Excitement Ran High as Sundowners Placed Seventh in Nation
by Maggie Menard
(Eau Claire Leader Telegram, August 27, 1974)

When a chaperone of the Eau Claire Sundowners Drum and Bugle Corps called the high school at Green Bay in search of a lost purse, she asked if the group’s stay overnight in the gym was without incident.

“Well, they did break a record,” the man at the gym said slowly.

The chaperone was horrified.

“They broke the record as the cleanest bunch that ever stayed here!” the man added.

That’s the story wherever the 98-member corps went this summer, according to Gene Bartingale, his son, Andy, a drummer, and tenor drummer Jeff Lippold.

“The towns want to adopt us wherever we go,” the senior Bartingale said. “Eau Claire isn’t aware of what they have in the corps.”

A week ago, the Sundowners placed seventh in the nation in the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Million Dollar Pageant of Drums at Soldiers Field in Chicago.

"We turned out best in inspection (of instruments and uniforms)," Lippold said.

The chaperones spent from 7 a.m. Monday to 2:30 a.m. Tuesday last week sewing buttons, cutting off strings, washing drum straps and doing other "little" things that helped them win the inspection, according to Lippold.

"Our hair had to be placed in hair nets and bobby-pinned up," he added. "Rules state no hair can touch the collars or hang below the ears."

The Sundowners received two standing ovations from the 20,000 people in the stadium.

"It just gave you goose pimples," Bartingale said. "I thought to myself that this must be how the Romans felt."

Bartingale became executive director of the corps three years ago when the corps numbered around 50 members. This is the second year the group has placed in the national contest, having placed 11th last year.

"It's the kids," Bartingale said. "They're like professionals, especially the ones who competed last year"

The members practice on their own more than past years, Lippold said.

"One boy moved with his parents to Cleveland, Ohio, last fall. He came back and spent the summer with the Sundowners," Lippold said. "He really wanted to march."

Exciting Wait

The excitement of waiting for the results of the competition reaches high levels, according to the three.

"I usually wait (for the results) under the stands when it's possible," Bartingale said.

"It's like a drawing," Lippold said "You just have to wait."

Bartingale and two of the chaperones were in the Conrad Hilton hotel in downtown Chicago for a meeting the day of President Ford's speech to the VFW convention.

"We were through with our meeting and had to get back to our bus," Bartingale said. "But every time we tried to get out of the hotel, secret servicemen and police would block our way."

Across the street from the hotel, a couple thousand demonstrators were chanting, "Blood, blood, blood!" according to Bartingale.

"Two buses of police officers with billy clubs pulled up to stand guard. It was like occupied Poland. I was expecting a bomb to go off at any minute," Bartmgale recalled.

The demonstrators were protesting the US-Cyprus situation, he said.

The trio finally found a side door through which they were allowed to leave.

After the Chicago competition, the Sundowners traveled to Green Bay for an exhibition on Friday, to Ispheming, Mich., for a parade and contest (they placed second) on Saturday, and to Menomonie, Mich., for a parade on Sunday.

Return Escort

At 4 a.m. Monday, the group returned to Eau Claire to be greeted by a police escorted motorcade at Presto.

"This weekend we got another humdinger," Bartingale noted.

The group will travel to Marshfield, Stevens Point, Wausau and Hillsboro for parades and competition on Saturday, Sunday and Labor Day.

The group will compete in Northfield, Minn., Sept. 6, and will give an exhibition at the Shriners Football game in Eau Claire Sept. 7, completing their season.

But the Sundowners will need sponsors if they intend to go to the national contest next year, Bartingale said.

"The finals are in Los Angeles next year," he said. "Our three old buses won't make it over the mountains. We won't be going there unless we get some money.”

Expenses High

Other expenses will be great in 1975, with horns and drums needing replacement and repair, Bartingale said.

"We need new plumes - that's $10 apiece," he said.

Much of the costs are met by the members now, he said.

"The parents make their uniforms and the kids save their money from winter jobs for travel money," he said.

The Sundowners operated on a $22,000 budget in 1974, Bartingale said, much less than other drum and bugle corps.

The group can't afford Class A instructors on the budget, he said.

"If we had Class A instructors, we would be number one," he said.

The group received $300 from the local VFW, he said.

"If people of Eau Claire don't get behind us, we won't have a corps anymore," he said.

The corps must plan their weekends to go where money is given for placing, he said.

But even that isn't enough for the 98-member group, he noted.

The group received $600 for placing seventh at Chicago.

"If we just had a sponsor or a group of sponsors, it would help us out," Bartingale said.