
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, August 6, 1994                   TAG: 9408090048
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY  
SOURCE: CHARLES STEBBINS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SALEM                                 LENGTH: Medium

NEW RIVER FOLKS AMONG STRUTTERS AT BUGLE CORPS SHOW

Several New River Valley musicians will perform in Salem next week in a sporting event of a different kind - music games featuring top-rated drum and bugle corps, precision marching units.

The second Summer Music Games of Southwest Virginia at the Salem stadium Tuesday will be one of only two shows in Virginia this year sanctioned by the Drum Corps International. The other will be at Hampton on Thursday.

The Salem show begins at 7 p.m.

Of 60 Virginians to appear in the Salem show, two are from the Roanoke Valley. Several others are from other areas in Southwest Virginia. T. Almon English of Roanoke and Kurt Akers of Salem will perform with the Cadets of Bergen County, N.J.

Kurt Ferrari of Blacksburg also will perform with the Bergen group, while Jason Dooley of Radford and John Stout of Dublin will perform with the Carolina Crown from Charlotte, N.C.

Onsby Rose and Richie Mahoney, both of Abingdon, also will perform.

Seven drum and bugle corps from six states will appear during the Salem show. The headliner will be the Phantom Regiment of Rockford/Love's Park, Ill., making its first appearance in Virginia.

Others to perform in Salem are the Knights from Rock Island, Ill.; the Santa Clara Vanguard of Santa Clara, Calif.; the Colts of Dubuque, Iowa; the Boston Crusaders of Boston, Mass.; the Troopers of Caspar, Wyo.; and the Marauders of Longview, Wash.

"This is a strong show," said Mary Loritsch, a member of the Salem Band Boosters and one of the organizers. She described it as being of "Super Bowl quality."

Attendance is expected to reach about 4,000, Loritsch said, with spectators from throughout the country.

Loritsch said all the units in the show are among the top 25 drum corps in the world sanctioned by Drum Corps International.

Drum corps applicants perform in tryouts during November and December. Those selected must spend one weekend a month between January and May practicing. They spend the summer with their unit touring the country and perfecting their skills, Loritsch said.

One of those summer shows is the one in Salem.

All the summer shows are aimed toward the world championship event, which will be in Boston Aug.15-20.

The Summer Music Games of Southwest Virginia gets under way at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Salem Stadium. All seats are $12.

by CNB