About the Projects
History of the Madison Scouts Alumni Reunion Projects
In the year 2006, a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon occurred. Alumnus Randy Ferrie presented his vision for establishing an alumni corps that would perform at the upcoming DCI Championship in Madison. There was immediate support for the idea. Scott Stewart and Scott Pearson joined Randy as the directing trio, and the dream became a reality.
Madison Scouts Alumni Reunion Project - 2006
Two hundred and twenty-five Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps alumni came together and made history as the Madison Scouts Alumni Reunion Project. The men ranged in age from 23 to 80 and represented nearly 70 years of Madison Scouts' history. They came with two goals in mind. One goal was to be again part of the legendary environment that fostered a unique brotherhood among its members. The other goal was to meet the challenge of attaining individual and group performance excellence that only comes from continually pushing to be the best one can be. Following these goals allowed the group to communicate their passion for their production to their audience on a level reached by a few performing groups.
What made the project even more impressive was that the project planning didn't begin until the fall of 2005, and the members had less than 60 hours of group rehearsal in 10 days spread over six months to accomplish so much.
The 75th Celebration of the Madison Scouts - 2013
A large group of alumni brass players and a couple of percussionists teamed up at Monona Terrace in downtown Madison to perform at the Madison Scouts 75th Anniversary celebration dinner. Earlier in the summer at Drums on Parade, many alumni brass players joined the current Madison Scouts on the field after the finale to perform in front of the hometown crowd. Also, James Mason announced the 2014 Macy's Day joint project with the MSARP to the fans at this event.
Macy's Parade Project - 2014
The Madison Alumni combined with the current corps for the 2014 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which is held in New York City. Over 300 alumni and one hundred current members took part in this venture. As expected, the performers did a great job despite the driving snowstorm they had to contend with when transporting from New Jersey to NYC for a 4 a.m. sound check. Other unexpected challenges that took place were met with the usual efficiency. This included the weather, which was rainy and 33 degrees during the parade, and a lengthy formation that extended several blocks.
10th Anniversary of the first MSARP - 2016
This non-performance project was held at the Kalahari Resort in the Wisconsin Dells, celebrating the 2006 original alumni reunion project. This was not the first time at the Kalahari as the project also held celebration banquets twice before, once after the 2006 project and then again one year later in 2007. A theater at the AMC movie theater complex was reserved for the afternoon, and a 2-hour video presentation was created/produced by Scott Stewart and Scott Pearson. The MSARP DVD production and a 45-minute Madison Effects movie using scenes from 1974-2002 show segments were re-edited.
Mardi Gras Parade Project - 2018
If any parade can be described as pleasurable, this is it. The Krewe of Orpheus Parade, formed by Harry Connick Jr., takes place annually on the night before Fat Tuesday. Measuring in at five 1/2 miles long, it was still a blast. Huge crowds turned out for the party, and they were not disappointed with the moveable celebration the 155 MSARP corps members repeatedly delivered during the entire route.
Mardi Gras Parade Project - 2020
Since so many alumni members responded with a fantastic experience, we decided to do it again. The project was almost identical to the previous one, though a few more performance enhancements and music, Joe Avery, added to our performance. These new elements excited the fans along the parade route.
COVID-19: It's amazing how lucky we were with the timing of NOLA 2020. Covid-19 hit the country around the same time as the project. One member came down with the virus but recovered. We planned in early May for a small, very talented group of about 26 alumni called the All-Star Project for Rockin' for ALS (formerly Rockin' for a Cure). However, the event was postponed and eventually canceled due to this virus. Plans are in progress for the next potential performance of these All-Stars tentatively in the spring of 2021. We plan to perform at that next event whenever it is held.
All-Stars Project - 2022
After a delay from COVID-19, we finally delivered on a promise to the organization that inspired the project initially. The performance occurred at the Wyndham Garden Madison Hotel on April 30th after being pushed back twice in 2020 and 2021. Different music selections were selected to entertain the crowd from the Scouts era, including Rhapsody in Blue, Ballet in Brass, and Malaguena. The full brass and percussion ensemble organized by Scott Stewart had an incredible combined total of over 300 years of Madison Scouts performing and teaching experience. It was so successful that they plan to do it again in 2023, so stay tuned for information on this next edition.
All-Stars Project - 2023
With the success of 2022, the ensemble did another wonderful performance based on Scout years in the mid-nineties and their Latin-flavored hits. The full brass and percussion ensemble organized by Scott Stewart had an incredible combined total of over 300 years of Madison Scouts performing and teaching experience. It was so successful that they did it again in 2023 and the crowd loved it even more than the last time.
Today
From now on, the MSARP mission is to continue to foster our unique organization while welcoming in the latest ranks of alumni through different events and gatherings from time to time. Stay connected to these potential opportunities! Remember to sign up at the bottom of our page on the website to receive future project announcements. Any future organized project details will be sent via this mailing list.
