Argonauts

The Argonauts drum & bugle corps traced its roots back to the spring of 1959 as the Sons of American Legion (SAL) Squadron 136, sponsored by the American Legion Post 136 of Salem.

Kenneth Muller, commander of the American Legion Post 136, conceived and organized the SAL unit. That year, the corps competed at the Oregon AL state championships, placing 2^nd and thus began an era of field excellence filled with excitement, challenges and awards.

Over the next two seasons, the corps participated at local parades and events until the spring of 1962 when, under new sponsorship of the Optimist Club, the corps went coed and became the Optimist Flamingos. They returned to the 1962 OR AL state championships, placing 3^rd, after a two-year absence and repeated their 3^rd place position the following season. In January of 1964, The Opti Flamingos sponsored their first annual “Opti-Rama” indoor winter competition. This was an annual event that ran until 1979. That summer, the corps finished in 6^th position at the OR AL state championships as membership began to drop which prompted the administration to merge with the Royal Lancers to form the Flamingo Lancers in 1965.

This arrangement would last for one season as both organizations separated and regrouped. The Salem unit reorganized under the new name of the Flamingos as a “Class B” unit and set off their rebuilding program. In 1967, the corps finished 2^nd at the OR AL state championships as they continued their progression and tied for the 1968 Northwest Drum Corps Association (NWDCA) “Class B” championship title. The Flamingos competed in several NWDCA “Class B” contests in 1969 along with a 3^rd place finish at the state championships.

The next eight seasons were among the most prominent in the corps’ history that all started with an appearance at the prestigious 1970 American Legion Nationals, placing 13^th in the preliminary round. The corps would also expand their competitive horizons that year when they appeared in California for the first time as well as finishing in 2^nd place at the OR state championships. The Flamingos remained competitive regionally with another busy schedule that included a 3^rd place finish at the 1971 state contest. The 1972 season saw the corps enjoy more success in the NWDCA circuit, ending with a 3^rd place finish at the championships, followed by a 4^th place finish in 1973. They also competed at the Northern California circuit championship for the first time, placing 4^th as well.

In 1974, the Flamingos continued on their journey of progress as they traveled the furthest distance to date in their history with an appearance at the DCI Midwest championships, placing 15^th in the preliminaries. They ended the competitive season with a 5th place finish at the Drum Corps West circuit finals. In the fall of 1974, the corps revamped its’ image by changing its uniform color from pink to orange and renaming the group the “Argonauts”. This rebranding certainly boosted not only the corps’ image but their ranking, as they became a very powerful competitor in 1975 when they won the Drum Corps West, the NWDCA and VFW National championships. In all cases by wide margins. Suddenly, year over year, they catapulted into a “Top 25” contender. 

And the 1976 season didn’t disappoint! The corps went on its first full tour that included “Open Class” performances at the American International Open (13^th - Prelims), the US Open (10^th - Finals) and the VFW Nationals (10^th - Finals). The season culminated with a 23^rd place finish at their very first DCI championships, earning them the coveted “DCI Associate” membership along with repeating as both Drum Corps West and NWDCA champions. A corps on a mission could best describe the Argonauts during the 1977 season as they pursued their goals to push the envelope and improve their placement within the activity. That year marked a “3-peats” as Drum Corps West and NWDCA champions, a stepping stone for their DCI West 6th place finish.

Their mission was indeed completed at the DCI “Open Class” championships, placing 21^st in the prelims and solidifying their membership status. Unfortunately, due to a lack of membership, the corps went inactive over the next two seasons and returned to the field of competition in 1980, finishing in 2^nd place at the PDCA “Class B” circuit contest in late July. This was the first block in their rebuilding program. In 1981, the Argonauts joined the Drum Corps West circuit, gaining competitive experience and returned to the 1982 DCI Midwest “Class A” championships, placing 6^th and qualified for the finals at the “Illinois State Fair championships, finishing in 8^th.

The following season, the corps expanded their regional championship presence with a return to the DCI Midwest (23^rd - Prelims) and their first appearance at the Key to the Sea (10^th – Finals). The 1984 season saw the group participate at the DCI championships for the first time since 1977, arguably their most successful season. They tied for 13th in the quarterfinals, missing out on the semis by one position by a mere 2 tenths of a point. In 1985, the corps went on a cross country tour that brought them to the Drums Along the Rockies with a 6^th place finish, DCI East (20^th - Prelims) and the US Open (14^th - Prelims) before appearing at the DCI championships.

After a promising appearance last year, expectations were high for the corps to perform at an even greater level and they did, finishing with the corps’ second highest placement in their DCI history, placing 22^nd. Since 1980, the rebuilding plan had taken full stride as the corps showed resiliency and completed a successful comeback. In 1986, the corps returned to the inactive list due once again to low membership but did manage to return for one last season, competing at several Drum Corps West contests before finishing a respectable 15^th at the quarterfinals of their final DCI championship. In 1988, the management team re-evaluated the long term viability of the drum corps activity in the region and decided to reorganize as the Argonauts Youth Marching Band, which would run until 1996.

Over the years, this Salem unit showed a constant ability to meet challenges head on, building and rebuilding through patience and pride and ultimately met and exceeded expectations throughout their history.

Traditions
Getting Lost on way to Contest sites!