Eagles of Central New York

The Eagles of Central New York drum and bugle corps was formed in 1975 as a parade unit under the direction of James C. Kinne.

They performed in parades and exhibitions both locally and regionally until 1980, entering the field of competition in the 1981 Drum Corps East (DCE) “Class A” preliminaries, placing 23^rd and were also crowned the New York State Legion “Class B” champions. The next year, with a new building and bingo hall, the corps competed in the 1982 DCI “Class A” prelims, finishing 17^th and moved up to the NY state convention “Class A” division, where they placed 5^th.

The next two seasons saw the corps place 11^th in the 1983 DCE “Class A” regionals, improving to a 4^th place finish in the NY state championships and embarked on a tour that brought them to 1984 DCI Canada, finishing 20^th in the “Open Class” prelims. The Eagles of CNY participated in the DCI “Class A” preliminary round, placing in 9^th, one spot from a finals position and qualified for the DCI “Open Class” prelims, placing 18^th.

After a decade of steady growth, the corps had fallen on hard times when they lost their headquarters, although financially sound, they returned to parade status in 1985 and went inactive the following year. The corps reactivated in 1987, performing locally and re-entered the field of competition as members of the Drum Corp New York (DCNY) circuit, where they were crowned the 1988 “Class C” champions, moving up to the DCNY “Class B” division, placing 2^nd.

The Eagles continued their progression, competing in the 1990 DCI “Class A/60” prelims, where they finished in 18^th position and won the DCNY “Class B” title. In 1991, the corps focused its competitive path in the “Class A/60” division, participating in the DCE, Canadian Open and US Open championships, placing 6^th, 9^th and 12^th respectively. The corps started out its 1992 season with a local competition but after a poor result, lost several members and completed the year in parades and concerts.

They disbanded in 1993. In honor of their founder, Jim Kinne, who passed away in 2015, members of the Eagles organized an event in celebration of the both their leader and the corps’ 40^th anniversary.

Paul Legault (DCX)