I Love a Parade, 1984
Today I have the pleasure of sharing more slides from Lou Perry, scanned for us by his daughter, Sue B. These are from 1984, a mere 40 years ago (gulp). I assume that the "5" on the date stamp means May, while the "G" stands for Golf.
I have the feeling that Disneyland sometimes let high school bands march on Main Street? I do know that they let schools come to visit and perform, my niece and nephew did it for several years. Though they did not march! They just walked up to people and made a noise on their respective instruments as loudly as possible. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Anyway, here's the Mountain View (El Monte) marching band. El Monte is east of downtown LA, if you must know.
Thank you for your service, ladies! I'm imagining a marching band version of "Let's Go Crazy" by Prince and the Revolution. I'm sure Prince was a big fan of marching bands! You can just tell.
I guess the school colors were (are?) blue, white, and gold; Mary Blair would approve.
My friend told me that people in marching bands wear those tall hats because they can keep an ice-cold 2-liter bottle of Mountain Dew stored for especially hot days. Why did I never think of that?
Not being an expert on marching bands, I'm not sure what you would call the group of young ladies following the band. Majorettes (not to be confused with Raisinettes)? The Color Guard?
Why, my school spirit is soaring! I hope the team murdalizes the opposition! But in a scholarly fashion, I'm not a barbarian.
THANK YOU, Lou and Sue!
8 comments:
Major-
In the 2nd image I spot a 'hair malfunction' - bangs run-amok. (Someone grab the Aqua Net-!)
When marching bands move into [their respective] stadiums, they are usually followed by its drill team. I assume that's the group 'bringing up the rear', as it were, as seen in the 5th image.
Thanks as always to Lou and Sue. And The Major... (are you the 'Band Major' for this post-?)
Nice, crisp & clear photos; Lou Perry's trademark!
1) The banner bearers are saluting us. Or maybe the sun is in their eyes. Man, those are REALLY big marshmallows the band members have on their heads! Oh, and there are 5 (visible) trashcans.
2) Nanook has this one covered, so I'll skip to number...
3) They put too much starch in the flag, it's standing straight up!
4) Major, I still think those "tall hats" are super-sized marshmallows.
5) I don't know what those young ladies in the back of the parade are called either, but they're carrying large ice cream cones. (I know it's their gloved hands, but why are they holding them in the air?) That one gal in white just noticed, "Dang! My shoe is untied!" The gal next to her seems to be having a wardrobe malfunction.
6) Black Bart must've showed up; all the girls have their arms in the air, "Stick 'em up!"
Happy birthday Donald! And thanks to Lou, Sue, and Major for today's photos.
I agree with Nanook, the young ladies are most likely the school's "drill team."
My high school's band was invited to march at Disneyland every year, I believe. I've mentioned this before, but during my senior year, I was one of my high school's mascots. We were invited to join the band at Disneyland, but they would not allow us to drive ourselves onto the property. We would have had to arrive on the bus with the band. Since it was a long tradition for the mascots' identities to be kept a secret until the very end of the school year, we just weren't willing to reveal ourselves to the entire band, and it wouldn't have been practical to stay in costume for the entire trip. Oh, well! But that was the same year that I was in Disneyland's Christmas parade, so I still got to "parade down Main Street."
Thank you Major, Lou, Sue and Mountain View High School!
Young lady, that is not the proper way to render honors while carrying a rifle! And there is no way that weapon would pass inspection. Good grief - how on Earth did you manage to lose both the trigger group AND the barrel? Drop and give me twenty! No, you idiot - dollars! Fine, I’ll take it in a mix of bills and quarters but NO PENNIES! Now MOVE!!!!
My high school had a Cheerleader Squad, a Flag Corps (which was part of the Band), and a Drill Team (which was not but marched after them in local parades but were not invited on trips to places like the Rose Parade). There were also more colorful names used by Band members to (mostly inaccurately) describe these groups of young ladies - the Thrill Team, the Seduction Squad, and another name I won’t repeat that rhymed and ended with the word “Corps.” Ahhh…the maturity of high school boys…
TM!, you could have worn a white oval on the bus. Well, maybe not. Everyone would have recognized you.
^ That was Chuck. Thanks, Blogger…
Thanks for reminding me Major that this was 40 years ago...I'm feeling so very young right now: not only was I an adult then, I already had a somewhat seasoned Disneyland career...in a word "eek". Thank God for moisturizers. That being said: Disneyland gets free entertainment, and the kids get a free day at Disneyland and the day off school...sounds like a win, win, win. I'm not sure the band costumes communicate "Viking", but in California there are many meanings for many things. Band people seemed to be in their own world: with much more discipline than the thespian-types that I was hanging with. We were slightly unbridled...shocking as that may seem. It's nice to see a somewhat OG Main Street: with Hallmark and Kodak there. and a perfectly painted Castle at the end of the street. Looks like the new trees on the street are at their appropriate scale: and Donald has a birthday. 1984 was quite the year. Thanks to Lou and Sue and Major. Is a male majorette called a major?
WDW has high school bands all the time, I think.
I remember on my honeymoon trip we were astonished to see the Graham, Texas High School marching band going down Main Street. Graham is my father-in-law's home town, with a population of about 8,000.
Yes, a male majorette is called a Major. And a Color Guard precedes the band, and indeed, the whole parade, carrying the National Colors, as well as other subsidiary flags as may be required for the event.
Those tall hats are modern versions of the bearskin shakos worn by the French Army Imperial Guard, and subsequently adopted after their victory over the French by the British Grenadier Guards, who still wear them on guard in Whitehall. They could undoubtedly conceal a goodly quantity of chilled drinks.
These are fine parade photos, thanks Lou and Sue! Major, thanks for the commentary!
JG
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