James Madison University - Bluestone Schoolmaam Yearbook (Harrisonburg, VA)

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24 Highlights

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»♦• The Janu ' s Madison Uiii ersit Marching Ro al Dukes is a 220 member coips style marching band that incorpo- rates a thirt member percussion sec- tion, a ten member rifle line, a thirt member flag corps, two feature twiriers, and t o drum majors. The band has, in realit , come to be regarded as Vir- ginia ' s finest, and also sports a fine reputation on a national level as one of the most exciting college marching bands. The Marching Dukes ha e estab- lished their reputation not onl - b ' pla - ing at all home game.s, but also by travel- ing with the Dukes and performing at a number of awa - games. The reception of the band at William and Mar , The Uni- versity of Virginia and East Tennessee State Universits ' was oversvhelming, as evidenced b - several standing ovations. The most impressive reaction to the group was the first standing ovation ever for a band at J . . The Marching Dukes tui ther enhanced their fame b perfonn- ing at two pro-football games, and were so well received at the Redskin ' s game that the ' were in ited to return, . nother of the Marching Duke ' s outstanding ac- complishments was hosting the Second Annual Marching Bands of . merica Mid-East Regional Competition. The band ' s continuous profes- sionalism and standard of e.xcellence is a ke point to their reputation at JMU and elsewhere. The communit ' of Harrison- burg, the students and facu]t take great pride in the Marching Band, and the half-time show is alwa s a highlight of e ' ery home game. In 1977, Mr. Michael David was named Director of the Marching Band and has since brought the band to its present loft ' reputation as one of the na- tion ' s most entertaining college march- ing bands. Highlights 23

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Homecoming: Mapes and Revue Vi Fall is always highlighted by Homecoming. Few can escape getting caught up in the exciting flum- of events. For the fourth consecutive year, James Mapes amazed an overflowing Wilson Hall with the powers of the mind. Willing students captivated the remainder of the audience with their imaginary rocket ship trip, space dust highs, hot seats, hot lips, and age regression. One participant was especially entertain- ing with his insistent Peter Rabbit identity and his detailed childhood memories. The 7th annual Octoberfest weekend began with an in- spiring Homecoming Revue October 24th. Each year the stu- dent talent has improved overwhelmingly. The 4th annual re- vue proudly continued this professional polish. Masters of Cere monies, Edmunds andCurley, kept the audi- ence in stitches with their unusual sound effect comedy style. Only two of the twelve student performances were non- musicals. Of these two, David Carter ' s humorous and skillful juggling act, earned him the Best Talent Award for the third year in a row. The remaining ten performances included a variet ' of musi- cal styles, ranging from rock to bluegrass to folk. A six member gospel-bluegrass group called the Cornerstone Band, received the Originality Award. The Underground Blues Band won the audience and the Popularity Award with their sharp imitation of Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi ' s Blues Brothers. Fresh- man guitarist-vocalist Lynn Perkins was also well received for her beautiful vision of Jesse. Highlights 25