COURTESY PHOTO
Members of the 1974 IC Reveries drum and bugle corps, from left, Joe Dalesio, Michael Merrett, Tom Shaheen, Arthur Shanno, Tom Upton and Pat Campo.
BY MICHELE DURGIN
LYNN — On Sunday, Manning Field in Lynn will come to life with the sights and sounds of a drum and bugle corps competition.
The event, known as the Beanpot Invitational, will see seven nationally-ranked drum and bugle corps bands leave it all on the field in an effort to be crowned champion.
Manning Field (and its predecessor Manning Bowl) is no stranger to these matchups. It was host field to the first World Open Drum and Bugle Competition in 1963. At the time, it was the biggest show of its kind in the country, according to local drum and bugle historian Michael Merrett.
Since then, nearly every elite band in the country has competed in Lynn. The Lynn Continentals and the Jeanettes were local annual rivals during the 1960s and 1970s, before they disbanded.
Merrett joined the IC Reveries, from Revere, at 12 and remained on the team, in the percussion section, until he was 22. He has stayed active with the corps life by becoming a percussion instructor and was inducted into the Massachusetts Drum Corps Music Educators Hall of Fame in 2015. The Golden Age of drum and bugle corps was in the 1970s when there were 400 bands in the country, according to Merrett. That statistic stands in sharp contrast to today’s numbers, he added.
“There are only about 40 or 50 bands left in the United States and the New England region is home to two of them,” he said. “The Boston Crusaders and the Nashua Spartans, out of New Hampshire, stand alone in the shadow of so many drum corps that no longer exist.”
Most members join at 13 or 14 and are eligible to compete until they turn 22. The member limit for a band is 150 and there is no minimum number a band must have to compete.
Band season begins in October, with three or four practices a week until June. When summer arrives, the bands board buses and participate in tournaments nationwide until the end of August. Then, the elite meet in Indianapolis and vie for the title of National Champion at the Drum Corps International Competition.
“It was a lot of work, but it was a wonderful way to spend the summer as a teen,” said Merrett. “Where else could I get the perfect mix of adventure, travel and camaraderie? We were like rock stars, performing for thousands of people every night. Sleeping on gym floors and losing track of what part of the country we were in was our way of life and it was well worth it.”
Karen Raffa, along with her husband, Frank, are the organizers of the Beanpot Invitational. Frank is the president of The Cardinal Alumni Association. The Cardinals were a drum and bugle corps band from Beverly and Frank was a member. The group disbanded in 1975, after a successful 25 years in competition.
“We are looking forward to Sunday and we hope a big crowd turns out for what promises to be a spectacular evening of entertainment,” Karen said. “Proceeds from the event will go directly to local students. Six $500 scholarships will be awarded to college bound members of the Lynn Public Schools Band, as well as four $500 scholarships to graduating members of the Beverly High School Marching Band.”
According to Raffa, the Cardinal Alumni Association has awarded over $150,000 in scholarship money over the past 20 years.
