Trix on Tour (4): Wonderful Allentown feeling

Beatrix Drum & Bugle Corps is on tour in the United States to take part in the DCI competition. Episode 4: The days after the wonderful experiences in Allentown.

Sunday, July 25
The party feeling about the wonderful performance in Allentown was followed by a long night. The next day we started at 12.30 with the rehearsal. In spite of the beatiful show and the good score this rehearsal was needed because the jury had comments to perfect show on several points.

The rehearsal began as a long but at ease warming-up. The staff was very sharp on the individual performance; movement, attitude, condition, etcetera. After such a beautiful day in Allentown, it was hard for everybody to concentrate so the rehearsal was a bit hard. The most important piece of the show to correct at this moment is the ballad. After some changes to the show figures, this part of the show was cleaned.

The run-through at the end was a good ending of the rehearsal. Everybody had time to relax before we went on the busses heading for a long night trip to Cincinatti. We will perform a concert for the General Electric Company and they will offer us a barbeque, so we are looking forward to that.

We will remember Allentown as a beautiful drum corps town where we took the opportunity to show ourselves in the best way on a great evening. Performing an amazing show as single Division II corps in Allentown, playing 'America/O Canada' with all other drum corps, and of course our percussion battery that played all Division I corps onto the field at the Olympic Retreat. A wonderful drum corps experience that we will remember as one of the most special highlights of the 2004 tour!

Monday, July 26
At 22.00 hours we left voor Cincinnatti. In the little town Fairfield, Beatrix would be guest for one day. A trip of 10.5 hours took us to the new location. We would have a free day here. Upon arrival the majority of the members decided to go to sleep until 11.30 hours. After that, we had a lunch with delicious pancakes. From 13.30 until 15.30 hours, there was an opportunity to shop or, as some did, to bowl. Nice and easy in unfortunately rainy weather.

The housing was offered by GE and therefore we did a concert. A very good and musical concert. Beatrix is growing every day and the concert was great to listen to. At the end of the concert, just before the closer, Henk invited Jim, our busdriver of bus two, and his wife to step forward. They will be having their 40th year anniversary next week and therefore we dedicated the closer Summertime to them. We all know that Beatrix is an emotional corps and again it was a goosebump moment.

After the concert they offered us dinner by GE - a BBQ. What an enormous quantity of food it was. There will be taken a lot of doggy bags to the busses today. And that while the members eat like crazy. At 22.00 hours we will leave to the next location in St Louis. A trip of seven hours.