What's A Half A Century Between Friends?
It's ON! In an age of rapid change and anonymity, in which friends are often little more than a photograph on a social network screen, a hundred or so 'old timers' are seeking to stop the clock if for just a weekend.
The Grenadiers Drum and Bugle Corps (1959-1978) of Broome County are reaching out to former members across the country and the world to reunite for the first time in decades! The reunion will be held in July 2012 to commemorate the organization's 50th year anniversary of becoming a competitive drum and bugle corps, and to honor the life of a well loved fellow Grenadier, now deceased, Mr. Dick Ovens.
The reunion weekend will be held in the Southern Tier on July 21st and July 22nd of 2012 in the Southern Tier, NY. The exact festivities and location(s) will be announced soon.
The Grenadiers formed in 1959 and were known at the time as the Apalachin Grenadiers. They were sponsored by the local fire department and American Legion.
In 1972 The Grenadiers were known as the Southern Tier Grenadiers when, as an underdog, they beat out nearly every other world-class corps in brass excellence (scoring 4.8 out of 5) at the U.S. Open in Marion, Ohio.
The Corps was very strong for their size and won numerous awards in bugling and drums. They also fielded a Winter Color Guard which did very well. In 1978, the Grenadiers merged with the Mark Twain Cadets of Elmira, NY to become the Empire State Express.
If you marched with, or were part of the support staff of, The Grenadiers of Broome County or The Empire State Express, your old (ahem... I mean your 'mature') friends are looking for you. Please email Mick (mickk3@gmail.com) with your contact information or join us on our facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/groups/Grennies/
And everything old is new again!
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