The two shows, and hence by Doug Madar the entire organization as we now know it, would never The Charlotte Drum Corps Association have even gotten off the was started in January 1988 by a group of ground had it not been for drum corps enthusiasts. Meetings several board members were held at local restaurants. The paying the initial deposits on

first officers of the CDCA included n the show contract fees. Bill Loelius, president; Kevin n “Southern Gold Classic” Smith, vice president; and Luann was very poorly attended and Bislecki, treasurer. lost money. “NightBEAT” w The goal was to sponsor a drum w was a success. and bugle corps show to see what One of our first sponsors, interest there was in the Carolinas. the Mecklenburg County Park o At the show, there was a poll done o and Recreation Department, (photo by David Rice to see how many marching emerged. This was the first fCroamro ltihnea cCorlolewcnti,o 1n9 o9f4 , at the DCI Champ).ionships in Foxboro, MA r members were from the Charlotte r of many great “breaks” the Drum Corps World area. Committee members were organization would get over the years and the time. Remarkably, the owner of the horns shocked to learn hundreds of start of a fantastic partnership that continues trusted us. We were determined to make C young people from the Charlotte C today with Mecklenburg County Parks & every payment on time and we did. It was

area were already marching in Recreation headed by Crown-supporter our third break. drum corps all across the country. Wayne Weston. We were ready to go and, to be honest, Our goal was to eventually start “NightBEAT” gave us our seed money. our knees were knockin’. We were afraid. a a drum corps. But the past a Many were out in the community trying to How would we get through the first year with experience of the group dictated drum up support. The Queen City Optimists an annual budget of approximately $56,000

we should be financially n made a proposal. They would give us $1,000, and 61 members? responsible and so we started on a n but we had to quit talking about starting a Kevin Smith was the interim director. We i course of long, slow growth. We i drum corps and just do it. The money had to told our mostly volunteer staff that we l wanted everything in place when l be used to buy equipment. wanted readily recognizable music. To our we started. We bought used drums from a defunct surprise, they came up with selections from During that first year, the Florida drum corps, sight unseen. Ludwig “The Music Man.” We ended up 33rd in o organization also took on the o refurbished them for us for nothing -- our open class. extremely large task of organizing first endorsement and our second big break. We actually should have started out in r r division II, but that was just our inexperience showing.

a Some of the early key staffers were Don a Flewell, Cecil Adderly, Bill Register, Van Matthews, Vince Thomas and Gil Doggett. C

C Over the next three years, Carolina Crown competed in division II/III and won the division II world championship in 1993 at the DCI Championships in Jackson, MS, with music from “La Fiesta Mexicana.” In 1994, Crown was 17th in division I and then broke into the top 12 in 1995 with the “Stormworks” production. The year after was another groundbreaking year with “Chess . . . and the Art of Strategy.” Crown was 10th. We also purchased our first “store bought” new uniforms. All uniforms for the first six

(Above) (photo by Orlin Wagner from the collectionC oafr olina Crown, 1993, )a; t( rtihgeh tD) CI Championships in Jackson, MS (photo by Dan Scafidi from tDhreu mco Clleocrtpiosn W oof rld 1995, at) .the DCI Championships in Buffalo, NY Drum Corps World and running two drum corps shows: Now to find the horns. We “Southern Gold Classic,” a Drum Corps East- heard about some two-valve sanctioned event held at Davidson College, bugles for sale in California. We and the Drum Corps International- wisely inspected them and sanctioned “NightBEAT,” held at American determined they would be Legion Memorial Stadium in downtown perfect. We offered a price with Charlotte, its home to this day. one-third down and the rest on 204 years were made was too much work for at home by the amount of profit volunteers. The taken in, so efforts were philosophy of intensified to make long, slow “NightBEAT” the biggest growth and fiscal and the best. Hopefully responsibility more profit would follow. was working. It did. As we grew The Carolina Crown and prospered, mission statement, we were deluged “Developing lifelong with requests excellence in young from other people through a groups and superior and challenging committees arts education looking to start a experience,” permeates drum corps. We the entire organization. did the best we Not only is there could, trying to Carolina Crown, but two pass out advice. drum corps shows, CrownTickets (a ticket (Above) printing service), The Carolina Crown, Crown Store (guard, July( p9h, o1t9o9 b9y, iRn iBchuaffrad lo, NWYe rsinger from the band and corps collection of equipment and supplies) )D; r(ulem ft) Corps( pWhortlod by Alan and many honors band 1W9i9n6slow from the programs for middle collection of school students in the ) Drum Corps World . Charlotte area. We cannot forget the Crown Jewels program, CrownCLUB (booster club) and crownBEAT (Internet newsletter). A proud history, indeed, and only 14 years young. Division show placements at DCI 1990/I, “The Music Man,” 33; 1991/II, “Music of Prokofiev,” 2; 1992/II, “Dances of Malcolm Arnold,” 3; 1993/II, “La Fiesta Mexicana,” 1; 1994/I “A Southwestern Impression,” 17; 1995/I, “Stormworks,” 11; 1996/I, “Chess . . . and the Art of Strategy,” 10; 1997/I, “Postcards from Britain,” 12; 1998/I, “Heroes . . . Then and Now,” 11; 1999/I, “Jekyll and Hyde,” 11; 2000/I, “The Mask of Zorro,” 11; 2001/I, “Industry,” 10; 2002/I, “Greek Mythology, Stories of Gods and Heroes,” 16.

Doug Madar works for Paul (Right) Simon Co., a gentlemen’s Caroli(npah Cotroo wbyn ,R 2o0n0 2W, aaltl otchhe fDroCmI Cthhea mcopllieocntsiohnip so fi n Madison, WI) . Drum clothier in uptown Charlotte. Corps World He has two grown children, one As a group, we always wanted to have the was a charter member of best drum corps and show possible, but we Carolina Crown. always kept to our main philosophy of long, When he is not volunteering slow, planned growth. We didn’t spend with Crown, Madar is active in the American money we didn’t have. Director (no longer Legion. interim) Smith saw to that. He is a charter member of the Carolina The original group to formulate the CDCA Crown board and has served on the finance (now Carolina Crown Inc.) included Smith, committee. He is currently a Carolina Loelius, Lisa Camann, Bialicki, Tom Corkhill, Crown executive committee member. He has Fred Pollette and Doug Madar. Some key chaired “NightBEAT” and/or has been the players who came in soon after were Andy board member responsible for the show’s Crews (responsible for many of Crown’s oversight since it was established in 1988. terrific graphics), Steve Tant and Carol and He is also a highly regarded member of the Kerry Srdar. DCI Tour Event Promoters Advisory “NightBEAT . . . A Drum and Bugle Corps Committee, has served as its secretary and Event” also evolved into championship status. for the past two years as chairman. It was where the money came from to round Madar was honored in 2001 as a DCI out the year. The show proceeds were used as Volunteer of the Year. In 2002, he continued cash flow to keep the corps on tour. to serve as “NightBEAT” sponsorship chair Around 1994, the committee decided it and show DCI representative. 205