Dear Aunt Mildred,
You’re probably wondering why I sent this letter to you care of Masters of the Marching Arts. I happen to be a personal friend of your nephew, R.C., and he gave me the inside track on this new gig of yours and told me that you don’t get paid if there are no letters in an issue. Whereas this is the first issue, how could you be expected to have letters? He sure is one smart dude.
Anyway, my question is this: What is the story on the 27th Lancer Alumni Corps? I think they’re the greatest! I was a little disappointed this year to see them at the Lynn and Beverly shows and then to find out later that there was some kind of a rift – the drummers were mad at the buglers or vice versa? What gives?
Sincerely,
Brownie
Dear Brownie,
What a charming name. I once had a dessert named brownie, but I digress.
As any fool knows by now, there are two groups that formerly made up the 27th Lancer Alumni Corps: the 27th Lancers, which I believe are the boys in the kilts, and Two-Seven, the ones with the horns.
This is a sticky problem indeed. But, as that nice young writer, Hank Thoreau, who lived at Walden Pond once said, “This was a great place to live until those damn trains started coming through.”
I think I have the answer. I wonder what they do wear under those kilts. No, you impudent cur, that isn’t the answer! The solution is very simple and I can see Jim O’Brien smiling now.
Elementary, my dear Brownie. A MERGER! My suggestion would be for everyone to just forget what caused this silly split and get back together.
I suppose that in order to please everyone you have to use both organizations’ names. Perhaps the new corps could be called the Two-Seven 27th Lancers or, better yet, the 54th Lancers.
All I know as a Senior Citizen drum corps fanatic is that since their performance in Foxboro, the 27th Lancers are my favorite corps and somebody or someone, (I don’t know if it’s the kilts or the bugles), is screwing up. I really hope they get their act together soon, as they are depriving me of my grooviest drum corps fix.
Most Sincerely,
Aunt Mildred