The Journal...
Welcome to the greatly anticipated 2nd installment of our newly created, award winning, spectacular special
feature: The Contest Journal.
This week Tim and I decided to go to New Albany to take in the sites and sounds of the
WGI Percussion Southern Indiana Regionals.
We got a late start on our trip and in the rush to leave we forgot to pick up our collection of Zamfir CDs. We
didn’t notice this until about a third of the way into the trip. Luckily for us, Tim had his
Slim Whitman "Live
at Red Rocks" double CD. The unmistakable sound of America’s most beloved yodeler was just what the doctor
ordered as we headed east on I-64.
Here is just a sample
of this great artist's legacy.
Those of you who have had the opportunity to drive Interstate 64 across southern Indiana know that it is
dotted with hundreds of interesting landmarks and other scenic highlights.
Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the ecstasy of the tunes we listen to (like Slim Whitman or Zamfir),
that we get a little lost. Fortunately for us the folks at New Albany anticipated this.
When we got inside the gym at New Albany, I decided to check out the floor so I could figure out the best
place to shoot photos of the performing units. When people in the audience figured out that I was the person
the out on the floor, they began to get pretty rowdy and started throwing pennies and batteries at me. Now
how did they know that I was running short on batteries for my cameras?
People who visit our site have come to expect high quality photographs of the events we cover. To ensure
that we get great photos, we use professional 35mm film. In this photo, I remove the blank film from its
cartridge and check it over for any flaws before I load it in my camera.
One of the cool things about covering the pageantry arts is that we see some really cutting edge stuff
from the performing groups. Even this was taken a step further at the WGI regional at New Albany. The
eatery concessionaires premiered a specialized menu developed specifically for winter percussion
competitions. Items on the menu were known collectively as "Fude" and each product came complete with
no-nonsense labeling. It became apparent very quickly to Tim and I that the creators of Fude cared deeply
about the environment. Each item had a label with the following warning:
PUBLIC NOTICE: Any use of this product, in any manner whatsoever, will increase the amount of disorder in
the universe. Although no liability is implied herein, the consumer is warned that this process will
ultimately lead to the heat death of the universe.
For the next hour or so after lunch, Tim and I were pretty bummed that we were responsible for killing
the universe because we were hungry and grabbed something to eat.
The show was GREAT as were the folks we met there. Tim and I would like to thank
Cris Miller and the rest
of the staff and workers at New Albany for their hospitality. They were very helpful and made us feel welcomed.
Don't forget to check out the performance photos on the New Albany contest page by clicking on the link to your left,
no, your left.
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