“Whatever you do, don’t call them bands.” This advice comes from Dr. Russell Ramsey, director of the Sevier County High School band program, whose boosters sponsored Friday’s “Drums Across America.” The 28th annual competition held at Burchfield Stadium featured drum and bugle corps from seven states, including Tennessee. Ramsey was referring to the distinction between high school bands and the corps seen Friday. Drum and bugle corps include drums, horn instruments, and color guard; absent are wind instruments, such as flutes or clarinets, found in high school marching bands.
The yearly show is a popular event serving as a fundraiser for the SCHS Band Boosters. Ramsey explained that after paying an advance fee to Drum Corps International for the privilege of hosting the competition, all monies collected in ticket and concession sales go directly to the band program. This year, proceeds will go toward routine expenses such as equipment repairs. New uniforms are “four years away,” according to Ramsey. Interviewed the day before the show, he estimated that the event was not yet a sellout. He remained hopeful that the stadium would be filled to capacity on Friday evening.
The nearly 4-hour competition was a real crowd pleaser. Fans enjoyed performances by veteran corps such as The Cavaliers, an all-male group from Rosemont, Illinois. For 5 of the last 11 years, The Cavaliers have been world champions in Drum Corps International competition. Also in the lineup was a new corps, Memphis Sound. The Tennessee corps was participating in its first-ever judged event. According to Ramsey, it is unusual to have a new corps, mainly because of the high start-up fees of approximately $250,000.
The Memphis Sound did well in its first outing. The group took first place in the small-corps division. Winners in the large-corps division were Bluecoats from Canton, Ohio (bronze), The Cadets of Bergenfield, New Jersey (silver). The Cavaliers took gold. These and other corps continue doing shows around the country all summer. The national championship will be held in Orlando during the second week of August.

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