What a wonderful weekend for Drum Corps.  The DCA Minnesota tour was this weekend - the Govenaires competed in South St. Paul on Friday, and had our home show in the beautiful city of St. Peter, on the lovely Gustavus campus yesterday!  Despite major back pain a color guard member suffered (me) and a knee injury that kept our center snare off the field for the show (who happens to be my husband), the corps pulled out all the stops and wowed our home show audience.  It was a blast.

All corps who competed in the Minnesota tour this weekend did very well.  Minnesota Brass, Inc. broke 90 for the first time on Friday, and broke 90 again on Saturday.  Govies and Kilties both broke 80.  All three Midwest corps are leaving everything they have on the field and it's so fun to watch.

Both shows this weekend also included exhibition performances by Mini Brass and Chops, Inc.

Here are the Seedings for finals as of Last night:

Open Class (Corps of up to 128 Members. Corps of less than 65 members have the option to declare Open Class if they choose)

1 - 92.95 - Buccaneers

2 - 91.35 - Minnesota Brass
3 - 89.60 - Caballeros
4 - 87.65 - Hurricanes
5 - 86.85 - Empire Statesmen
6 - 84.00 - Cadets2
7 - 83.85 - Atlanta CV
8 - 81.75 - Fusion Core
9 - 81.35 - Kilties
10 - 78.25 - Tampa Bay Thunder
11 - 69.75 - Bushwackers
12 - N/S - Renegades
12 - N/S - Kidsgrove Scouts (England)

Class A (Corps of less than 65 members):

1 - 82.00 - Govenaires (St Peter MN)
2 - 76.80 - Carolina Gold
3 - 74.10 - Windsor Regiment
4 - 72.00 - White Sabers
5 - 71.75 - Sunrisers
6 - 70.80 - Cincinnati Tradition
7 - 67.05 - Shenandoah Sound
8 - 56.60 - Excelsior

 After the show, we packed Patrick's in St. Peter for some socializing.  Members from all groups were in attendance congratulating each other and sharing a love of drum corps.  The drum corps channel was playing all night.  The drum corps channel is a channel of many drum corps shows throughout history, and the only place you can watch it is at Patrick's - so it was a big treat for the crowd.  We watched shows of past years at finals, of Govies, Kilties, Brass, and Chops.  We watched a lot of Madison Scouts, Blue Devils, Colts, and other shows as well.  A fun time was had by all.  If you love drum corps and ever find yourself in St. Peter, MN be sure to check out Patrick's - it's the only drum corps bar I've ever seen, old instruments, victory banners, trophies, and photos adorn the walls. It is quite a diamond in the rough.

Thank you Brass, Kilties, and Chops for the wonderful weekend!  Can't wait to see Brass and Kilts again in Annapolis for Finals, and good luck to you!

Wisconson tour

I am currently sitting on tremendous (that's the name of one of the Govie's buses) leaving Dekalb, IL heading to Racine,  WI.

Last night's show in Naperville, IL was a lot of fun. 4 DCA corps competed - Cincinnati Tradition, the Govenaires from St. Peter MN, MN Brass from the twin cities, and the Kilties from Racine WI. Cincinnati started the show off and scored somewhere around a 62 (as my memory serves, I don't remember their exact score). The Govies performed our best show of the year so far, receiving a 76.8. Kilties were hot on our heals with a 76.4, and brass took the show with a 87-something.

We are now heading to Racine for a Sunday afternoon exhibition show. Naperville, you were great, thanks for having us! Staying in a housing site in Dekalb brought back fond memories of the good old days and DCAC (Drum Corps Associates Central) finals. Now it's time for another day of color guard and drum corps in Racine! I love show days.