The intricate production of music drills and choreography that is the Summer Music Games of Southwest Virginia marched into the Salem Football Stadium on Monday, July 30. Buses full of talented musicians and performers from all over the country participated in this year’s event.
Attendees were treated to eight world-class corps: Boston Crusaders – Boston, MA, Carolina Crown – Ft. Mill, SC, Crossmen – San Antonio, TX, Genesis – Austin, TX, Jersey Surf – Camden County, NJ, Mandarins – Sacramento, CA, Pacific Crest – Diamond Bar, CA, and Pioneer – Milwaukee, WI.
Robin Reed, a WDBJ7 anchorman, served as event emcee.
According to Steve Belanger, the mission of Drum Corps International is “to bring the life-enriching benefits and enjoyment of marching music performing arts to as many people as possible worldwide.”
“This is accomplished by creating a stage for participating organizations to engage in education, competition, entertainment and the promotion of individual growth,” Belanger, a coordinator for the Summer Music Games, said. “This event brings the best of the best high school and college students from all over the world as they compete against other top corps to sharpen their skills and experiences.”
Despite the rain, that didn’t prevent thousands, including Roanoke County resident Rodney Jones, from coming out to support. “I look forward to bringing my family to this event every year. Even with Mother Nature not being in the best of moods, we still had a great time,” Jones said.
“The judges have a scorecard where they judge every aspect of the show,” Belanger said. Unfortunately, this year due to the rain and safety of the competitors, they did not score the corps that competed after the short rain delay.”
Ticket sales usually vary between 3,500 and 5,000, and proceeds from the competition directly support the Pride of Salem Marching Band.
“This show is one of the primary fundraisers for the Salem Band Boosters which supports all the band operations at Salem High School,” JT Fauber, former band boosters president, said. “This event takes several months to plan and coordinate and also takes many volunteers to pull it off.”
Salem has hosted the Summer Music Games for over 25 years, and Professional Relations Coordinator Teresa Sizemore-Hernandez anticipates that continuing in the future.
“It’s a perfect central location for so many people from many states to attend. The judges often say that Salem is the most hospitable location. The volunteers are hardworking, dedicated band parents as well as many none band parents that just want to support the band,” Hernandez, a Virginia Disability Determination Services employee, said. “This event shows what amazing citizens we have in Salem.”
