Canton Bluecoats celebrate 50th anniversary

CANTON – The Canton Bluecoats are in town and it's time to celebrate.

The drum corps, which began in 1972, is marking its 50th anniversary with several events this weekend, including the Party on the Plaza in downtown Canton and a performance before the fireworks at the McKinley Monument on the Fourth of July.

"We wanted to have a big celebration in the Canton community," Bluecoats CEO Mike Scott said. "It's our 50th anniversary and we wanted to give back to the community and celebrate with them through a series of events."

The weekend celebration begins Saturday with the Bluecoats annual Innovations in Brass show at Dix Stadium on the Kent State University campus. The show is typically held in Stark County, but Scott said the normal venues were not available.

Several corps will be on hand for the 7 p.m. event, including Carolina Crown and the Doylestown-based Rogue Hollow Regiment.

The following day, the community is invited to the free Party in the Plaza at Centennial Plaza in downtown Canton.

"It's a great free event more geared to anyone in the Canton community to be able to celebrate," Scott said.

The event gives community members the chance to enjoy the Bluecoats while highlighting other musicians and partnerships the organization has with groups such as EN-RICH-MENT, he said.

Beginning at 2 p.m., drummers – and those who want to beat on the drum – can pull up a seat at a community drum circle.

Drummers of all ages and abilities are welcome, Scott said, adding there will be some buckets provided to drum on. Percussionists are welcome to bring their own hand drums or buckets.

Canton native Elec Simon, who has appeared on stage in the off-Broadway show "Stomp" before returning to his hometown and using the power of music to connect to kids, will be on hand to lead the circle.

"It's going to be a lot of fun," Scott said. 

Starting at 3 p.m., performers will take the stage, including RZ Jazz, the EN-RICH-MENT drumline, Matt Corey Band and The Scenic Route. The event culminates with a performance by the Bluecoats.

During the Bluecoats concert, the group will honor the first two recipients of its Champion Award: Jim Porter, president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Betty Smith, founder and executive director of EN-RICH-MENT.

EN-RICH-MENT: Group staying put on Cleveland Ave., while Avenue Arts is returning downtown

"They are two amazing people," Scott said. "This award is our opportunity to elevate these people who made an impact through their service, especially in Canton, and for their work in the arts, culture and humanities space in Northeast Ohio."

For the Fourth of July, the 165-member drum corps will entertain crowds on the steps of the McKinley Monument before the city's Monumental Fourth fireworks display, which takes place at dusk.

The ensemble will then be joined by nearly 500 alumni of the drum corps for an additional performance, including the "1812 Overture" before the fireworks.

The group closes out its season with its annual Tour of Champions show on Aug. 8 at Infocision Stadium on the University of Akron campus.

Bluecoats kick off competition season with win at DCI Tour Premiere for fifth consecutive year

The Bluecoats kicked off the competition season Wednesday with a win for the fifth consecutive year at the Drums Corps International Tour Premiere at Ford Field in Detroit. The event was shown live in movie theaters around the country.

It was the first time the drum corps had taken the field in competition since August 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic derailed the 2020 and 2021 DCI competition seasons.

The Bluecoats claimed the top spot with a score of 71.7. They received first place scores from all eight judges, edging out the Boston Crusaders with a score of 69.45 and the Cavaliers (Chicago) with a score of 67.6.

The performance Wednesday was the debut of the Bluecoats 2022 show Riffs and Revelations, which explores the soundtrack of dreams.

Inspired by the lucid dreamscape created by Brad Mehldau in the avant-garde jazz piece "Taming the Dragon," the production features avant-garde to modern classical, electronic music, and contemporary jazz that brings the dream to life on a journey full of vibrant colors, giant stoplights, roving car parts, and the personification of characters who were once just figments of the imagination, the drum corps website explained.

"The vibes here (in Detroit) are kind of great," Scott said from a practice field before the competition. "The show is very exciting. The narrator is having a dream. It all culminates in a lesson and you realize you were sleeping and wake up."

Celebrating five decades of excellence

The drum corps was formed Dec. 3, 1972, but its history began decades earlier.

In the late 1960s, police officer Ralph McCaulley was approached by an area band director interested in creating a musical ensemble for the Canton Police Boys Club.

After getting approval, the Canton Police Boys Club Drum & Bugle Corps was formed. When the Drum & Bugle Corps passed by the window of Art Drukenbrod's downtown tailor shop, his desire for the activity rekindled.

Drukenbrod was in the area drum corps affiliated with VFW posts. The corps from Canton and Massillon were nationally renowned programs.

He became one of the founding members of the Bluecoats.

The group's name was a tribute to retired police officers and its early roots as a program of the Police Boys Club.

In the beginning, the group was a parade corps making its competitive debut in 1974.

The group was composed of young musicians from Stark County.

After heading to DCI Finals week for the first time in 1977 and again in 1978, finances led to the corps being inactive in 1979 and then again in 1983.  

New management turned the corps into a more professional touring organization.

Bluecoats board member and alumnus Larry Rebillot saw the evolution of the corps firsthand.

He became a member of the original corps in 1972 at the age of 12 and spent seven years with the group before moving on to another groups. He became a board member about 10 years ago.

"I've come full-circle," the 1980 Louisville grad said.

Over the years, he's seen the uniforms change, the marching skills improve, and more theatrics and electronics added to the performances.

Right now, the Bluecoats are top innovators in the field, he said.

"It's interesting to be on the board of the movers and shakers," Rebillot said. "We went out on the field (in Detroit) in every color imaginable. We don't have to be a marching band with lines and curves. We went out there and introduced the keytar."

A keytar is a synthesizer worn like a guitar.

Rebillot said the drum corps' rise came when David Glasgow was appointed as executive director in 2003.

"When we first medaled getting a bronze medal, we knew we could be as good as anyone," the Cincinnati resident said. "(Glasgow) found a visual team that could escalate the performance. Anyone can find a team to make the drums play well or a have competent leader for the guard but the visual program is where you can win or lose."

Canton Bluecoats reflect on 50 years

On its golden anniversary, Scott said the group is reflecting on its past, its present and looking toward its future.

"It's been cool to reconnect with hundreds and hundreds of alumni," he said. "Many have told us about the impact this organization has had on their life. I heard stories like, 'I was in it and now my son is.' It's a great collection of all those experiences and it is also an opportunity to take as an affirmation of what we can be."

Growing from the early years of mostly Canton-area based members, the group now has about 1,000 people each year applying to be part of the Bluecoats. Members must be 16 to 22 years old.

This year, the drum corps has members from five countries including Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, England and the United States.

While the membership is spread throughout the world, Rebillot said the Bluecoats have made and continue to make a huge impact on the Canton area.

"Yeah, we are not a local organization when it comes to membership but we have bingo in the city and the whole organization is still run from Canton," he said. "When you are trying to be the best in the world, you have to reach out and commit to whoever wants to be in the group to make it the best."

As part of the anniversary, the Bluecoats have launched a number of new initiatives, including the Champion Award and a fellowship.

The fellowship program is for up-and-coming designers and creators in marching arts. Scott said those who attend the program might want to be musical arrangers and composers, drill writers or visual choreographers. 

"The Bluecoats are on the cutting edge," he said. "Our creative team is famous for being avant-garde and cutting edge from a creative perspective."

More: The Heart of Stark: Bluecoats launch fellowship program to celebrate 50th anniversary

The group also has initiated a pilot program in Northeast Ohio called Play it Forward, which offers free and reduced-cost tickets to select schools. This year, McKinley and Hoover High Schools are participating.

"It's great getting the kids into the shows and making sure we are going back to our roots," Scott said. "All these local kids can look up to the Bluecoats." 

As a dance and drama teacher and a consultant and instructor with various marching bands and drum corps, Rebillot knows the power of being part of a musical ensemble like the Bluecoats.

Holding back tears, Rebillot described his journey from a 12-year-old trumpet player to a leader in the organization and to the recent announcement of his induction into the Bluecoats Hall of Fame.

"It was incredible. I went from being just one of those people to being a leader of the group. We learned how to be a leader, looking up to older members and we became those people," he said adding he took those skills he learned with the Bluecoats and stepped into leadership roles with other organizations.

Joking that he could lead a group of people out of a hole, Rebillot recalled a conversation with Scott Swaldo, general manager of Gervasi Vineyard & Italian Bistro.

Rebillot served as drum major when Swaldo was a member of the drum corps.

"He told me when he walked in that door, I was the person that told him why he should be there," he said. "Being inducted into the Hall of Fame, that is my patch on my arm that said that I dedicated my life to something. Even though it has been consistent, for 50 years I have been part of this whether in my heart or actually on the field or in a board meeting. An alumni recently posted a meme of a Bandaid that was bleeding blue. I had to admit that was me."

For more information about the Bluecoats 50th anniversary visit or for tickets, visit Bluecoats.com/local.

Reach Amy at 330-775-1135 or amy.knapp@indeonline.com.

On Twitter: @aknappINDE

This article originally appeared on The Independent: Canton Bluecoats celebrate 50th anniversary