Cascades

In 1966, a large group of Thunderbird Cadet parents approached Jack Avery and Roderick Stubbs about forming a new corps separate from the Thunderbird organization.  They agreed and in June of 1966 formed the Cascade Cadets. 

The corps entered the field of competition in 1967, participating at the Washington State VFW championships. The next two years saw the corps compete regionally at the state AL and VFW championships as well as the Northwest circuit championships. In 1970, many of the Thunderbirds staff defected to the Cascade Cadets, bringing many of its members with them.  The corps chose to operate under the moniker, the Seattle Cascades. The corps competed that year at the American Legion Nationals.

From 1971 to 1974, while the corps grew, becoming a competitive national power was not the primary focus of the organization.  Rather, the philosophy was to provide a healthy competitive experience in the drum corps activity for local youths. That humble attitude and the isolation of drum corps in the Northwest likely contributed to the corps’ health and stability. In 1975, the corps competed at the VFW Nationals followed by the American Legion Nationals in 1976, both as a finalist.

The organization made its first appearance at the Drum Corps International (DCI) World championships in 1977, placing 45th in Open Class.  They also competed in the American Legion Championships in a nearby Denver suburb. The following year, the Cascades moved up to 34th in DCI prelims. In 1978 after DCI, Cascades really kicked 1979 into gear. They expanded on the Wiz melodies and had an extremely challenging show. The judges didn't buy into the new design concepts so the show was re-written 4 times during the season. The corps was told to either score a 70 in California or they wouldn't go to DCI. Unfortunately, they fell short of the goal and did not attend DCI.

There was a lot of stirring going about a possible folding of the corps. The last show of 1979 - and what proved to be the last of the legend that was the Seattle Cascades of the 70’s - came to rest in Boise Idaho. In 1980, the corps began rebuilding mostly with middle school students and the organization persevered as a parade corps. In 1981, the corps returned to the field of competition but half way through the season, the last few remaining senior members were asked to leave.

From 1982 to 1984, the corps continued to rebuild competitively, participating at the VFW Nationals in 1982; regional competitions in 1983 and the DCI Midwest Regionals in 1984. For one brief year in 1985, the Cascades returned to DCI National competition, placing 15th in Division III. In the fall of 1985, the corps paraded locally until the fall of 1990, when the once again, the corps, through sheer ambition and dedication, returned to the field of competition. From 1991 to 1996, the corps competed at the DCI championships, placing 12^th in Division III that first year.  The Cascades moved to Division II the following season. This period of consistent national exposure culminated in a sixth-place finish in 1996. However, one year earlier in 1995, there was much internal parental strife concerning the overall direction of the corps. 

The years of national competition inspired a desire in many for a more nationally competitive unit.  After 36 years, Stubbs stepped down from the corps director position and remained as the executive director until 1997. 

The next couple of years saw a great deal of turnover in the corps leadership and staff as the Cascades struggled to develop a focused and strong direction for its future.  The growing pains were difficult but the board of directors was determined to build the corps the right way.  Board member Sal Leone, who started his association with the corps as a parent of a corps member, became a leader in advocating for quality in all aspects of its operation.

Jim Johnson was the corps director from 1996-1997.  Following Johnson’s departure, the corps was forced to make the difficult decision to become inactive in the summer of 1997 for the first time due to funding and staffing issues.  Often, an inactive status is the kiss of death for a corps. But a determined group of supporters refused to let the Cascades die, as so many Northwest corps had already done.  Leone became the executive director in 1997 and continues in this role today.  With an emphasis on ethics, quality and performance excellence, the Seattle Cascades drum and bugle corps has entered a new era in its history.

In 1998, the corps successfully returned to competition, once again participating at the DCI championships. In 1999, the Cascades rededicated its effort and commitment to excellence, a commitment that has resulted in a meteoric rise to the elite of the activity. In 2000, the group was crowned DCI Division III World Champions and received the Spirit of Disney Award, given to the corps with the most entertaining family-oriented show. The score enabled the corps to compete in Division I, where the Cascades placed 23rd in quarterfinals.

In 2000, the Cascades had one of its greatest seasons, winning the Division III DCI World Championship in Washington, DC with the highest score the corps had ever received.  That
score enabled the corps to compete in Division I, the most prestigious class in drum corps.  The Cascades placed 23rd with a score of 67.50.  The organization was also honored at the championships with the Spirit of Disney Award, which is given to one corps in each classification with the most
entertaining family-oriented show.

Moving up in class to Division II in 2001 was an obvious decision.  Nearly doubling in size, the corps had an amazing year.  A talented group of more than 100 members helped bring the Cascades to a pivotal point in its history.  Winning most shows and never placing lower than second, the corps surprised and entertained audiences everywhere during its national tour!  Powerful musicians, the intriguing, contemporary music of David Holsinger, an entertaining field drill and one of the best percussion sections and color guards the corps has ever had, helped bring a Division II silver-medal finish at the DCI World Championships. 

Once again due to its high placement in Division II finals, the corps competed in Division I, beating several larger, established Division I corps.  The Cascades placed 17th in semifinals, receiving an ovation from the Wilson stadium crowd in Buffalo. Before leaving NY, the corps declared its intention to compete in “Division I” in 2002, the first time since 1994 that the Northwest was represented in this elite class of nationally touring corps.  With nearly 200 musicians and color guard members vying for positions in the corps, the inspiring music of Leonard Bernstein and a drill designed by Myron Rosander, the Seattle Cascades had the most successful seasons in the history of Northwest Drum and Bugle Corps.  The 2002 Corps became one of the elite, making the Top 12 as a world finalist DCI Corps.

During the years 2003 and 2004 the corps had very successful seasons performing dramatic and challenging productions. Both seasons they acquired a 15th placement at DCI securing their objective of being a strong Division I corps on a national level. In 2005, the corps had a very successful season performing dramatic and challenging productions. During this time, they secured their objective of being a strong Division I corps on a national level. In 2006, Jimmy Fursman was the director, and the organization had to close its' 40-year-old bingo organization and found itself relearning how to fund the activities of this vetted organization.

In 2007, Mike Leone was the director, and the organization shortened its' moniker to "The Cascades" removing Seattle. The performers were now coming from the entire northwestern United States and beyond. The organization wanted to support the entire Northwest region and redeveloped its' parent organization as the Northwest Youth Music Association. Not only was the NYMA supporting the national level drum corps, but helped develop other music activities, including a drive to acquire musical instruments for Seattle area public schools and an all-age brass ensemble called Brass Attack.

In 2008, the Cascades Independent winter guard won the "A" Class World Title at the Winter Guard International championships in Dayton, Ohio. Unfortunately, that summer the leadership decided to shut the drum corps down for one year to finally rid itself of the debts acquired after the 2006 bingo shutdown. 2009 was a successful rebuild of the organization, with Sal Leone forming an executive committee of talented local teachers; it was like rebuilding the body from scratch. At the first 2009 camp, there were only 17 brass players, but the season ended with 42 on the field. That season also saw an infusion of several members of the Spokane Thunder which helped bring the membership numbers up. The corps placed dead last in World Class, but the success was proven by just being active and getting the performers back on the field.

In 2010, the Cascades once again enjoyed a successful competitive season at the DCI championships “World Class” level. Although finishing last at the Quarterfinals, the corps continued to show steady improvement. In 2011 and 2012, the corps participated at the DCI “World Class” Semifinals, falling out of semifinalist position the next two years. In 2015, while thinking with a forward mind set, the drum corps paid a nod to Seattle Cascades' past with a new uniform and new image. The new leadership of the drum corps carried the corps back to DCI “World Class” semifinalist status, repeating the feat, in 2016.

Cascades barely missed the top-25 cutoff at the 2017 Semifinals by placing 26th in prelims, by just a few tenths. The corps would slip one spot to 27th place at the 2018 DCI prelims but regained a Semifinalist berth in 2019 by placing 25^th. The 2020 season was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They remained inactive for 2020, and after planning to return to the field in 2022, remained inactive while trying to bolster its resources.

After three years of inactivity, the 2023 edition of Cascades needed to be accessible. It needed to be entertaining. It needed to connect with the corps’ community. And it needed to be something performers would love. “Revival” was the end result. That season saw the corps return to the DCI semifinals, placing 25^th. The following year, the corps qualified for the 2024 DCI semifinals and their highest placement since 2016, performing with maturity and confidence as they went on to a 23^rd place finish.

Northwest Youth Music Association; Dave Strickler; Drum Corps World (various issues); Joel James; Drum Corps International; Paul Legault (DCX)