By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Two summers ago, the California-based Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps made a stop in Great Bend en route to winning the Drum Corps International World Championships. The team will again be making a stop in Great Bend on Monday, July 15. Greg Jewell, a former Argonne Rebel and staffer with the Blue Devils, wanted to make sure the community was aware.
"They were here two years ago," he said. "They kind of slipped into town unannounced. Word got around eventually, and in the evening a lot people showed up. This year, I wanted to make sure anyone who was interested would be able to see them."
The Blue Devils travel in style. The 2022 stop at Great Bend High School featured an 18-vehicle convoy, including four sleeper buses for staff, four charter buses for members, a semi-truck and trailer for food, and two more semis for equipment and props. The Blue Devils hail from Concord, Calif., but will soon be making their way across the Midwest.
"They're on tour now," Jewell said. "They have a show in Ft. Collins, Colo. on Saturday night. They'll get here on Sunday morning around 2 a.m. and they'll put the kids to bed in the field house at the high school. They'll get up, have breakfast, then they're going to rehearse all day long at the high school."
As they did in 2022, the Blue Devils will travel from Great Bend to Broken Arrow, Okla. for a performance on July 16. Jewell expects a complete run-through of that performance shortly after 7 p.m. Monday night.
The Blue Devils are used to the heat. California and Nevada recently experienced record highs. The Corps spent the first 10 days of July in California before traveling to West Wendover, Nev. on July 8 and Plain City, Utah on July 9. The forecasted high for Great Bend on Monday is 102 degrees. Last year, the team traveled from Great Bend to Broken Arrow when high temperatures were expected to hit 107 degrees.
"The kids are used to it," Jewell said. "Two years ago, Marc Webster and I helped by taking them ice. The staff is watchful as far as making sure they're getting through it okay."