Finances take Cadets off competitive drum corps field; Lake Erie Fanfare could still go on
Shock, sadness, anger, understanding, hope and more information has followed the recent announcement that The Cadets won't compete in 2024.
There's also been an indication that the decision won't mean an end to the popular and local Lake Erie Fanfare.
Cadets Arts & Entertainment, the nonprofit that oversees the Erie-based drum corps, on Friday announced the suspension of The Cadets 2024 competitive season, citing the organization's financial condition including a fundraising shortfall. John Broschak, chairperson of The Cadets Board of Directors, said in a message posted Monday on The Cadets' website that he was "deeply heartbroken by the painful decision" but that "the tenuous financial condition of The Cadets is not new nor a secret."
Neither the initial announcement nor Broschak's message made mention of the fanfare, which The Cadets had been expected to take over in 2024. However, Broschak on Tuesday told the Erie Times-News that the Lake Erie Fanfare is on the Drum Corps International draft schedule for 2024. He said the DCI tour schedule will be finalized Nov. 15. DCI is the nation’s top governing body for drum and bugle competitions.
The Friday announcement and Monday message had received nearly 800 comments on Facebook as of Tuesday morning.
Some suggested a return to a simpler drum corps format, with fewer props, less big-style theatrical productions and use of uniforms for more than one year. Some pushed for a fundraiser to get The Cadets on competition fields in 2024.
Others questioned if the 2024 season suspension was because of The Cadets' recent move to Erie or criticized the organization's leadership. Still others wondered if this was becoming the future, with corps being forced to take a year off here and there to save money, or even if this was the sign of the demise of drum and bugle.
The Santa Clara Vanguard Drum & Bugle Corps took 2023 off but is expecting to be back on the Drum Corps International tour in 2024.
Two days before Friday's announcement about The Cadets, a nonprofit board in Alabama announced it was ceasing operations of the Southwind Drum and Bugle Corps.
“We are very sad to shut down the corps,” said Cathy Chandler, board president of Empower Youth in the Performing Arts, which operated Southwind. “But the continued rising costs of transportation and housing within the current tour model, which accounts for almost 65 percent of the corps’ budget each summer, have placed the corps in a position where we are no longer able to participate and maintain financial stability."
Friday's report: The famed Cadets drum corps relocated to Erie County in 2023. It won't compete in 2024.
The Cadets on Friday also had announced the resignation of Vicki Ferrence Ray.
Reached by the Erie Times-News via Facebook Messenger, Ray issued this statement Monday: "I resigned as Executive Director of Cadets Arts & Entertainment Inc. due to unreasonable expectations of the board. I remain a fervent supporter of The Cadets and a true believer in the organization’s mission. Drum Corps is a magnificent activity with a life-changing impact on its participants, including me, as I marched with The Cadets in 1992. I encourage everyone to support their favorite drum corps or youth activity as they are able because, without enough donors and volunteers, nonprofit organizations and their programs cannot thrive. Those interested in supporting The Cadets should donate at cadets.org/donate."
More from The Cadets board chair
In his online Monday message, Broschak, the The Cadets board chair, said the organization's funding comes primarily from member fees/tuition and from donations.
"Member fees cover less than half of current-year expenses," he said. "Our donor base has historically provided a significant portion of the remaining, current-year funding need but not enough to cover the continually rising costs necessary to provide a quality experience for members, staff and volunteers. We developed and managed a balanced budget this past year, meaning our expected income equaled our expenses. We had no room for reserves and made operational decisions to cut costs, such as choosing less expensive staff/volunteer vehicles and using volunteer drivers. Other cuts included limiting staff size on tour and reducing most staff pay to minimum wage."
Broschak also said it was only within the week before Friday's meeting that the board reviewed the final results for the year and concluded that income was insufficient to cover expenses and there was less cash on hand than current debts and obligations.
"The moment that conclusion was reached, the board had an ethical responsibility to stop accepting money for the next season. The CAE Board made that decision Friday night, and we will now need to refund already collected fees for next year, in addition to addressing existing obligations," he said.
In his message, the board chair also said, "The CAE Board was already proactively working to solve this funding shortfall well before it reached this point. The decision to move the headquarters to Erie last spring was a first step in accessing and developing additional funding sources through new events and programming. Unfortunately, CAE could not develop those other funding sources fast enough. We will continue to reach out to outside experts for assistance."
Earlier in 2023: The Cadets drum corps made Erie its long-term home. What does that mean for the community?
Broschak on Tuesday told the Erie Times-News in a phone interview that The Cadets' "current model and business structure is simply not sustainable." He said he couldn't put a dollar amount on how much donors would need to give and wouldn't say what the organization's existing obligations are because there were still bills coming in from this year. But he said any donations to meet those obligations would be appreciated.
The goal for The Cadets now is to establish a sustainable business model, Broschak said, adding that he's optimistic that can be done.
The nonprofit Cadets Arts & Entertainment Inc. was only established in April 2020 and formed with no revenue, expenses or money in the bank, Broschak said. He said the nonprofit has been able to make things work for a few years but has known all along that the situation was tenuous.
While a new model is still in the works, Broschak said it includes strengthening The Cadets partnership with Erie Sports Center, which he called critical to the corps' success.
"The Cadet brand is stable," he said. "We will continue to do everything we can to keep The Cadet brand alive."
Founded in Garfield, New Jersey, in 1934 and first known as the Holy Name Cadets, the drum and bugle corps had been based in Allentown since 2004. The Cadets, which have about 165 members, moved its headquarters to Erie County in 2023 and are now based out of Erie Sports Center in Summit Township with a deal that runs for 11 years.
Despite some online criticism of the move to Erie, Borschak said Tuesday it was the correct move for The Cadets.
"Erie has been wonderful," he said.
What about the Lake Erie Fanfare?
An online "message from the Lake Erie Fanfare" that was posted before the August event said this would be its "final edition" and the "event will be gifted over to the Cadets as their new home show here in Erie."
Broschak told the Erie Times-News in August that it kind of made sense for his organization to take over the Erie competition after moving here.
He said it was likely The Cadets would take over starting with the 2024 event. The Lake Erie Fanfare's name would stay the same as would its early August date and possibly the Edinboro location used in recent years. The event was held for many years at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Erie.
The Cadets want to continue the four-decade legacy of the Lake Erie Fanfare and possibly even make it bigger, Broschak said in August.
Dana Massing can be reached at dmassing@timesnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Lake Erie Fanfare still possible despite Cadets' lack of 2024 competition
