July 17, 2026 – Burlington International Airport
It’s 4:20 AM, and I am at gate 8 in the Burlington International Airport. I am booked on a flight to San Antonio, Texas, via Chicago. Tomorrow is the Drum Corps International Southwest Championship in the Alamodome. That is where the story will be, so that is where I am going. My helter-skelter, reckless abandon tour is in full swing again. Armed with the UBER app, credit card, and small pack, I am venturing into the unknown with a leap of faith that things will go smoothly.
I have never been to San Antonio, but have wanted to for a while now. Freshly off my California tour, this is jumping back into the fire, so to speak, navigating through throngs of people, waiting in lines, hitting my head on the cabin roof deplaning, and other travel annoyances.
I ask myself, “Why am I doing this?” There is never one answer when it comes to reasoning why. I started following drum corps again in 2012. One Saturday in February in my humble ski bum home in Waitsfield, Vermont, too rainy for ski teaching, I was on YouTube whiling away the morning. I was thinking about my brother, Danny, who was a brass player, including the trumpet, coronet, traditional bugle, and soprano bugle. He mastered “Flight of the Bumblebee” as a junior in high school. We both marched in the band, and at the Memorial Day parades, he would leave the line and head to a secluded spot to play Taps. His tone and tempo conveyed the perfect lament. My dad played trumpet and valved trombone in his father’s band, Russell’s Tom Cats, along with his brother who played clarinet.
Their drummer, Ed Cook, was an American Legion Drum Corps instructor and judge, so I chose the drums, learned the rudiments from Mr. Cook, and joined the Grey Ghosts out of Wampsville, New York, near where we grew up. We wanted to be like the Muchachos. I talked my brother into joining the corps, too. He was hooked. We never competed, unless you consider the standstill performances in front of the beer tents after the local firemen’s field day parades, where the corps with the best applause won. As fans, we attended the shows in Rochester, New York, and were thoroughly impressed by the big boys. My brother was the big fan until he met an early demise while thrill-seeking on his motorcycle, fifty years ago next month.
So, while sitting at the computer, I typed ‘drum corps’ into the search bar and, voilà, up popped “Space Chords”, the hornline warm-up for Blue Devils. That was the hook. Diving further in, I learned about DCI and joined the Fan Network to watch the archives. I had a lot of catching up to do, but I did. I also decided to go to a show again, so that early June, I drove to Fort Edward, NY, the closest to me in Vermont. The ticket agent at the window asked if I was by myself, and then said, “Let me see if I can get you a good seat.” Boom! I found myself at the top of the stands at the 50-yard line. Now, I was hooked like a small-mouth bass on a hula popper.
After that first show in 40 years, I decided to buy tickets to Allentown. I have been going to the East Coast Classic ever since.
In 2014, I learned that the Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps was in Castleton, Vermont, for Spring training, just over an hour south of my humble home on the Mill Brook. So, each Spring, I went down for a visit to watch them rehearse and put the show together.
In 2017, year five of my newfound summertime adventures, I decided to run away with the drum corps and signed up on the Crusaders’ volunteer page for the first two shows in Ohio. I decided to chronicle the experience, so I started a blog, Alongthemillbrook.com, which was the predecessor to this site. After the volunteer stint, I planned to visit some college friends, but I stayed on through two more shows in Indiana before heading home. Later that summer, I hooked up again and volunteered with the prop crew all the way to Indianapolis, my first DCI finals. That was the year I became immersed in the culture and met some incredible people who I see every summer. Enough about me. Time to board.
July 18, 2026 – San Antonio, Texas
This is my first visit to Texas covering DCI. Today is the Southwestern Championship, a midway regional competition that brings all of the drum corps together in the Alamodome. The competition has been heating up with some first head-to-head competitions between the top five drum corps. So far, it looks like the Bluecoats are holding fast to their top ranking with an undefeated season so far. The World Champion Boston Crusaders have taken it on the chin with over a 1-point spread, but do not count them out.
Yesterday was a day of travel and discovery. The skies were friendly, and I arrived on time. Plenty of time for adventure. It began with a ride on VIA, the local transit bus, from the airport to downtown. Traveling light, I was able to walk the few blocks to the hotel. During the ride, I had a nice conversation with a flight attendant, whose friendliness exemplified the airline’s slogan. She read me well, recommending a local place in King William for dinner, Tito’s Mexican Restaurant.
To be sure that I wasn’t taking a local’s spot at the bar, began the conversation with Dennis, a lifelong resident and business owner. He was meeting his sister, Denise, for happy hour. They took me under their wing, and I learned a lot about the area, especially hiking and biking opportunities. The lesson learned is that if you are going to San Antonio for the first time, you need to stay an extra day to explore more. Dennis made sure to encourage me to look him up when I return next year. Denise volunteers for the historic Majestic Theatre and once organized a space for local band rehearsals.
After settling up with the bartender, we walked a block up South Alamo Blvd. to a German club for a pitcher of lager and listened to the band playing outside on the patio. Among their selection of mostly German songs was Sweet Caroline.
My walk back to the hotel was through a vibrant downtown that includes the famous River Walk lined with restaurants and bars. This is a fun downtown. I look forward to my next trip to spend more time exploring. Meanwhile, it’s time for drum corps. I’m waiting to get the Boston Crusaders rehearsal schedule from Chuck, who is home. I’ll keep you posted.
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