenties. And they even have a bartender all decked out in a black derby, bar apron, red vest, black moustache and cigar who comes out before the Corps. The Corps hit the line with 32 horns, 2 9 - man drum section, and a 9-man Color Guard.

Music includes "She's Mine," "Memories," "I Want A Girl." During the color pres, all the flags are down flat on the ground except the Canadian National Colors. Then the Milis rip into "Hello, My Baby" and their concert of "Sweet Rosie O'Grady" and "Rosemarie," followed by "Mandy," "Shine On Harvest Moon," "After The Ball," and "Sleep, Sleep, Sleep."

The Bangor YELLOW JACKETS, with 26 horns, a 9-man drum section, and 10 in the Color Guard plus 2 Drum Majors, got off to a slow start but gradually picked up as they went along. They are opening with "Another Opening of Another Show" into "Cha-Cha at 6." Concert is a medley of "Rhapsody in Blue," "Embraceable You," and "I've Got Plenty of Nothin'." "Phantom Regiment" is one of their strongest numbers. Color pres is "Walk Hand in Hand With Me," and they end with "I Ain't Down Yet" and "When I Fall In Love."

The host Corps put on an exhibition to the delight of the hometown fans. When the READING BUCS take the field, they fill it completely. Their new uniforms are gorgeous, but this is one Corps who could go out in street clothes and present a show that would make you sit up and take notice.

With an 18-man Color Guard under Captain LaVerne Rohrbach and co-Captain Gary Guthrie, a 14-man drum section instructed by John Flowers, a 50-man horn line under the tutelage of Frankie Ferraro, Drum Majors Frank Ferraro and Frank Chupik led the VFW National Champs in a completely new M & M show.

The music includes off the line to "Ballet in Brass" into "Climb Every Mountain," "Maria," "Mutiny on the Bounty" and "Sing, Sing, Sing," followed by sextet selection on "Desfinado" and "Beyond the Sea." All in all, a fabulous crowd-appealing show that left the fans clamoring for more.

The scores and Corps:
1. Yankee Rebels ............. 85.023
2. Archer-Epler ............... 83.191
3. Militaires ..................... 68.415
4. Yellow Jackets ............. 66.925

We were sorry to hear the AMBOY DUKES were forced to withdraw from the contest due to an auto accident which injured the members of their drum line. Thankfully, they are all now recuperating, and we wish them a very speedy recovery.