Eclipses

The Éclipses of Longueuil drum and bugle corps was formed in early 1978 when the coed version of the Éclipses of Laflèche disbanded, thus creating two new organizations, the Éclipses of Verdun coed and the Éclipses of Longueuil.

The Longueuil unit entered the field of competition in 1978 as members of the “Circuit de Compétition Musical du Québec” (CCMQ), placing 9^th in the Class B” division preliminaries. The following season, the corps improved to an 8^th place finish in 1979 CCMQ “Class B” prelims and, as newly accepted members in the FAMQ circuit, placed 10^th in the “Class B” preliminary round.

The next year was a significant turning point for the organization when members of the Éclipses of Verdun fused into the Longueuil group, as they initiated their ascent towards future success, placing 2^nd in the 1980 DCI Canada “Class A” championships, 3^rd in the FAMQ circuit and 4^th in the Canadian Nationals. From 1981 to 1986, they participated in all DCI “Open Class” championships, with an incredible record of improvement each year, 34^th (1981), 22^nd (1982), the coveted “Top 25”, 19^th (1983 - Semis), 15^th (1984 - Semis), 14^th (1985 - Semis) and 14^th (1986 -Semis), maintaining their position from the previous season.

During this period, highlights included the finals in the 1981 Drum Corps East (DCE), Key to the Sea & US Open regionals, the 1982 DCI East, World Open & American International Open, the 1983 CYO Nationals & DCI Canada, the 1984 Key to the Sea & DCE, the 1985 DCI Canada & DCI Southeast and finally the 1986 US Open, DCI Canada & DCE contests. The Éclipses, as members of the FAMQ, placed 2^nd in 1981 and were crowned the Québec provincial champions from 1984 to 1986 inclusively.

They disbanded in 1987.

The group reorganized as a winter guard and was very successful at both provincial and international levels. A finalist several times in World Guard International (WGI) Championships, the “Open Class” group won a silver medal in 1996. In 2024, the “A” group won the bronze medal, 28 years later. Concerned about the longevity of their organization, the leaders of Éclipses formed their first “Cadet Class” feeder group in 2002 and their first “Novice Class” group in 2005. These groups competed primarily in the “Association de Mouvement du Québec” (AMQ) circuit as of 2024.

DCW, 12/02, p.3; André Oct 2016; Paul Legault (DCX)