The 1930 Racine Boys of 76.
By George Fennell.
This article appeared in the February, 2005 issue of Drum Corps World. Copyright 2005.
In 1930 there were only a few competitive opportunities for Midwest senior drum and bugle corps. The Racine Boys of 76’s
philosophy at this time was to compete as much as possible, so they took advantage of these few available competitive
opportunities and they were quite successful at it.
The summer of 1930 started off with the Boys of 76 winning the American Legion Drum and Bugle Corps contest held at the
state convention in Fond du Lac, WI. This began one of the most successful competitive years that the Boys of 76
experienced to date.
On Saturday, 8-23-30, the Boys of 76 took first place in the Senior Corps Division at the huge 1st annual Chicagoland Music
Festival. Second place was awarded to the American Legion Drum and Bugle Corps of Kankakee, Il.
The Chicagoland Music Festival Drum and Bugle Corps Contest, hailed as the Midwest Drum and Bugle Corps Championship,
took place during the day in Grant Park in Chicago. The Chicago area corps competed at 9:00 AM and the out of town corps
competed at 10 AM.
On Sunday, 8-31-30, five drum and bugle corps from Wisconsin American Legions Posts were to compete at the Wisconsin
State Fair at Milwaukee as a feature of American Legion Day. The five drum corps scheduled to compete in this 7 PM
competition in front of the administration building were: Racine, Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, Fort Atkinson and Beloit.
The day before this competition at the Wisconsin State Far was to take place, three of the drum corps withdrew from this
competition leaving only the Racine Boys of 76 and the Fond du Lac drum and bugles corps left. The competition was
cancelled and both the Racine Boys of 76 and the Fond du Lac drum corps instead presented an exhibition before the
grandstand preceding the evening circus performance and the fireworks display.
On Wednesday, 9-10-30, the Boys of 76’s annual gift ball was held in Racine’s Memorial Hall. The proceeds of this dance
were used to defray the expenses of the corps’ trip to Boston to participate in the thirteenth annual national convention of the
American Legion.
The gift ball started out Wednesday evening with a concert by the S. C. Johnson Company Band on Monument Square. At
the conclusion of this concert it paraded into Memorial Hall where they played a half hour concert from 8:30 to 9 o’clock. At
the conclusion of that concert, the Byron Freeman All-Star Orchestra then supplied the entertainment. Dancing lasted from 9
to 2 o’clock.
The annual gift ball featured a girls’ ticket sales contest. The winner was awarded the title of “Miss 76” for 1930 and an all-
expense paid trip to the national American Legion convention in Boston with the Boys of 76 drum and bugle corps. However,
the winning girl could opt for a cash prize instead. There were also second and third prizes.
The 1930 American Legion national convention was held in Boston, Mass. Preliminary competition was held on Wednesday
afternoon, 10-08-30, with finals held that same Wednesday night Boston Braves Field.
On Friday night, 10-03-30, at 8 o’clock the 66 member Boys of 76 drum and bugle corps assembled at Memorial Hall in
downtown Racine. The drum corps then put on their traveling uniforms and marched to the downtown railroad station of the
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific railroad where they, along with a delegation of 40 others, departed on a special train
at 9 o’clock for the American Legion national convention in Boston, Mass. In Chicago the train was switched over to the
Michigan Central railroad with the balance of the trip made over the Canadian Pacific and Rutland roads.
After stops in Detroit, Mich., Saturday morning; Toronto, Canada, at 2:45 o’clock that afternoon; and 11 o’clock Saturday
night in Montreal, Canada, where they had a 3 hour stop-over, the Boys of 76 finally reached Boston at 10 o’clock Sunday
morning, 10-05-30.
While in Boston for their four day stay to attend the American Legion national convention, the Boys of 76 were guests of
American Legion Post #11 and Association of Commerce of Brookline, Mass., a suburb of Boston. Upon the Boys of 76’s
arrival in Boston, the Brookline Post #11 furnished an escort of 100 automobiles to transfer the Boys of 76 and Post 76
delegates from Boston to Brookline, Mass.
Newburyport, Mass., was host to the Boys of 76 drum and bugle corps on Sunday, 10-05-30. Located about 35 miles from
Boston, the Boys of 76 drum and bugle corps paraded through Newburyport entertaining the residents. Afterward, the drum
corps members were guests of the municipality at a banquet which was presided over by the mayor. Sunday night the Boys
of 76 were busy in Boston’s downtown business district performing concerts and doing short parades.
Monday morning, 10-06-30, the Boys of 76 practiced. Then Monday afternoon the Boys of 76 were the guests of Wellington
Sears at his estate in Brookline. Later on Monday, the Boys of 76 were entertained by Larz Andersen, former U.S.
Ambassador to Japan, on his vast estate also in Brookline. He presented each of the members of the Boys of 76 drum and
bugle corps with souvenirs following the luncheon.
A feature of the 1930 American Legion national convention was the big parade held on Tuesday, 10-07-30. The Boys of 76
drum and bugle corps headed the Wisconsin delegation in this parade.
Tuesday night the Boys of 76 along with other American Legion drum and bugle corps participated in a parade in Brookline,
Mass. The Boys of 76 won the $100 first prize in cash.
Wednesday found 60 American Legion Senior drum and bugle corps competing in prelims with the Boys of 76 placing 7th
and earning a spot in Wednesday night‘s finals. The top ten drum corps from prelims joined with the 1929 American Legion
Champions, Frankfort Post #211 of Philadelphia, PA., to compete in an 11 corps finals. The top ten drum corps in preliminary
competition and their scores were:
1. 91.225 Harvey W. Seeds Post #29, Miami, FL
2. 90.220 Elyria Post #12, Elyria, OH
3. 89.750 Lafayette Post #51, Uniontown, PA
4. 88.775 Oneida Post #169, Oneida, NY
5. 88.700 Ft. Dodge Post #130, Fort Dodge, IA
6. 88.355 York, PA
7. 87.775 Boys of 76, Racine, WI
8. 87.655 South Pasadena, CA
9. 87.345 Gardner, MA
10. 86.185 Leland M. Barnett Post #123, Norwood, OH
Between the prelims and finals a dinner was given the Boys of 76 drum and bugle corps back in Brookline. During this dinner
the members of the drum corps were praised for their work and conduct by the town committee, which had been selected to
care for their every want.
“At no time have I seen the boys in such wonderful spirits,” said Gus Malme after prelims. Gus Malme was the official
photographer for the Boys of 76 drum corps. “Even after placing seventh in the prelims, they came back to their quarters in
Brookline with much pep and eagerness.”
Apparently this “pep and eagerness” that Gus Malme spoke of paid off handsomely for the Boys of 76. They put on what was
described as a “splendid” performance in finals and took second place, just missing winning the national championship by .18
of a point.
Here are the results of the finals of the 1930 American Legion national convention’s Drum and Bugle Corps Championship
held in Boston:
Cadence Marching Maneuvering Drums Bugles Ave.
Corps Name: Insp. Jd..1 Jd.2 Jd.1 Jd.2 Jd.1 Jd.2 Jd.1 Jd.2 Jd.1 Jd.2 Score
1. Miami, Fla. 13.25 9.67 9.33 14.50 12.50 19.80 17.00 19.25 19.25 19.25 19.25 93.15
2. Racine, Wis. 13.50 9.67 9.67 14.50 12.50 19.50 17.10 19.00 18.75 19.50 18.75 92.97
3. Frankfort, Pa. 13.60 9.00 9.33 14.50 12.50 19.50 16.90 18.00 19.25 18.00 18.00 91.09
4. Oneida, N.Y. 13.30 10.00 10.00 12.20 12.40 15.90 16.20 18.75 18.50 18.75 18.50 88.90
5. S. Pasedena, Calif. 12.90 9.33 9.67 14.00 11.00 19.00 15.40 18.25 18.25 18.50 18.25 88.72
6. Fort Dodge, Ia. 13.40 10.00 10.00 12.20 11.10 16.50 14.90 18.50 18.50 18.50 18.50 87.75
7. Elyria, Oh. 13.10 9.67 9.33 12.00 11.60 15.90 16.50 18.50 18.50 18.50 18.50 87.60
8. Uniontown, Pa. 12.80 10.00 10.00 11.50 10.60 15.50 15.60 19.00 19.00 19.00 19.00 87.40
9. Norwood, Pa. 13.20 7.67 7.33 11.50 11.30 15.70 15.00 18.00 18.00 18.00 18.00 83.45
10. York, Pa. 13.00 10.00 10.00 11.00 11.00 15.00 15.00 17.00 17.00 17.00 17.00 83.00
11. Gardner, Mass. 12.50 9.00 9.00 12.50 10.60 15.00 14.70 17.00 17.00 16.50 16.50 81.40
The Boys of 76 appeared in their new white West Point style uniforms with gold braiding, stripes and ornamentation. The full
corps was now wearing the same uniforms that their drum majors had been wearing for years. The Boys of 76 were expecting
the high inspection score that they received because of their new uniforms. The inspection judge reportedly commented on
their new uniforms even before he had finished his inspection of the drum corps.
The Boys of 76 couldn’t say enough about the generous hospitality of Brookline Post #11 and of the citizens of Brookline.
Many members of the drum corps returned their lunch money saying that the hospitality of the citizens would not permit them
to buy their meals. Hotel bills were even paid for by Brookline Post #11.
The Boys of 76’s members were also so impressed with Boston that they voted to stay an extra day in Boston. Planning
originally to leave Boston on Thursday, 10-09-30, the day after the competition, the corps members instead spent Thursday
enjoying sight-seeing trips and an entire free day in Boston. This extra day in Boston took a day away from their planned two-
day stopover in Montreal, Canada, on the way home.
The Boys of 76 finally made the trip by train to Montreal on Friday, 10-10-30. The drum corps then left Montreal on Saturday
evening, 10-11-30, at 6 o’clock and arrived in Racine at the downtown Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific railroad depot
shortly before 8:45 o’clock Sunday night, 10-12-30.
The Boys of 76 arrived in Racine to a very noisy reception with over 5,000 people lined up on Main Street to greet them. The
drum corps marched from the depot in their new West Point style uniforms, receiving loud applause along the route to
Monument Square. There the Boys of 76 played a stand still concert which featured a new concert number. Hundreds
jammed the street in an effort to see this concert. Afterward, the drum corps members went home.
Shortly after the 1930 American Legion national convention in Boston was over, the Main Street Theater in downtown Racine
received and began showing movies of this conventions festivities.
The American Legion “Boys of 76” Drum and Bugle Corps held its annual business meeting and election of officers on 10-21-
30, the first meeting since its return from the American Legion national convention at Boston. M. W. Young was named
president.
Other officers follow:
Arthur Gilman Jr., vice-president; Chester Nelson, secretary; Fred Maxted, drillmaster; Wilbur Hansen, corps manager. The
board of governors consisted of the following men: H. W. Groenke, W. Bezucha, Elmer Hillburg, Viggo Matson, B. J. Smollen
and Frank Buckley.
Fred Schulte was named drum instructor and Allan Gere was named bugle instructor. B. J. Smollen continued as director of
publicity.
At this meeting it was announced that the drum corps had incurred a large debt as a result of its trip to Boston. Various ways
and means were employed to reduce the debt during the next year.
The first turnout for the Boys of 76 since competing at the Boston convention was on Sunday, 10-26-30, when they paraded
and performed an exhibition in connection with the dedication of the new Salvation Army citadel at Washington and Phillips
avenues.