Troop Steps
Janesville Fife &Drum Corps The 2014 Season
Troop S t eps The 2014 Season
Historically Authentic Patriotic Sights and Sounds from America’s earliest heritage on reproduction wood fifes and rope tensioned drums.
The Corps began in 1975 as a joint project of the city of Janesville, Wisconsin, and its schools to celebrate the nation’s bicentennial. Today, this group (some of whom come from Janesville, while others are from surrounding communities) offers people of all ages friendship, travel, teamwork, patriotism, discipline, honed musical skills, and a unique appreciation of American history. Corps Founder: Robert Williams Corps Officers: President—Bill Wilson Vice President—Teresa Holevas Secretary—Eda Wilson Treasurer—Sue Long Corps Offices: E. B. Wilson, 215 E. Clay St. #40, Whitewater, WI 53190, edesw@yahoo.com, 262-473-7073 Corps Website: janesvillefifeanddrum.com
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Troop S t eps The 2014 Season Preparation for the Season The nature of our group is changing. Almost everyone is of adult status now, and many of us have small children and jobs, which makes attendance at regular rehearsals difficult for some. However, it is extremely important to get together as often and regularly as we can to review the music (even though many are “old timers” and have played most of
our music for years, we continually look for new recruits and need to practice with them and bring them on board). But because getting everyone together regularly can be difficult, we have new technology to the rescue. Bill’s Drop Box account holds much of our music, for both drum and fife parts, and, especially if we can’t get to rehearsals, practice at home is essential, and members can get the music from Drop Box. The Gathering at Macktown: Richmond, Illinois, April 26–27 Illness and work really depleted the ranks the first day. Kristi, Eli, Bill, Ellie, and Eda were the only ones who made it on Saturday. And what a beautiful day, weather-wise; it was perfect. Dry, crisp air, warm sun. While we were jamming (and eating) someone passed by and said that we did a great job even though some of the corps was missing. Nice to know we pass muster even when the ranks are thin. We were tired at the end of the day. It was time to get back in the hang of being outdoors for many hours and marching and playing. Day two was more like the Macktown weather we do know and don’t love: temperatures in the 40s and low 50s and winds 20–25 mph with gusts up to 2014 - 3
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40 mph. (Eda’s hat blew off twice.) Bill, Ed, Eli, Eda, Missy, Jason, Jacob, and Lauren were with us for the day. Will joined us for part of the day. Lots of jamming and seeking warmth! The small group got the job done! Lewis and Clark Heritage Days, St. Charles, Missouri, May 17–18 It’s all about contrasts. Last year, we about boiled in St. Charles. This year, on the way there, at around 11 a.m., in Illinois, there was snow for about 2 hours! Temperatures in the 40s and a wind speed of 20 mph gave us an air temperature in the 30s. Good grief! Similar to last year, folks came from several areas of Wisconsin: the far north, Beloit, Janesville, Madison, Eagle, and Whitewater. Issues came up regarding vehicles, and things looked dicey for a bit, but everyone managed to arrive at St. Charles unscathed. However, those left behind, not so much. Not all the LeHurays were able to make the trip, and the Longs were unable to make it. We did have 10 people in uniform, two mollies, and Ed, the keeper of the chicken. Yes, Eli brought along “Toothless,” his beautiful White Sultan rooster (a very mellow fellow!) and a pair of chicks. We had six fifers, two snare drummers, one bass drummer, and one scout, a pretty good crew. We did miss our color guard, though! There were a few new pieces in our program, the resurrection of a few pieces learned in the past, a few standbys, and “Fairy Dance”! The program went well enough. As far as numbers attending, JF&D was about in the middle. The weather was gorgeous; the air was mild to cool, there was often a breeze and sun, and the grounds, even after three days of solid rain earlier in the week, were surprisingly dry. The order of things, particularly Sunday, was changed a bit, but JF&D made it to all muster activities. As usual, there was an awesome jam session that 4 - Troop Steps
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lasted nearly an hour on Sunday, just before retiring of the colors. As Ed and Kristi were not immediately available, when we stepped off for the last time of the weekend for closing ceremony, Eli had to hold Toothless! (Would’ve been pretty funny if Toothless had joined us at the flagpoles! Even better if he could play fife.) All in all, it was a fine weekend. Something funny happened at St. Charles when we were playing at massed music, with the other fife and drum crops. The leaders called for “Washington’s Artillery March.” As usual, many of us couldn’t hear what tune had been called. Amy and Rose began playing along automatically by rote memory while still figuring out what song they were playing, which led to Rose, our only bugler, missing the bugle part. Afterward, a member from Lewis and Clark called out: “Janesville! You had one job!”
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Fort Koshkonong Rendezvous Stockade History Days, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, May 23–24 Eli, Kristi, Bill, and Eda spent several hours at this rendezvous for Education Day (Friday).
There seemed to be fewer kids than last year, but the day was pleasant and the weather was perfect.
We went through a lot of tunes, mostly informally by the shelter (and the food). At the end, on our way to the vehicles a small flock of birds swarmed Eli! Was that a “thank you” for the music? Saturday 6 - Troop Steps
was also a beautiful day weather-wise. We had 6 in uniform, 2 mollies, and 3 bantlings. We have no official schedule for this gig except to be seen and heard. We did a few march-arounds and stopped to play mini concerts, took a wagon ride to the fort and played there, and did some fine jamming, again by the shelter (and near the food—this is becoming a pattern). We looked and sounded very fine!
Troop S t eps The 2014 Season Memorial Day, Pecatonica, Illinois, May 26
Just 10 days prior some of us had driven through two hours of sleet and snow. The Pecatonica temperature reached 89 and the humidity was 70%, which gives a lovely heat index of about 103. No wonder everyone was so hot and yucky at the end of this relatively short parade. The crowd was welcoming. We had 3 scouts, 4 color guard, 5 fifers, 1 snare drummer, 1 bass drummer, 1 molly, and Sue driving the truck for any needed backup (with Lauren riding shotgun), making a pretty strong group. Yes, we wish we had a dozen in uniform for
every gig! We survived, but perhaps we should have shucked the regimental coats. By the way, these guys sent us a thank-you-for-coming note! Leaf River, Illinois, June 1 This one turned out to be a hot one, as well. Even though the parade route is not very long, it got hot. But we soldiered on! We had 2 scouts, 3 color guard, 4 fifers, 1 snare drummer, and 1 bass drummer. Ed drove the truck. Both LeHuray boys were in the mix. Nice crowd. After the parade, there was cake to celebrate Xin’s 10th birthday! He seemed pretty happy about it. And—who doesn’t like cake?
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Unfortunately, because we didn’t have enough fifers, we had to decline Mequon/Thiensville this year. Hope they don’t forget us!
Because of our smaller numbers, Lisa at Van Galder suggested a “specialty coach.” This would be a coach with couches, tables, and a kitchenette area. Folks said yeah! So it was scheduled.
Fourth of July Tour, July 3–4 Let us begin with the weather. It was the best possible weather that we could have for early July in the Midwest. Moderate temperatures, dry, mostly sunny, some breezes. We were so lucky. Second, the coach.
As it turned out, that particular coach needed some sort of repair so we got a different specialty coach, which was probably a better fit. Comfy padded seats, loads of legroom (good thing as there were 8 - Troop Steps
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no overhead bins), a couple tables with cup holders, wi-fi, ports everywhere. It was awesome. Except. For. The. Potty. Problem. “Something” happened to cause a smell that was very unpleasant to those sitting in the back half of the coach. (This was remedied
eventually.) No confessions. Everyone was finger-pointing at driver #1. We’ll probably never know. The answer may be at Stonehenge, in the Polar Vortex, or someday on a tombstone. To my knowledge, otherwise everything went smoothly, except for errant muskets that didn’t fire with consistency. (Nature of the beast, however.) Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, July 3 Leave time was 4:00 instead of 3:30 or 3:45. It worked, but with this crew, and with moving cars, 3:30/3:45 for loading/depositing cars/leaving isn’t a bad idea. Steve (driver #2) was there to see us off. Good thing, as the acceptance packet had no information about Menomonee Falls, the drop-off
location, etc. Steve filled Jeff in and we arrived where we needed to be with enough time to not be rushed. It sure was nice to have Tyler with us so someone would fire a musket at this parade. Too bad the musket wasn’t very cooperative. Not unusual for a musket to misfire. Over and over. We were #21, near the front. Folks felt the pace was too fast. But while people were tired at the end, nobody had to drop out. We looked so good! And sounded so fine! As always, the crowd there was huge. We were ready to leave Menomonee Falls by 8:20, which has to be record efficiency. Nice ride to Three Lakes. Oh, the “TV monitors” on this coach were screens! Nice. But, “bus sleep” is what it is, and this camper (author Eda) didn’t get any more sleep in the comfy, cushy seat than on the regular
coach seats. It was quiet after movie time, though, so a lot of people did get sleep. We arrived in Three Lakes at 1:30 and the police officer with the key pulled in right before us. Talk about excellent timing! It still took a while to get everyone bedded down. Three Lakes, Wisconsin, July 4 Holy moly! The crowd at Three Lakes was huge! Biggest ever, it seemed. What a great way to start 2014 - 9
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the day. Oh, and the corps looked wonderful! Picture this: in front, Kristi with her “charges” (in uniform, of course!), Xin, Jacob, Devon, and Dominick in 18th century civilian clothes. Row 1 color guard: Jonathan,
know we have back-up if someone goes down.) That’s 28 marchers, plus Sue! If only we could have this many at every event! It was fine. It was good. We were good. Ellie’s photos and videos are proof that this corps plays and marches and looks fabulous! Rhinelander, Wisconsin, July 4 Good, enthusiastic (read: loud!) crowd. Surely there were more people this year than last. The corps did the job and no doubt we’ll be back again next Fourth of July. Slight logistics blip: getting all the camp followers to the “leave Rhinelander spot,” but we made it just fine to our next stop, Tomahawk. Steve, our second driver, knows how to get us from point A to point B as needed!
Alysa, and Tyler; Jason to the right, leading. Row 2: Kyle with a second flag. Too cool! Row 3: Eda, Rose, Amy fifing. Row 4: Eli, Missy, Larry fifing. Row 5: Teresa fifing. Row 6: Josh, Will, and Bill drumming. Following them: Ellie, Ed, Jessica, Kyler, Brooklyn, Rick, Clarissa, and Deb. That’s a crowd! Sue followed in the truck. (Bless her heart; it’s a good feeling to
Tomahawk, Wisconsin, July 4 Is Tomahawk growing? The crowd seemed larger than usual. They needed “encouragement” from Kristi, though, to crank up the noise. We had a second 10 - Troop Steps
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logistics glitch, but again, we got to the next parade just barely in time.
Lake Tomahawk, Wisconsin, July 4 We arrived by the skin of our teeth, time-wise, but jumped into the parade in the spot of a band that had not yet arrived. And these crowds? Amazing and loud and enthusiastic and wonderful! That keeps us going at the end of the day, with little sleep the night prior. Great parade! Because Minocqua was not on the agenda, we had a more relaxed ride to Bessemer, a more leisurely meal, and plenty of time to get our gear into the high school gym and release Steve for the night. Looking for supper on the way, we were on a “disappearing highway” caused by road construction, but Rose, who now lives in the “Great Nort-land,” was able to guide us to food. Hopefully the construction will be completed before next Fourth of July.
Bessemer, Michigan, July 4 Bessemer’s parade was the usual start and stop, but the second half was pretty smooth. There were the usual huge, cheering crowds. On the downhill, the noise and enthusiasm were unbelievable! As always, we hung out at the Legion, saluted Marty’s Goldenaires as they passed, and performed a short stand-still concert. And we sounded good! Better than good! We received a great reception. People would come up to us and tell us how glad they were that we were there. Can you beat that? How about this: One spectator came up to Jessica and asked if she could make a donation to the
corps! And then she did make a small donation. A woman came up to Eda and said she’d been coming to the Bessemer Fourth of July parade for years and that we were the best, her favorite. Hearing that, how can we not return year after year?! (Then there are old men telling old stories, right, Deb?!) Bessemer had the best fireworks, as they always do. Yet, every year seems better than the last! The evening ended with some fireworks that corps members brought along and the usual poker game. Larry and Eli split the spoils this year! Looking back on the whole trip: 10 musicians, four color guard, four young scouts, and a passel of camp 2014 - 11
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followers and bantlings. We looked and sounded awesome. Really, everything was sharp. We were a presence! A couple late departures, but we were on time for every parade, even stepped in for an MIA group at Lake Tomahawk. Hopefully we didn’t give Steve too many new gray hairs. We’ll be back! The ride back to Janesville was uneventful. It seemed that Larry, Will, and Alysa played cards the whole time. Eli had repeat visitors to his “command post,” as either Xin or Jacob were playing computer games with him much of the time. It was an excellent tour. Thanks, everyone!
Random Lake, Wisconsin, July 27 Was Random Lake a sign I (scheduler and author Eda, that is) shouldn’t panic? I was hoping for 7–10 people. We had seven for sure: Bill, Will, Teresa, Amy, Eda, Rose, and Jason. Then—Jason had to work. But John was able to march with us. And Larry. And then Rick and Dom. Joy! Five fifers and three drummers and folks in the back. Whew! (Would’ve been nice to have color guard, but we knew they would be at County Fair.) So, number-wise and musician-wise we did fine. The weather was beautiful when we arrived and while we waited for our turn to step off. But looking at the sky, we could see “the beast” coming! About one-third of the way through the parade (we moved at a nice pace and kept up with the race car on flatbed in front of us) it started to rain. And then it poured. And then there was thunder and lightning. And then units sped up and took off. Guess what—we can’t do that, so a big gap opened up. The parade organizer asked us to speed up. (We hoped she would tell us to take cover. Nope.) We couldn’t fill the gap, so we stepped out and twice rejoined the parade. The spectators early on were pretty quiet, but when we splashed by in the pouring rain, the hearty souls remaining cheered loudly for us. That makes it worthwhile! We did the job! Got it done! Might have taken several days for the uniforms to dry out—and a few hours for us to 12 - Troop Steps
dry out. Is that (pruney feet) what the Army refers to as “emersion foot”? If a poll is taken, I don’t think anyone will vote to do Random Lake again. Mendota, Illinois, August 10 Well, this one turned rather dramatic. Thinking we had nine musicians and color guard, we were feeling pretty comfortable and confident. Then, on site, Jonathan walked up to inform us: one injury, one illness, one on the way but may not make it in time! Well, all four Longs showed up, three LeHurays, two Mathias, two from Whitewater, and Amy made it in the nick of time, so we looked “full” enough. If a photo had been taken, it would’ve looked like this: first rank: Devon and Jacob; second rank: Jonathan, Kyle, Tyler, and Jason; third rank: Eda, Eli, and Amy; fourth rank: Bill, followed by Kristi with “Toothless” the chicken in his basket. (“Toothless” caused a lot of comments from the crowd!) Sue followed in the truck. (It’s very encouraging to know we have back-up if someone suddenly doesn’t feel well.) We played well enough and got it done. We missed having a bass. As we were leaving town, the thermometer in Eda’s car read 92 degrees and later on the dew point was 66, which meant a heat index of 95. No wonder we were sweating. (Aren’t we supposed to ditch the coats when the heat index is 90 degrees or higher?) The crowd was quite responsive to us, and it’s been awhile since we’ve seen so many people stand up for the flag. All in all, a good day. Richfield, Wisconsin, August 24 As usual, we worried about who would be able to make it due to work, health, and other commitments. And the forecast was for hideously hot and humid weather. Well, actually things turned out quite well. The weather was actually decent for the parade, though it heated up later in the day In front: Xin. Then Jonathan, Kyle, and Tyler. Tyler took the role of calling commands, too. Did a fine job. Next, Eda, Larry, Amy; then Eli and Teresa; and last of all Bill
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and Will. All sections covered. We did a fine job. Too bad the crowd was not very responsive.
Janesville, Wisconsin, September 1 Ah, Labor Fest, our only appearance in the “home town.” Nearly all of the regulars were present, which was nice. We started with what has become an annual corps picnic, held at the VFW prior to the parade.
of kilter. The crowds, for much of the route, weren’t crowds but a sprinkling of people, and they certainly weren’t noisy. Staying in step was a bit challenging, and that rarely happens. Was that due to lack of a bass? Devon, Xin, and Jacob led off, followed by Jonathan, Kyle, Tyler, and Jason. Then Eli and Amy, Eda and Missy, and Bill. Also, walking or in the truck: Sue, Megan, Ellie, Kristi, and Lauren. Eli, Xin, and Kristi will always have interesting memories of the 2014 Darien Sweet Corn Festival parade. Little did they know that at the end of the day, they would be riding in a police squad car! Following
A brief, informal corps meeting was held to discuss the 2015 (our 40th!) season before moving to our staging area. Because we didn’t have any musicians playing in both their high school bands and the corps, we didn’t have to request being at the back of the parade. Maybe that’s why we were up front, near the “VetsRoll” vehicles. (This also presented us with a possible future gig.) The lineup: Devon, Xin, and Jacob. Jonathan, Kyle, Tyler, and Jason. Missy, Eli, and Amy. Eda and Teresa. Will and Bill. Kristi. In the truck: Sue, Ellie, Pam, and Lauren. But wait! At a stopping point, Jason had to take over the bass drum for the last part of the parade. We are fortunate to have multi-taskers in our midst! The change was pretty doggone smooth. We looked smart and played well for the home town crowd. Darien, Wisconsin, September 7 Our last parade of the year didn’t exactly go out with a bang. We missed a couple of key people. (Yes, we’re all key people now.) It seemed things were a bit out
the parade and after enjoying some sweet corn, Kristi and Eli thought they knew the way back to their car. They began the long walk already hot, tired, and covered with butter stains. It didn’t take long for them to get hopelessly lost in the metropolis of Darien. Kristi volunteered to keep walking while the boys stayed under a shade tree with all their gear. Not long after Kristi began walking, she asked a police officer for directions. Kristi must have looked as exhausted as she felt, because he volunteered to give her a ride to her car. Not wanting to be left behind, the boys came running. They were relegated to a place no mother wants to see her children—behind the bars and protective glass of the squad car! Of course, Eli and 2014 - 13
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Xin were enjoying every second of the ride, although they later remarked that the backseat smelled like a toilet in a bar! Beloit, Wisconsin, DAR meeting, September 11 Four Corps members attended a Daughters of the American Revolution chapter meeting. Bill gave an informative presentation about drummers’ and fifers’ roles in the Revolutionary War (as well as some French & Indian War history) and some history of our corps. Ellie spoke about the role of the camp followers. The presentation was very well received. Bill, Teresa, and Eda also played a little music as well as a couple of camp tunes. All in all, a very nice evening. (And the potluck supper was yummy!) We closed with “The Parting Glass,” remembering those lost on September 11, 2001. Feast of the Hunter’s Moon, West Lafayette, Indiana, October 4–5 Feast weather is usually abysmal. This year was no different. It rained solidly Thursday and Friday and Friday night. (Pity those camping on the grounds.)
southern Indiana. The main arena was the scene of a temporary new water feature, “Lake Ouiatenon.” The hale and hearty who went to Feast included Xin, Jonathan, Kyle, Tyler, Eda, Amy, Eli, Larry, Teresa, Bill, Will, Sue, Ellie, Kristi, and Ed, and also joining
us were Megan and Cody. Let’s hope Megan and Cody join the corps! And we can’t forget “Toothless,” Mathias’ “house rooster,” who has become our new mascot. He gets a lot of comments from spectators! Bill, Ellie, and Eda as usual traveled together, and the first funny thing happened at the first toll booth on the way down to Indiana. A lovely, kind, older
There was just a bit of rain/mist/sleet on Saturday and the temperatures and winds made for a very cold day. Temps in the low 30s and winds of 18–25 mph made for some pretty cold weather for early October in 14 - Troop Steps
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lady was in the booth. She looked in the truck, noticed Ellie’s badger bag, and grabbed a dog biscuit, asking if that was a dog in the front seat. She was about to feed the badger a doggie biscuit! Oh, we did chuckle after leaving her. Bless her heart. Eda’s story happened the next day as we were sitting around the campfire. It was cold and most of us didn’t feel like venturing far from the heat of the fire. Well, after a time, her left foot was feeling just a little too warm. She pulled her foot back and noticed her shoe was smoking! Pulling it off, we watched the little stream of smoke waft upward. It seemed wise to pour a little water on it to make sure it was out!
As usual, we didn’t have the time we would have liked to run through our program, but this year we performed what we planned and practiced. The performance went well enough. Massed music and massed jam were awesome, as always. What is it about a half dozen or so corps getting together a couple times a year and just playing and playing as though we’d rehearsed together for months? Always a thrill! This year “The Sauganash,” a tune written by Dave King of the Theatiki Fife and Drum Corps was debuted. It’s always extra cool to have bugles play. (We missed our buglers this year!) Some cymbal crashes and the kazoos that played along with the
bugle part to “Washington’s Artillery March” added humor to the gathering. Saturday evening, back at the hotel, we all unwound in the breakfast room with a lovely cake, the excuse being Will “Billiam” Bladorn’s birthday. Feast is a time to reconnect with friends from other corps, but there never seems to be enough time to catch up. And Feast wraps up our 2014 season. Annual End-of-Season Party, November 3 On November 2, we had a chilly (and chili) social gathering of most of the JF&D Corps members at Long’s. The 2015 schedule was discussed briefly, as was a 40th anniversary celebration, including inviting corps members past and present, and putting out a second 20 years Troop Steps compilation. Sue gave a brief summary of finances. While we often had some difficulty getting enough bodies to march down the street, we did manage to do so for each obligation. The decision of the members is to cut back on parades next year and work on recruiting some new members. We are small. We aren’t growing much. We need to revitalize. That can be done through recruitment of new members and more vigorous rehearsals. Regardless, the Janesville Fife and Drum Corps will continue to march and play and keep our history alive! 2014 - 15
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Janesville Fife and Drum Corps The Janesville Fife and Drum Corps, from Janesville, Wisconsin, began over 40 years ago in 1975, founded by Robert Williams, as a project of the Janesville School District to celebrate the nation’s Bicentennial. It began as a youth corps and evolved into what is predominately an adult corps and a family corps. Many of those early youths have now grown into adults, and they have brought their partners, children, and friends into the corps. The uniforms worn by the Janesville Fife and Drum Corps are replicas of those worn by the First Virginia Regiment of 1755, commanded by the young Lieutenant Colonel George Washington. It is a uniform of the French and Indian War, which occurred 20 years prior to the American Revolution. The corps performs in parades and reenactments throughout the Midwest in the spring, summer, and fall. Contact: President - drumsergeant@gmail.com 16 - Troop Steps
Secretary - edesw@yahoo.com