It's the best time of the season!

One of my favorite days of a drum corps season is the very first full production run of a show. There's an exulted feeling when the trials and errors of learning a show are finally past, and you know that the only things remaining ahead of you is shaping the final product. To be totally transparent, our show was written to be a DCI caliber program and so we're very excited to bring it to SoundSport to trial our first season in front of an audience. I really believe that we're going to have a positive reception when we finally start performing this show in August.

It is humbling to see the community support that's been rallying around us. From the warm welcome at the DCI Midwest Tour Premiere, to the recent donation of a drumline from the Belvederes Alumni Corps, it's truly incredible to me how much selflessness and generosity this activity brings out in people. At some point you would think this would stop being a surprise and you'd get used to it, since from the beginning the community has been so supportive of us, but each time someone steps up to help support our members it is a humbling reminder that we needed to form this corps.

Which is another reason I am so excited for August-- it will be nice to pay off that generosity. At our Send-Off Concert on the 5th, we'll finish with a meet and greet so members of the community can chat with members of the corps, and we can experience first hand what good our donators and sponsors have brough to Michigan. Following that we have several performances in and around Indy during this year's world championships celebrations, when we get to mingle with others in this activity and share in our collective successes as an activity.

2023 has been such a growth year for me personally, and to watch that growth happen in this form and our members and staff clicking into that next gear only gives me continued optimism for the future of drum corps in Michigan.

As always, stay tuned to the site for new info, and check the FB page for constant updates. Until next time, Be Where the Northern Lights Are.

​-- Doug Olmstead, operations director