The Latest
Bluecoats Welcomes Patty Dowd Schmitz to Board
Today Bluecoats announced the election of Patty Dowd Schmitz to its board of directors. Patty is the President & CEO of the National First Ladies Library & Museum located in Canton, OH. She is a Bluecoats alumnus and already has a rich history of supporting Bluecoats’ fundraising & history efforts. Notably, she was the producer and project chairperson for 50 Years of Excellence, a beautiful coffee table book chronicling Bluecoats history and released in celebration of our 50th Anniversary in 2022.
Announcing Our 2025 Summer Season
The Bluecoats organization today announced more details of its 2025 summer season, featuring the expansion of The Blue Way Summer Arts Camp and the return of the Bluecoats Summer Music Series. Of course, the defending World Champions will tour the United States making 29 stops for rehearsals, performances, and competitions in stadiums as far west as San Antonio, TX and eastward to Delaware, Eastern Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
Locally, the world-renowned drum corps will appear at events of the Bluecoats Summer Music Series including Bluecoats Opening Night Community Celebration, Bluecoats Party in the Plaza, a concert at Gervasi Vineyard, and Innovations In Brass at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium during Enshrinement Week.
Bluecoats and Fairless Local Schools Announce Community Partnership
Today Bluecoats and Fairless Local Schools announced a new partnership that makes Fairless the Official Education Partner of Bluecoats. The partnership establishes Fairless High School as the home of the Bluecoats audition events in Stark County, and sets the stage for new Bluecoats educational events coming in 2025 and beyond. These include an education-focused marching band festival and a concert band festival. Both events will be hosted at the beautiful new Fairless High School.
Bluecoats Win World Championships
After three nights of stellar performances at the 2024 Drum Corps International World Championships in Indianapolis, the Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps have won the title once again. In front of a nearly sold-out crowd, the corps performance of Change Is Everything brought the house down and earned the top spot.
This was the corps’ first undefeated season. Tonight’s world class finals marked the final win in a string of seventeen competitive shows, and a total of twenty-one performances on their 8,000 mile national tour.
Free Day? What About a Free Week?
Recently members of Bluecoats and many other drum corps celebrated the big San Antonio, Texas regional performance with a free day on Sunday. The San Antonio free day has become an iconic part of the modern drum corps landscape. Today, with members of any corps having friends or classmates marching in other corps across the country, the San Antonio free day is that chance to catch up in person.
Bluecoats & EN-RICH-MENT Officially Open Arts Education Center, Announce Campaign Total Exceeding $2.2 Million
Bluecoats and EN-RICH-MENT celebrated the completion of their $2m Arts Education Center with a ribbon cutting and joint concert between the EN-RICH-MENT Drumline and the 2024 Bluecoats.