Beating the Heat and DCI show

Saturday, July 21

Today Tony headed of to TBA convention, while I stayed at the trailer and worked and other things to keep me occupied. I had hoped to go and explore the Tweety's RV supply in Boerne, TX, but they apparently are not open on Saturday. (I tried to call, got a recording stating as such.) I mostly stayed inside, in the cool. There was no wind to speak of, so I tried extending the awning to help keep the rig in the shade a bit more, and found it keeps it a little cooler. YAY!


About 4pm, I drove over to the convention center to pick Tony up (got myself turned around -- should have used the GPS!), so that we could go to the Drum Corps International (DCI) show. For those who don't know, this is like marching band on steroids!! They call it "Marching Music's Major League".  Performers must be 21 years old and younger. Corps from all over compete in shows all over the US, showcasing their marching, brass playing, percussion, and colorguard talents. (They do not use woodwind instruments.) Their performances are quite elaborate, and extremely well executed. These groups start auditions and practices in the fall, but the performance doesn't begin until summer... and then it's 24-7 DCI, as these groups travel, practice and perform every day, all summer long. (Tony and his brother were in the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps, when they were college-age.)


We had a real hard time finding parking because the Alamodome has limited spaces and with this event being the Southwest Championship Show with more than 30 corps in attendance, the Corps take up a large area for their busses and staging. We ended up having to park at Sunset Station, and walking about 2 blocks, but it wasn't too bad. We were lucky that the temps have not been too terrible here, 97 was the high. It's just the humidity! 50%! The best part about this show, is that it is in the air-conditioned INDOORS!!


We arrived just in time to see The Colts perform. Wow, they have come a long way. We enjoyed their performance, and the crowd really enjoyed it too. We watched 16 Corps perform. WOW, that's a lot of great music and marching!  We really enjoyed the Blue Knights show, as well as the Madison Scouts show. But the show that blew me away was Carolina Crown! Unfortunately the Blue Devils scored better, but I really thought CC had a better show. All year these Corps perform, garnishing ratings, ultimately leading them to the World Championship, this year being hosted in Indianapolis, IN. If you happen to be able to catch this, sometimes they rebroadcast the finals on PBS or ESPN II. If there is a show near you (check out dci.org) GO SEE IT! You will be truly amazed what our young people can do.

Carolina Crown about to perform

Outside the Alamodome after the DCI show, with the
Tower of the Americas in the background

After we got back to the Mammoth, we crashed for the night. Overall, a  good day.