Adorning some of our merchandise, you see the year 1972 as the origin of the Bluecoats. But would it surprise you that the birth of the Bluecoats is a little complicated? Not if you know the history of the only drum corps on the planet to win a World Championship after the corps had folded and re-organized. And Bluecoats did that twice!

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.