CHICAGO CAR WASH—The Norwood Debonnaires will hold a “Chicago Car Wash” this Saturday at the Elks Parking lot off Chapel Street, Norwood, to raise funds to send corps to Chicago to compete in one of the nation’s top drum and bugle corps pageants, the V.F.W. “Million Dollar Pageant of Drums” at Soldiers Field. The Debs are shown here at their July 17th car wash, shining up one of their bigger customers.
Each Norwood Debonnaire is carefully marking off the days until August 13 for two very special reasons. On August 13 the buses leave for the V.F.W. “Million Dollar Pageant of Drums” in Chicago and until then, the girls still have a chance to raise the additional $23 00 needed to underwrite their trip West.
Back on Feb. 1, the Debs opened their drive to raise the necessary $10,000. They held cake sales, car washes, and sold tickets on a new Chevelle to get $7700; twice they planned to solicit donations at the Norwood Arena, but they were rained out. Now, this title-winning drum and bugle corps must turn to the residents of Norwood for help.
Walter Aspinwall and Joe Wappel, co-chairmen of the drive, are asking Norwoodites to show pride in these girls and their accomplishments and to send individual donations to the Debs to help them appear—and win — in national competition.-Residents are asked to mail their contributions, large, small, or in-between, to the Norwood Debonnaires, 23 Edgehill Road, Norwood.
According to the corps schedule, the girls will not have an open day between now and Aug. 13, when they hope to embark for Chicago. All 75 eager young lassies in their orange, black, and white uniforms are either practicing, to perfect their drill formations and instrument performances, or hurrying to’ competition events in the Mayflower and Eastern Mass. Circuit. In the past, the local group has held the CYO’s Class B champion’s title and the Mayflower’s Class A first place for 1963 and 1964, and so far this year, they are undefeated in the Mayflower circuit. Also on July 10 at the American Legion’s parade in Northampton the corps took third place, the color guard, second.
This perfection of drum and bugle and march is based not on a few practices during, the summer months, but year-round sessions at least twice a week under a triumvirate of Wallace MacDonald, Albert Johnson, and Walter Aspinwall.
The trip to Chicago will give the girls a chance to win on a national level, competing against at least 100 bands from throughout the U.S A. On Monday and Tuesday, August 16 and 17, the teams will
go through preliminaries and inspections; on Wednesday, August 18, only 15 of the top corps will remain for the finals.
Again this Saturday the Debs will hold another car wash. The 4‘Chicago Car Wash” will be held at the Elks Parking Lot, of! Chapel Street, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. With luck, this should bring from $200 to $300. With the generosity of Norwood boosters, the corps ought to be able to raise the additional money needed to touch the $10,000 mark.
The following is a schedule of competition and parades thatjhe Norwood Debonnaries will attend throughout the summer-
July 28.— Everett Station, State Competition, Sunday, 1 pm.
July 29 — Horn and Color Guard Practice.
July 30 — Drill Practice.
July 31 – St. Mary’s Annunciators, Chelsea, Competition, 6 p.m.
Aug. 1 — Fitchburg Kingsman Contest.
Aug. 2 — Practice, Horn and Color. Guard.
Aug. 3 — Drill Practice.
Aug. 4 — Horn Practice and Color Guard.
Aug. 5 — Contest, Lawrence Chieftians, 6:30 p.m.
Aug. 6 — Drill Parade.
Aug. 7 — Leominster Jeanettes, Competition, 6 p.m.
Aug. 8 — Hingham St. Mary’s Shoreliners, 1 p.m. ’
Aug. 9 — Practice, Horn and Drum, Color Guard.
Aug. 10 — Drill
Aug. 11 — Contest Malden K. of C., International.
Aug. 12 — Drill and Horn Color Guard.
Aug. 13 — Shove off for Chicago 7 a.m.
Aug. 13 — Aug. 20—Chicago
Aug. 21 — Bridgeport, Conn , World Open.
Aug. 22 — St. Joseph’s Practice, Amesbury Competition, 5 p.m.
Aug. 28 — Norwood Competition and Raffle of 1965 Che-velle.
Sept. 1 — Bedford Militiaman, Bedford High School.
Sept. 2 — Haverhill
Sept. 4 — Barons Malden, Competition, 61 p.m.
(All articles originally appeared in the Norwood Messenger unless otherwise noted)