Happy New Year!

It's 2007.

It was a bittersweet blast to say goodbye to 2006 on Saturday night. (The best New Year's Eve party that I attend every year.) Hugs from just about everyone. Nic's great video. (Be sure to order one.) And a banquet program just the right length. Nice night.

There'll be pictures (just from the banquet, not afterwards. Discretion is best, I think.) but for now, I'm just sitting here contemplating how great 2007 is going to be.

The musical program sounds very interesting. I'm trying to imagine what Chris will come up with for the arrangement. Seems challenging to me, but I'm challenged by the kazoo. Jude's description of the visual program was intriguing too. Just enough mystery there to make me really, really eager to see this show come together.

Oh, you want to know more? Like what the music is or the theme or the visual plan? Show up for December camp.

In addition to all the people who were thanked at the banquet Saturday night, I'd like to thank everyone who called in daily reports or contributed comments or pictures to the Colts Virtual Cooktruck in 2006. I get all the credit, but you guys are really the fuel that keeps this thing on the road. I especially want to point to the contributions and assistance of Rod, Bill, and Jody S. in getting things posted over a pretty hectic summer (especially when we all ended up on the road at the same time). If not for them, we would not have gone all summer WITHOUT MISSING A SINGLE DAY.

I also want to thank my regular comment posters and contributors: Jim J., Jody G., Luba, Lori, and of course, ALF -- our resident alien life form and the Colts' biggest booster east of the Atlantic Ocean.

I could not do this without every single one of you.

Rod and I posted photos. Thanks, also, for pictures from Jody G., Jim J., Bobbie and Mark T., Peter H., Steve B., Bill F., Mandy I., and John R.

David

Order Your Banquet DVD

Greetings Colts!

I was excited to see the positive response to this years banquet
video. I just wanted everyone to know that what you saw is only part
of what is included on the DVD you can order from the Colts office.
On the DVD you will see...

More than an hour and a half of content including:
Colt Cadets Banquet Video
Colt Cadets 2006 Finals Performance
Even more Colt Cadets pictures and music than what was shown at banquet
Colt Cadets Indy Show
Colts Banquet Video
Freebird!
Slideshow of pictures submitted by members
Portions of the brass quarterfinals warmup
Portions of the drumline semifinals warmup
The final run though (which is an excellent performance btw)
And some other Colts extras!

It's also worth noting that the semis performance on the Banquet DVD
is a different edit than what is on the DCI DVD.
I encourage you to purchase a Banquet DVD from the office asap!

The banquet video is available from the Colts office by emailing
Vicki at colts@colts.org.

Thanks, and I'll see you at camp.

Nic Champagne

Banquet time

Let's party...

Photo by David S.
Click HERE to open a full-size image in a new window.

Where are we today?

Headed for banquet!

Everybody have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a safe trip to Dubuque on Saturday!

David and the Virtual Cooktruck staff

Cesario joins Colts

Michael Cesario has been named Program Consultant for the 2007 Colts. Click on the post title to read the entire release at colts.org.

"The other homeshow"

I like that description. We had two correct responses in quick succession -- CT and an anonymous one. It is a photo from Indy by Rod.
Congrats.

david

Where are we today?

Easy one....


Photo by ????? (identify the photographer and earn extra points.)
Click HERE to open a full-size image in a new window.

Where are we today?

Photo by ????? (identify the photographer and earn extra points.)
Click HERE to open a full-size image in a new window.

Chris J. got it right

Breakfast in the Wal-Mart parking lot after a loooooooooong bus ride and more miles to cover before we got to Alabama. Ya gotta love drum corps. And it was Jim J. that got this picture from a memorable moment from 2006.

david

Where are we today?

I'm posting this one late at night again. (And actually I'm posting it from Fayetteville, Arkansas, but I'll explain that when I see you at banquet...) Go ahead and post your guesses as comments, but don't expect to see them show up until Thursday morning when I wake up and publish them. I'll make sure to keep up with who got the right answer first and give proper credit.

This time, just to make it more interesting, let's give the town name. Do you know it? I do.



Photo by ????? (identify the photographer and earn extra points.)
Click HERE to open a full-size image in a new window.

Winnah!

CT (Chris Tanner) correctly identified the school we stayed at outside Wichita Falls. The school was Windthorst. And indeed, as CT says in his comment, the fields were right by a cemetery. I tried to get a shot (I took the one in the basketball court, by the way) of the cemetery and the corps, but it didn't work.

I remember a lot about this place. Something about the way the land was shared meant that the school district owned the land during the week and the church owned it on the weekends. Or something like that.

I walked down to take a picture of the bank sign that said 100 degrees and realized that I'd been back on tour for like 5 days then, all of them over 100 degrees and all of them in Texas. I remember thinking, "I don't mind being hot for another day, but I'd sure like to be hot somewhere other than Texas for a change."

david

Where are we today?

OK, so all the daytime visitors to the Virtual Cooktruck have been having all the fun with our version of Where's Waldo? this week. To even the playing field for our nightowl visitors, it's Late Night With The Virtual Cooktruck. This will serve as our posting for Wednesday.


Photo by ????? (identify the photographer and earn extra points.)
Click HERE to open a full-size image in a new window.

A Winner

Jack correctly identified the school in Prattville, Alabama, as the one where the tenor line was pictured by Bobbie and Mark T.

And yes, we had to leave the site early and move to the stadium. Where we were then run off the field by lightning. I was down on the field taking pictures and jumped about two feet in the air when Mike Grimes yelled "Clear the field" because of the lightning. I know, just a taste of what the kids get.

I think this was the toughest photo of the contest batch I've identified (so far). Another tomorrow.

david

No guesses?

OK, here's a clue. It's significant that they are in the courtyard of the school and none of them are wearing shirts.

david

Where are we today?

Photo by ????? (identify the photographer and earn extra points.)
Click HERE to open a full-size image in a new window.

We have a winner!

It's C Osborne, who correctly identified this photo as one from KU stadium in Lawrence. Sorry, but since the Virtual Cooktruck operates on a budget even lower than the real cooktruck -- zero -- any prizes will have to be virtual ones.

The photo was from Peter H. (CORRECTION: The photo is by Peter H., not Peter K. as originally posted. Peter K. is a photographer we use here at work. Sigh) I thought the Jayhawk blue on the stadium might give it away. But Carol got it because she remembered that Kansas was HOT! (And from what I heard, hot was an understatement.)

Thanks for playing. Another one tomorrow.

david

I got it

It's that favorite drum corps tour game called, "Where are we today?" And here's the first entry. (Guesses are welcome. The correct answer will be acknowledged.)


Photo by ????? (identify the photographer and earn extra points.)
Click HERE to open a full-size image in a new window.

Hmmmmmmmm?

What's the theme going to be this week....

david

Camp is coming!!!

Photo by Rod R.
Click HERE to open a full-size image in a new window.

Camp is coming!

Photo by David S.
Click HERE to open a full-size image in a new window.

Camp is coming

Photo by David S.
Click HERE to open a full-size image in a new window.

New Colts percussion caption head

It's Tyler Dempsey. Click on the post title to read the whole announcement at colts.org.

david

Camp is coming

Photo by David S.
Click HERE to open a full-size image in a new window.

Camp is coming

Photo by David S.
Click HERE to open a full-size image in a new window.

Pumped!

There's a 2007 recruitment video posted at colts.org that features the end of the 2006 show. Think Ride. Links to the video are under the "Join the 2007 Colts" box at the right side of the colts.org homepage. Or click HERE to go directly to the smaller-size version of the video.

After you've watched it, come back here, 'cause I want a show of hands of who is as pumped as I am. That show still makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

I'm assuming Nic did the video. Dynamite job, man.

david

Colt Cadets

Photo by David S.
Click HERE to open a full-size image in a new window.

Cooks (in Alabama, just before the lightning hit, I think)

Photo by Jim J.
Click HERE to open a full-size image in a new window.