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 HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY…..to the thousands of people who marched or have been a part of the Pioneer Corps! St. Patrick’s Day has a special meaning in their/our lives. It has been a first event of the new season, a first time playing outside and on the move, the first time putting on the uniform, and for many of us the first time realizing that there are so many Irish people and those who wish to be Irish in the U.S.A. The Milwaukee parades were modest, but the Chicago parades were a memory of crowds of people and dollars spent on celebrating the Irish. Every time that you see a shamrock, your head says, “Pioneer”, and your mind reminds you to be, “Better Every Day”. |
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As the program is developed, it will have traits similar to Small Drum Corps (SDCA) and DCI Sound Sport, but will ultimately take us in the direction of WGI Winds. The WGI Winds circuit takes place in indoor venues during the winter & spring months, with contests taking place on weekends only. Competing groups in WGI Winds can can have between 10 and 47 members, and the shows performed in competition are between 4-8 minutes long. Instruments of any sorts are legal to use in WGI Winds, and the new Performance Corps program will have many of the elements that we are used to including Brass, Color Guard, Percussion, and Electronics. Our intent is to have the new Performance Corps program be a year-round activity, with membership primarily based in South-Eastern Wisconsin. Membership will be open to students between the ages of 13 and 21 years. Rehearsals will take place on Sunday afternoons at the Grand Ballroom in Cudahy, WI. It is 2 minutes East of Pioneerland at the crossroads of Pulaski and Kirkwood Ave. At this time the first rehearsal is slated for late April. The exact date will be announced at a later time as we continue to monitor the ongoing COVID-19 situation, and adhere to guidance from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. People with any instrumental experience are welcome, as well as those willing to learn as a beginner. Interested individuals can register online or call our office at 414-327-2847. Watch for staff announcements and other activities in the near future! |
FREE PRIZE….. Send to us via email (
Recruiting has begun for our new Pioneer Performance Corps program!|
The parade has been canceled because of the Corona virus. |
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MARDI GRAS 2020 in NEW ORLEANS …. The Madison Scouts Alumni Corps, under the direction of Mr. Scott Stewart paraded in the Monday evening’s huge Orpheus parade. There were about 160 alumni marching. Among the tunes that they played, the most popular was, “Lisa Jane.” Pioneer’s Bus #69 traveled down to New Orleans driven by Roman Blenski and Bill Nylund (#159) during the 1100 mile trip each way. The group used our Pioneer horns and use a special lightweight set of drums from Yamaha. Notice the pictures, beads outlandish costumes and witchcraft, all of which made this event as memorable as our previous trips to New Orleans.. The Madison Scouts Alumni Corps, under the direction of Mr. Scott Stewart paraded in the Monday evening’s huge Orpheus parade. There were about 160 alumni marching. Among the tunes that they played, the most popular was, “Lisa Jane.” Pioneer’s Bus #69 traveled down to New Orleans driven by Roman Blenski and Bill Nylund (#159) during the 1100 mile trip each way. The group used our Pioneer horns and use a special lightweight set of drums from Yamaha. Notice the pictures, beads outlandish costumes and witchcraft, all of which made this event as memorable as our previous trips to New Orleans.  Bill Nylund #159 in the French Quarter, recruiting two possible guard members!  Madison Alum showing Off his leg tattoo of a G-bugle French horn. Now That is “Corps Spirit”!  Guess Who?  Father and Son played Cymbals Together. Mr. McCafferty and His son, Chris (#2685).  Light-weight Yamaha very Small drums. John Mayer the director of the Govenaires senior corps  The beginning started in 1955. Roman played mallets for Milwaukee’s Notre Dame High School Drum & Bugle Corps. |
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A celebration of his life will take place this Sunday, March 22nd, at the New Berlin Hills Golf Course located at 13175 W. Graham St. in New Berlin, WI from 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm. May God bless his family. We will miss his genuine kindness and sincere dedication to the drum corps activity. |
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By shopping at smile.amazon.com, you can purchase everything that is contained in the regular amazon.com. The difference is that a portion of your payment to Amazon is donated back to the Pioneer Corps. Just type in the smile.amazon.com address, follow the prompts, choose Pioneer as the recipient of the donation, and then continue shopping like you normally would. You get good bargains, excellent service, and help our young members with our musical participation at the same time! Pioneer would like to thank the many who are now making use of this program. We recently received a nice check for your responses! |
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FLAGS ON PARADE….. While we will not be participating in Chicago for St. Patrick’s Day, Our parade flags will be with the Hillsborough High School Guard from Nashville, TN. We are loaning them for the occasion.
FLAGS FOR SALE….. Our many years of flags and guard costumes have been inventoried. We have photos of many of them. Murray and Roman have been creating order in the attic at Pioneerland. If you know of anyone or school that might be interested in purchasing a set(s) have them call of Pioneer Office….414-327-2847
GOOD DEED….. Bus #69 and driver Roman Blenski, this past Thursday, ventured once again after the Mardi Gras to the State of Wisconsin’s Capitol as well as the University of Wisconsin. High school students from the Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy toured these venues as well as Madison’s famous State Street. The trip for these students was courtesy of Mr. Eugene Bonner the owner of the Grand Ballroom, our indoor rehearsal site.
SPONSORSHIP…… Pioneer is donating the cost of Pizza Night, next Tuesday evening, and March 17th (St. Patrick’s Day!). It is a monthly gathering of Alumni from Midwest Corps. While predominately from the Chicago area, they meet every second Tuesday of the month. It is run by Mr. Amatore Menle and is the 291st consecutive meeting at Fitz’s Pub 39 West North Avenue in Chicago (North Lake).
MR. JAMES WICE……(Wincinski) passed away on January 26th. Jim was one of the directors of the Midwest Legends Senior Corps. They were frequent guests who used Pioneerland for rehearsals. His older brother, Florian, was one of the early instructors for Pioneer (St. Pat’s) and started our cadet corps. Florian was also a mentor for Roman and Sue as they played for him when he was the manager of the Starliters Corps. Mr. Wice was a graduate of Milwaukee’s Pulaski High School. He played the French horn with the Emperors and Royal Airs Corps. With the Midwest Legends he was a percussionist, wrote their percussion music, taught, and served as a member of their Board of Directors.
BINGO!!-----Our Every Saturday Night Bingo fundraisers begin at 6:30 pm at the United Senior Center located at 4515 W. Forest Home Ave. In Milwaukee.
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Have you been looking for Ronald Raymond # 2477 lately? Rona is now living in Iowa, attending the University and is marching in the color guard. It would be great to send a St. Patrick’s Day – Better Every Day greeting! Ron’s email address is: vraymond2008 @gmail.com