DENVER, CO – A month ago, we asked the BK Nation who our biggest fan was. Luckily, we found not one, but four great candidates for the title of biggest Blue Knights fan! These four individuals are Don Salyer, Anthony Barei, Abby Gregory, and John F.
Don Salyer –Â Don Salyer takes the cake for most personal connection to the corps out of all of the fans on this list, because he is the father to two of our very talented tuba players, Nathan and Tyler. It was actually from his kids that he discovered the world of drum corps, and it was with the Blue Knights’ 2014 program, “That One Second” that he first heard of the drum corps activity. Although he did not participate in the marching arts himself, he is lucky to still be a part of our extended Blue Knights family!
Anthony Barei –Â Anthony proclaims himself to be our biggest fan, and that very well be the case. Anthony claims that his phone always dies because he replays our SnapChat stories and is constantly tweeting us. Anthony’s favorite show is “That One Second” although he also really enjoys this year’s production. Anthony is also the drum major for his school’s marching band and is a very active volunteer.
Abby Gregory –Â Abby discovered drum corps at the age of three, with the Cavaliers being the first corps she was exposed to. Unlike the other fans selected, her favorite show was 1993’s “The Next Generation” because she is a fan of Star Trek, which the show’s repertoire was based off of. She is also probably the most dedicated fan as she has traveled over 2,000 miles to see them perform! She is also a mellophone player that aspires to march in a DCI corps one day. We hope you choose us, Abby!
John F. –Â John is certainly no stranger to the drum corps activity as he has served as a drum major, staff member and board of directors for a corps. He is also the farthest Blue Knights fan on this list, as he served all of the following positions with Jubal Drum and Bugle Corps from Dordrecht, Netherlands. John is also in Indy this finals week! Hopefully John can come see “Because…” live since he absolutely loved last years show!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stephen Bates’ involvement with Ascend Performing Arts includes membership in the Blue Knights Percussion Ensemble in 2014 and 2015. He is pursuing a Communications degree in Digital Film-making at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, where he also works as a graphic designer/marketing coordinator for the office of Student Life and Leadership.
Stephen co-founded Tomahawk Percussion in 2014 with fellow Blue Knights Percussion Ensemble member, Tom Griess. Tomahawk Percussion was founded to provide resources, support, and a community for those involved in the marching arts. Outside of school and music, Stephen was TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year in 2006, is a shareholder/part owner for of the Green Bay Packers, and has had his name engraved into NASA hardware that has flown into space.