The last ‘A ‘Borg and a Baritone’ post was in September 2019, at the end of the Drum Corps Associates (DCA) season.
This is likely just a two-post return. The first post is my return to marching and playing.
In 2020, Tiffany (a great HS friend) told me about the Kentucky Marching Pride, a marching band for members of the LGBTQ+ community; Allies of the community were also accepted. perform at the Kentuckiana Pride Parade and Festival, marching in the Parade. KMP would At the time, I was having some major-league foot issues but Tiffany offered to push me in a wheelchair, in the Parade, if I joined. I joined up… then COVID-19 shut everything down, including the Parade and the Festival.-forward
Fast-forward to late February 2022. I rejoined KMP. I was still dealing with foot issues but they were now in different parts and of different magnitudes.
KMP held 2 mandatory rehearsals: Saturday 6/4 and Saturday 6/11, from 6 PM – about 9 PM. From March until last weekend, the Brass and Woodwinds held voluntary rehearsals at KMP President Shain’s house (or a couple of other sites). I made it to 3 or 4 of those early rehearsals in March and April; there were generally 5-10 players at each. We practiced on mainly our Parade tune – “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston – with some warmup exercises thrown in. The Saturday rehearsals were on the music (making sure we all had it memorized) and some parade block techniques. If I had to change something about the Saturday rehearsals, I would add a 3rd one; one of the 3 rehearsals could then be a ‘Basic Block’ (marching fundamentals) for the new/’have not marched in years’ marchers. Other than that, the rehearsals went well! Brass and Winds sound pretty, pretty good; Guard looks good. Percussion struggled on the 2nd rehearsal but they should be ready for the Parade.
The Pride Parade is this Saturday, 6/18, starting at noon. It will be a 1.25-1.5 mile route through the NuLu and Waterfront districts of Louisville. I’m excited for it! I’ve never been to a Pride Festival (I’m an Ally) and have never marched in a Pride Parade. Heck, it’s been 9 years since I marched in a parade of any kind (Morristown, MN parade, with the Minnesota Brass Drum & Bugle Corps)! I get to march with 3 old friends from UofL, including my best friend, so that’ll be awesome. Plus, I have met some really cool people in KMP.
I hope to see some of my friends at the Parade! I don’t know how long I’ll stay at the Festival, after the Parade, but I hope to run into some friends there, also, regardless of sexual preferences!
The Nexus 