1980 Scrapbook

Repertoire:

Young Person's Guide to the Drum Corps - Benjamin Britten (arranged)

Artistry in Rhythm - Stan Kenton

Drum solo: I wouldn't want to be like you - Alan Parsons Project

You won't be there - Alan Parsons Project

The year:

Click on the above picture to see a larger version (it will take a while, 1 to 2 minutes)

Article fromThe Banner, June 11, 1980:

Marching bands compete in Newmarket Sunday

NEWMARKET - Marching bands from all over Ontario and from the United States will arrive Saturday to compete in the Ambassadors International Marching Band Competition.

The performances will get underway at 7:30 p.m. in the Newmarket Fairgrounds with competitions between seven cadet class bands.

It will be followed by Montate [sic][Sam's note: this should be "Montage"], from Scarborough, reputed to be the largest majorette and drum line in canada.

Four A-class bands will then compete, followed by a demonstration by the Oakland Crusaders, a senior band from Etobicoke.

The bands will come from New York, Ohio, Kitchener, Simcoe, Scarborough, Oshawa, Peterborough, London and Newmarket.

The public, however will get a preview of the bands as they participate in the Centennial Day Parade, travelling down Main St. and Davis Dr. at 1:30 p.m.

They will then disburse to various parks around town to rehearse before the night's competition.

Tickets for the event are $3 for adults, $2 for students and $1 for seniors and children under 12. Approximately 6,500 tickets are available and 1,400 has already been sold. Tickets will be available at the fairground gates

June 14, 1980, Newmarket, ON, Newmarket Fairgrounds: The Ambassadors International Marching Band Competition.
"A" class corps present:

Dutch Boy, Kitchener, ON
Ventures, Kitchener, ON
General Putnam's Men, Ottawa, OH (USA)

"C" class

1) Ambassadors, Newmarket/Aurora, ON 53
2) Kiwanis Kavaliers, Kitchener, ON
3) St. Andrew's, Cambridge, ON
also present:
Rebels, Oshawa, ON
Cardinal Cadets, Scarborough, ON

In exhibition:

Montage, Scarborough, ON
Regionnaires, St. Catherines, ON

June 22, 1980, Oshawa, ON, Civic Fields: 2nd Annual Rebels Invitational
"C" class

1) Ambassadors, Newmarket/Aurora, ON 61.5
2) Kiwanis Kavaliers, Kitchener, ON 60.1
3) St. Andrew's, Cambridge, ON 50.4
4) Durham Girls, Durham, ON 47.3
5) Rebels, Oshawa, ON 45.0
6) Cardinal Cadets, Scarborough, ON 37.4

Harry Vey jr. and Tyler Stewart at Impact '80, Newmarket, ON

photo credit: Newmarket-Aruroa Era, 1980

1980 US MidWest tour to Chicago, IL

June 27th, 1980 - Leave Newmarket

June 28, 1980, Manitowoc, WI, "Artistry in Motion", Royal Knights home show

Corps appearing:

Open class

Ambassadors, Aurora/Newmarket, ON
[Imperials, Skokie, IL] listed in program but did not compete
Memorial Lancers, St. Louis, MO
Royal Knights, Manitowoc, WI (in exhibition)
Bleu Raeders, Metairie, LA
Golden Knights, Southgate, KY

Senior

Minnesota Brass, St. Paul, MN

no scores available but Ambassadors were not the winners. - Sam

June 29, 1980, Cedarburg, WI, Festival of Music

Corps listed in program:

Cadet Corps

Phantom Regiment Cadets, Rockford, IL
Madison Jr. Scouts, Madison, WI
Cavalier Cadets, Chicago, IL
Kiltie Cadets, Racine, WI

Senior Corps

Spirit of '76, Racine, WI
Chicago Connection, Des Plaines, IL
Minnesota Brass, St. Paul, MN

Junior Open Class

Ambassadors, Aurora, ON
Bleu Raeders, Metairie, LA
Pioneer, Cedarburg, WI
Memorial Lancers, St. Louis, MO
Golden Knights, Southgate, KY

no scores available but Ambassadors were not the winners. - Sam

Housed in Franklin Park, Park District, IL

July 4, 1980 - 2 to 3 parades in the Chicago, IL area, including Evanston, IL.

July 6, Sunday, 1980, Franklin Park, IL

Corps appearing:

Ambassadors, Aurora, ON

no scores available but Ambassadors were not the winners. - Sam

July 7th, 1980 - Leave Franklin Park, IL for home

Article fromThe Banner, July 16, 1980:

Corps' tour sucessful

The Ambassadors Drum and Bugle Corps received red carpet treatment recently when its members were special guests at a parade staged in Evanston, Ill.

The town took the opportunity to thank the corps for Canada's help in spiriting six Americans out of the United States' embassy in Iran.

Corps director Paul Ranson said the band was honored that the Grand Marshal for the parade, Canada's Consul-General in Chicago, saluted the corps as it passed his dais.

The stop at Evanston was one of a dozen or more the Ambassadors made during a 10-day tour of Wisconsin and Illinois.

The corps took part in a number of competitions and parades along the way.

The second highlight of the trip was the Ambassadors' participation in the Lions Club International Parade in Chicago.

The band was hired to represent their country in the event.

Mr. Ranson said the corps fared exceptionally well in competition. The cadet corps band competed in the higher "A" level and managed to place close to the top at most contests.

"I'm very pleased with the bands performance. They did their best show ever on Sunday (in Franklin Park, Ill.)," said Mr. Ranson in an interview.

"Everything just clicked. The drill was good and everything was just -- wow. It was a good finale to the tour."

July 19, 1980, Scarborough, ON, Birchmount Stadium: Provincial '80
"C" class prelims

1) Kiwanis Kavaliers, Kitchener, ON 73.07
2) Ambassadors, Newmarket/Aurora, ON 71.01
3) Durham Girls, Durham, ON 61.03
4) Golden Lions, Simcoe, ON 57.0
5) Rebels, Oshawa, ON 53.0
6) Cardinal Cadets, Scarborough, ON 49.05
7) Townsmen, Leamington, ON 43.05
8) Blue Saints, Sudbury, ON 40.02

"C" class finals

1) Kiwanis Kavaliers, Kitchener, ON ??
2) Ambassadors, Newmarket/Aurora, ON 68.05
3) Durham Girls, Durham, ON 61.1
4) Golden Lions, Simcoe, ON 52.6

August 2, 1980, Hamilton, ON, Ivor Wynne Stadium: DCI Canada "C" class competition
Prelims, 9:00 a.m.

1) Ambassadors, Newmarket/Aurora, ON 72.3
2) St. Andrew's, Cambridge, ON 61.9
3) Durham Girls, Durham, ON 60.6
4) Rebels, Oshawa, ON 46.5
5) Cardinal Cadets, Scarborough, ON 44.6
6) Golden Lions, Simcoe, ON 40.3
7) Cadets of Gardner, Gardner MA 38.3

Sunday August 3, 1980 - Hamilton ON, DCI Canada Finals, Ivor Wynne Stadium

Position	Corps	Score
1	Blue Devils, Concord, CA	87.00
2	Spirit of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA	82.60
3	Cavaliers, Chicago, IL	79.30
4	Troopers, Casper, WY	76.20
5	Avant Garde, Saratoga Springs, NY	66.75
6	Offensive Lions, Jonquiere, QC	62.10
7	Ventures, Kitchener-Waterloo, ON	59.35
8	Les Chatelaines, Laval, QC	54.60
9	Black Watch, Willingboro, NJ	54.10
10	1st Canadian Regiment, Edonton, AB	47.35
11	Les Troubadours, Victoriaville, QC	44.70

"A" class/Open class scores from corpsreps.com

Newmarket Era [?], August 1980

A TRIUMPHAL MARCH

The Ambassadors march in triumph! Pictured here as they hosted a recent thank-you competition in Newmarket which welcomed area residents to attend, the drum corps claimed its third consecutive national championship class title in trials held in Jonquiere, Que. last weekend. The corps also won the national novice and bantam classes in 1975 and 1976, and moves up to B class competition in 1981

photo credit: Aase Hansen (Newmarket Era?), 1980

August 17, 1980, Newmarket, ON, Huron Heights S.S.: "C" Circuit Championships
Prelims, 1:00 p.m.

"C" class finals

1) Kiwanis Kavaliers, Kitchener, ON 76.6
2) Ambassadors, Newmarket/Aurora, ON 76.0
also present:
Cardinal Cadets, Scarborough, ON
Durham Girls, Durham, ON
Rebels, Oshawa, ON
St. Andrew's, Cambridge, ON
Townsmen, Leamington, ON

caption trophies: M&M - Kavaliers. Percussion, Drum Major - Ambassadors, Brass - ?

jr "C" class finals

1) Canadian Knights, Peterborough, ON ?
also present:
Imperials, London, ON
Georgian Lancers, Owen Sound, ON

August 24, 1980, Jonquiere, QC, Stade du Parc de la Polyvalente Kenogami: Championnat du Canada (C. D. C. A.)
"C" class finals

1) Ambassadors, Newmarket/Aurora, ON 76.3
2) Kiwanis Kavaliers, Kitchener, ON 72.9
3) Gendarmes Lions d'Aylmer, Aylmer, QC 64.9
4) St. Andrew's, Cambridge, ON 57.0

From the Newmarket Era, August 27(?), 1980:

Ambassadors win!

by MARLA FLETCHER
Era news editor

NEWMARKET - They say that good things come in threes and members of the triumphant Ambassadors Drum Corps would certainly agree this week.

The corps returned to Newmarket Monday the national champions of their C class for the third consecutive year, after bowing to the Kitchener Kavaliers in preliminary competitions.

When the Ambassadors were away for the national competition, held in Jonquiere, Que., another pair of good things were behalf.

Moved by accounts of the corps' difficulty in finding an outdoor practice area where residents won't be bothered by their rehearsals, two area residents called the Era to offer the use of their lands.

Eric Jarvis, the owner of a nudist club near Sharon, offered the use of a 50-acre field next to the campgrounds is flat, clear and surrounded by trees. The band members could make arrangements with the club to avoid any embarrassing encounters, he explained, and they "wouldn't have to take their clothes off.""

"It's always nice to do the bureaucrats in," Mr. Jarvis noted. "This will be my one chance."

Sheila Jeffreys of Newmarket called this office to say that she and her husband own 10 acres of land on Davis Dr. east of Woodbine Ave. that the band is also welcome to use.

Mrs. Jeffreys added, "It seems a shame that these kids who aren't going out and breaking windows and things have no place to play...They wouldn't bother anybody out here."

His voice devoid of the cynical tone it had in recent weeks, and elated Paul Ranson, executive director of the drum corps, talked about the national competition Monday.

"The change (in our kids' attitude) was just phenomenal," he stated. "Our lack of practice had faulted us...The kids just turned on with the idea that we may have been five points behind in the preliminaries but that wasn't going to stop us...They worked very industriously for their instructors and took great pains to learn the lessons being stressed."

When he learned of the new practice land possibilities, Mr. Ranson was delighted. "Wow! That's absolutely fantastic," he exclaimed, as he hurried to contact would-be benefactors. "We'll be depending on practice facilities, the instructors, the work our members are willing to do and on individual merit when we move up a class (to B class competition) next year."

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