Sky Ryders alumni found performing arts organization, eye return to DCI

 

In 1955, American Legion Post 68 in Hutchinson, Kansas was reorganized into the Sky Ryders.

The Kansas-based corps found success in the 1980s on the Drum Corps International stage with its musical-themed shows before disbanding in the early ‘90s.

Nearly three decades later, a dedicated group of nine Sky Ryders alumni have founded the Sky Ryders Performing Arts Foundation.

Their goal is simple: to revive the corps in the very place of its founding 68 years ago.

“These men and women from California, Missouri, Montana, Texas, Wisconsin, and of course, Kansas have come together in order to enable young adults to have the same sort of positive, character-building, skill-building, and artistic experience that they had as young adults,” the foundation stated in a press release.

PRESS RELEASE: Sky Ryders Performing Arts Foundation to bring marching arts back to Kansas

Reviving a corps after an extended period of time can bring a plethora of challenges. Could the corps exist in the current financial climate of the world? Is there still interest in marching or volunteering for this corps? Is reviving the corps worth it?

For Sky Ryders alum Jay Smith, these potential roadblocks did not stop him from pursuing this goal.

“There are a lot of cultural indicators out there that say ‘Don’t do this,’” Smith said. “It’s expensive. It’s going to be painful. But, the reward is on the backside with the kids.”

Soon enough, meetings with other Sky Ryders alumni in drum corps hotbeds like San Antonio and Indianapolis helped spread the word about the corps’ return. People hopped on board, bringing fresh ideas and skills to help benefit the rebirth of the organization and its focus on local performers in Kansas.

Then, the group began replanting those seeds in Hutchinson.

“We’ve made some visits to Hutchinson. We’ve made some visits to critical organizations — the community college and local band programs — to find out that there were a number of band directors who had marched in drum corps,” Smith said.

As word of this return has spread, the primary goal of the alumni leading the charge has been to be transparent about the benefits of participating in a summer of drum corps.

So what is the recruiting pitch?

“My pitch to the kids is education, lifelong friendships, skills that you could never believe you could cultivate and memories that will last forever,” Smith said.

Cultivating a welcoming, educational drum corps experience that is fiscally doable will require strategic partnerships with the city of Hutchinson. Fortunately, there’s an opportunity in place for Sky Ryders to build a stronger performing arts presence in the city.

Due to the pandemic, the band program at Hutchinson Community College experienced some struggles. Eric Stambaugh became Hutchinson’s new band director with plans to revitalize the program. This occurred right around the time Smith and former Sky Ryders director Dale Antoine really began to pursue the Sky Ryders’ return.

The opportunity arose for a partnership between the two sides with the college’s president revealing his desire to add a marching band program to the college. This began the pursuit for a partnership for Sky Ryders that mirrors the one California-based DCI Open Class corps Golden Empire has with Bakersfield Junior College.

“I told [Jay] when he first sent his idea, ‘You’re nuts,’” Antoine said. “But we actually didn’t know that there were some models out there.”

As the new Sky Ryders organization continues to develop the partnership with Hutchinson Community College, it now turns its attention to July 17.

Gowans Stadium is where Sky Ryders will begin the journey back to competitive drum corps. Inviting bands from across the state of Kansas, the organization will host a free educational clinic with the Blue Devils ahead of the DCI Broken Arrow event in Oklahoma. Attendees will also be able to watch the California-based corps rehearse.

Returning to competition will be a long journey filled with twists and turns, but the corps is optimistic that the interest in the return is a strong enough foundation.

“The goal here is to build with local kids to start with and see where it goes from there,” Antoine said.

Learn more about the Sky Ryders Performing Arts Foundation