For about half of the existence of the Bluecoats, the season-ending banquet happened the day after Thanksgiving. It was a day of endings and beginnings, as the first rehearsal of the next season began the next morning. Mostly held at the (former) Four Winds banquets facility in northeast Canton, it was a time for everyone to dress up (for once) and to hug and cry and laugh and smile.

Long before there was social media and cell phones, when long-distance phone calls actually cost money, the Banquet ended a long “off season” where you had virtually no communication with your drum corps family. Out of towners would get a hotel room and arrive early (and stay up late). Other than perhaps move-ins, Banquet night may have been the most anticipated date on the calendar.

After a summer without drum corps, what does that next year look like? Well it’s something Bluecoats have had more experience than others doing. After a strong decade in the 1970s growing from a parade corps to a Class A nationally known corps, Bluecoats struggled to stay on the field in 1979 and then again 1983. 1984 was the third attempt to get a drum corps in Canton established, and the second comeback attempt in just four years.

The 2020 Bluecoats are at about 80% of their funding goal, as Fall approaches, in trying to replace lost revenue from a canceled drum corps season and a pandemic-paused Bingo operation. Our drum corps community has helped in large part filled the funding gap. But it’s not the first time the community has come up big for the Canton organization.

While the Bluecoats were officially born on December 3, 1972, the corps did not hit the competitive field until summer of 1974. The first Bloo summer was as a parade corps that stayed fairly close to headquarters at the Canton Police Boys Club. But in 1974 the corps fundraised for traditional corps uniforms and produced its first field show and hosted the very first Innovations IN BRASS.