Vagabonds Reunite
They're putting the band back together, if just for one night.
Alumni of the General Butler Vagabonds Drum and Bugle Corps are inviting all former marching members, instructors, chaperones and parent volunteers to gather for a 50th anniversary celebration from 4 to 10 p.m. Oct. 8 at the Butler Township Park Building, 468 S. Duffy Road.
The event will provide an opportunity to socialize, share memories and memorabilia and enjoy recordings, videos, and great food, said Andy Yaracs, one of the organizers and the son of Vagabonds co-founder Andrew Yaracs.
He said the Vagabonds won the U.S. Open Class A Championship in Marion, Ohio, in 1969, 1971, and 1972, as well as numerous VFW and American Legion state titles over the years. The 1970s were the corps' heyday, when it placed well in Drum Corps International competition and became an associate member of DCI in 1975.
“It went dormant for a period after 1982,” said Yaracs, who retired in 2012, after 15 years as head band director at Butler High School.
Yaracs said the group is reorganizing as a smaller corps, though he hasn't had any involvement since his father died four and a half years ago.
Present Vagabonds Director David Campbell said a 14-member unit marched in parades this summer.
“I tried to get kids from this area to join, but I had a lot of struggle with brass players and a color guard,” said Campbell. “We did parades with a drumline only.”
Campbell said he is organizing an indoor percussion ensemble he hopes will form the nucleus of a drum and bugle corps for 2017.
Yaracs said he was part of a 14-member committee to plan the upcoming reunion event for past members.
“We are all of us in our late 50s and 60s. We wanted to do this because my father wanted it, a milestone more for the people who were there in its heyday,” Yaracs said.
Barb Bailey of Butler, Yaracs' sister and a retired Butler Junior High School music teacher and associate Butler High band director, said, “We've been planning this since March. Right now, we are trying to reach older members who aren't on social media or don't check it that often.”
Yaracs noted there are currently alumni coming from California, Florida, Missouri, Texas, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, Virginia, Ohio and throughout Pennsylvania.
“Right now, we have 90 reservations, and we expect to have 125 to 130 attend. And the majority of them will be from the corps' heyday between 1966 and 1982, when it placed in national competitions and traveled to parades in 38 states,” Yaracs said.
He said the organizers thought the Duffy Road location was a better site for the anticipated attendees than the Vagabond Center, 138 Whitestown Road, Lyndora.“It's a better fit,” said Bailey. “It's more intimate. It has a firepit where you can sit around and talk.”She added, “One room is going to have tables with tons of memorabilia and trophies and books to leaf through.”Founded in 1966 by Andrew Yaracs, Leo Burgess and Alex Shott, the Vagabonds started as an all-male corps and added female members in 1971.“The Vagabonds didn't charge any fees and it gave out scholarships. It was really a way to keep kids off the streets. We were constantly practicing and touring,” said Andy Yaracs who was a marching member of the band from 1966 to 1973 and a manager of the corps from 1974 to 1982.“I saw things I probably wouldn't have seen otherwise growing up in Lyndora,” he said.Bailey credits her time as a marching member between 1971 and 1980 with leading her to a career in music.To request event information and a registration form, e-mail gbv50info@gmail.com. The registration deadline is Wednesday.
Founded in February 1966 by Andrew Yaracs, Leo Burgess and Alex ShottStarted as a parade corps — winning numerous first-place awards including VFW and American Legion state parade championships — the Vagabonds began performing field shows in 1968All-male corps added female members in 1971Won U.S. Open Class A National Championships in 1969, 1971 and 1972Became inactive in field competition in 1982 due to lack of members but continued to perform in paradesRe-entered field competition as a smaller corpsVoted best marching and playing military unit at the Baltimore National VFW parade in 1990, in the New Orleans parade in 1991, in Indianapolis in 1992 and in Dallas in 1993.In the late 1990s, the Vagabonds became a DCI Division III corps, placing in the DCI Finals in 1997, placing third in 1998 and fourth in 1999.From 2000 to 2012, the corps marched in mostly local parades under the direction of founder Andrew YaracsAfter Yaracs' death in 2012, founder Alex Shott took the reins of the corpsRich Zamperini and other alumni relaunched the group as a summer parade and performance unit in 2013. Zamperini left in August 2013.Dave Campbell was appointed director and has worked to put a corps together for small ensemble performances
Dave Campbell, the director of the Vagabonds Drum and Bugle Corps, said there will be open auditions next month for members.“Some prior music or percussion background would be useful,” Campbell said. “We're going to move forward, make sure the bills are paid and do something for the kids. That's the reason the organization was founded.”The auditions will be:2 to 8 p.m. Oct. 9 at Vagabond Center, 138 Whitestown Road, Lyndora2 to 8 p.m. Oct. 16 at Vagabond Center2 to 8 p.m. Oct. 23 at Vagabond Center.
