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  • SOLID ROCK

A BRIEF HISTORY LESSON ON THE ORIGIN OF BLUE ROCK

Thank you Mike Batten

Prior to World War ll the Jacob-Ferdinand -Spear VFW Post 615 in Wilmington, Delaware (Elsmere on DuPont Rd) sponsored a senior Drum and Bugle Corps call “615 Post”.

Predominately a parade Corps until the start of the war, when many of the members went off to serve their country! When the war ended, many former members came home and reformed 615 Post with a greater sense for serious competition. By 1949 they had earned enough money to go to the VFW Nationals in St. Louis, Mo., only to be refused sponsorship by their own post!

With this incredible disappointment they went on to find their own sponsor.  The Blue Rock Post 7598, which by the way was a vacant lot in Elsmere.
Many of the officers of this post had familiar Blue Rock names such as Sam Puff, Bob Manlove, and Bob Smith. The Post would pop up a few years later with Ted Sciarra as its Chaplain for a certain junior Corps by the same name.

The newly resurrected senior Corps would be named for its new Post...Blue Rock!

The new senior Corps was criticized for having an all girl guard.
The Blue Rock Senior Corps continued to struggle when they heard of a new gentleman in the area who had drum corps experience with the Gabarina-Mazarkos Skyliners. They quickly hired him to write and teach their drill.
His name was Ted Sciarra!

By 1958, Bob McGowan and Bob Smith decided to turn Blue Rock into a junior Corps, with the older members going to the Archer-Epler “Musketeers”.

Bob Smith lived in Delaware and Bob McGowan in Penns Grove, New Jersey. They were on a mission standing on street corners giving out flyers to any kid they could find. This new Corps also began attracting young people from both Stahl Post and the Diamond State Cadets, both small junior Corps in Delaware.

Once again they turned to the New kid from New York City who was playing snare drum with the Archer-Epler Musketeers...Ted Sciarra.

McGowan and Smith sat back and watched as Ted took on more and more responsibility, as Bob McGowan liked to describe Ted as having a strong personality. Along with the strong personality they saw more and more improvement.

​Bob McGowan stayed on as the Director, while Bob Smith took care of the Color guard and Ted ran the Corps!
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