Garfield Cadets
 |
|
| Location | Allentown, PA |
|---|---|
| Division | World Class |
| Founded | 1934 |
| Director | George Hopkins |
| Championship titles | American Legion-1940, '49, '50, '52, '53, '55, '57, '60-62, '64 DCI-1983-85, '87, '90, '93, '98, 2000, '05, '11 |
| Uniform | (2017) Full length red choir robes worn over white body suit with red, gold, and blue accents and gold shoes. |
| Website | yea |
The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps (formerly the Holy Name Cadets, Cadets of Garfield, Garfield Cadets, and Cadets of Bergen County) are a World Class (formerly Division I) competitive junior drum and bugle corps. Based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, The Cadets were one of the thirteen founding corps of Drum Corps International (DCI), is a ten-time DCI World Champion, and is the oldest continuously active junior drum and bugle corps in North America..
Charles Mura, Michael Koeph, and the Rev. Edwin Garrity of the Holy Name Catholic parish in Garfield, New Jersey founded the Holy Name Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps in 1934 as an activity for the boys in the parish. The corps quickly became one of the top competitive corps in the country. In 1940, the Cadets won the American Legion Junior National Championship in Boston, the first of a record eleven Legion titles the corps would win between 1940 and 1964. The corps was known not only for its talent but for its traveling to compete. In 1950, the Cadets went on the road for three weeks in order to defend their Legion title in Los Angeles.
In 1958, the Holy Name parish declined to support the corps' travel and disbanded the corps. The members and staff, however, were not willing to cease the corps operations, and reorganized as a new organization, even though the parish kept the uniforms and instruments. The corps traveled to Chicago for Legion Nationals at the members' own expense. Marching as the Cadets of Garfield; wearing uniforms of white shorts, red golf shirts, and "Aussie" hats; and using instruments borrowed from the Chicago Cavaliers, the corps managed to finish in second place (one spot ahead of the defending champion Cavaliers). Midway through the 1959 season, the parish allowed the corps to once more wear the uniform that remains their trademark.
In the second half of the Sixties, the Garfield Cadets became more of an also-ran than a champion. In 1969, the corps became coed. In 1971, the Cadets marched a show they called, "No More War"; at VFW Nationals in Dallas, they reportedly tried to convince the VFW officials that the peace symbol in their drill was actually the Mercedes-Benz logo. Also in 1971, the Garfield Cadets, along with the 27th Lancers, Boston Crusaders, Blessed Sacrament Golden Knights, and Blue Rock formed the United Organization of Junior Corps (also known as the "Alliance"). This action was taken in reaction to the rigid, inflexible rules of the American Legion and VFW (the primary rule makers and sponsors of both corps and shows) and the low or nonexistent performance fees paid for appearing in the various competitions. The corps felt that not only were they having their creative potential as artistic performing groups stifled, but they were being financially starved. (A similar group of Midwestern corps, the Midwest Combine, was formed by the Blue Stars, Cavaliers, Madison Scouts, Santa Clara Vanguard, and the Troopers.) The Alliance members felt that the corps should be making their own rules, operating their own competitions and championships, and keeping the bulk of the monies those shows earned. For the 1971 season, the corps stuck together, offering show promoters the five corps as a package. Despite pressure on show sponsors, judges, and other drum corps, the corps were booked into a number of shows together.
...
Wikipedia