Golden Skyliners

The Golden Skyliners drum and bugle corps originally formed on October 11^th, 1952, as the Loy J. Molumby American Legion (AL) Squadron Post 3 of Great Falls, under the direction of Delmont C. Thurber.

The corps enjoyed tremendous success in the early years, crowned the state Legion champions from 1953 to 1959 that included performances in the 1954 Calgary Stampede and the 1956 American Legion Nationals’ parade. After two years of inactivity, the group reorganized and went on to win the 1962 State convention title before returning to limited activity between 1963 to 1966.

The following year, the Great Falls unit returned to the field of competition in a familiar way, winning once again the 1967 Montana Legion contest and in 1968, under their new name, the Golden Skyliners, would go on to defend the state title from 1968 to 1972. In 1969, the corps became members of the Northwest Drum Corps Association (NWDCA) competing in the “Junior C” division and participated in their first American Legion Nationals, where they placed 22^nd in the preliminaries in 1970.

Over the next 4 seasons, the Skyliners competed in the NWDCA “Class B” division, placing 6^th in 1971 & 1972, 4^th in 1973 and 2nd in 1974. The corps received a single honor on May 19^th, 1972, when it was named official Montana marching organization for the 1973 Presidential Inaugural parade on January 20^th, 1973, in Washington.  A proclamation wherein the Skyliners performed was given the corps on that date by Governor Forrest Anderson in Montana.

They competed in the 1975 VFW  Nationals , placing 13^th in the prelims and competed in the 1976 Drum Corps West championships, finishing in 10^th position in the preliminaries. The corps, under the direction of Darrell Thomas, returned to the American Legion Nationals in 1977, placing 33^rd in the prelims and placed 2^nd in the “Class B” division of the NWCA. The corps performed in the 1978 DCI “Class A” championships, finishing and once again placed 2^nd in the NWDCA “Class B” contest. The Golden Skyliners would remain competitive over the 1979 & 1980 seasons before converting to parade status in 1981 with Willie Jackson as corps director. 

They disbanded in 1982

From the Spartans of Vancouver, WA Sat July 8th 1989 Drum Corps Spectacular Program; Paul Legault (DCX)