New Britain herald., 1923-07-03

tHRHl1a buSnneI, beTnauetGe MIG Tompkins and Ruth Wacker. In
 Baking and selling cookies, holding rummage sales, doing without their favorite candy, ice cream sodas and movies, were a few of the sacrifices
 resorted to by a group of girls in New
 Britain who successfully conceived,
 organized and established in tkis city
 in the space of three months the lare-
 est female band or drum corps in the
 state of Connecticut.
 The idea first occurred to the Girl
 Scout Director, Miss Lois S. Shaw, and
 the Girl Scout commissioner, Mrs.
 Leon A. Sprague, sometime in Janu-
 ary when the Hartford corps was here
 on a visit, but # was not until early
 in March that any definite step was
 taken here.
 At that time a meeting was held at
 Girl Scout headquarters on Main
 street and the project was preached
 by the officials. It was greeted by the
 young women with the widest enthu-
 siasm. No group of boys organizing
 a band could have been half as keen
 to start as were these girls.
 The money? A mere matter of ap-
 proximately S750. What was that to
 45 or 50 girls? Overcoming difficult ties was one of the reasons why they
 joined the Scouts. It was not ques- ton Can it be done?" it was sinis ply the decision Let's do it."
 Saved Their Money A rummage sale was held. Some money was secured this way. Cookie Week" was celebrated and the young women sold cookies to their friends as rapidly as they could make them. They took to going around the block when they passed movie show. Con- fectionery windows lost their attrac- tiveness. Soda fountains? Never even saw them. Trolley rides, parks, dances and jewelry trinkets were rele- gated to the scrap heap for the time being. Every cent that could be earn ed or saved was put into the drum corps fund. The Rotary club got on the job and gave some assistance. | '"Charlie" Spring, an old time snare drum artist, was approached and of- fered to donate his services. Harry | J. Bauwens. bugler, also agreed to volunteer his services. Both of these men have been presented with watch chains by the Rotary club in recogni- ton of their work
 Another problem then presented it. self. The drums had been purchased and were on their way. The money for them was raiscd by the rummage sale and by other means. But there were flies and, bugles to be purchased as we'll as uniforms. The uniforms were purchased by the wearers. In- stallment terms were procured and each girl bought her own fife or bugle.
 Thus the instruments were procur- ed. Charlie" Spring did most of the drill instruction and MT. Bauwens taught the buglers. But there was no fife instructor and no one seemed will ing to volunteer. Again came the question of finances and again the girls came to their own rescue. Ask from our friends? Not on your life. We'll do it ourselves" And they did. Each girl agreed to submit to an assessment of 10 cents per lesson and Charles Burkarth was hired to teach the flies.
 Two months later, the first part of May the fifers could fife, the buglers could bugle and the drummers could march. Everybody could drill, but there were no drums. They had been purchased and were somewhere on the way. In the meantime the sticks had been secured and the girls were learn ing the roll" and the liam -diddle" and other well known beats, using ong pine board in place of the 12 snare drums and two base drums.
 About the middle .os May the drums lrrived and the girls made their first public appearance on the streets of he city on May 30, actually playing, md fully uniformed, as happy and proud a group of feminine musicians IS could he found anywhere.
 The next day the young women were entertained by the Rotary club and n turn entertained the club. It was t this luncheon that the volunteer in- tructors were presented with the watch chains.
 A few weeks later, June IS to be xact, the newly organized Girl Scouts rum corps was selected to lead the unior Chautauqua parade. being giv- n preference over the Boys club band mich led the parade the preceding ear under the direction of Marshall :. Cook, at that time superintendent the club. Exactly week later the young wo- 1en were entertained at the commun- .y center in Berlin, where they gave n exhibition drill and concert. 'ozens of automobiles parties drove ) the village to hear the music and ee the first open air drill that even- lg. July II the corps will go to Gar in field in Newington, where the musicians will greet the national amp committee Chairman Miss Lou e Price. August 22 the girls will play at the