The Cadets Alumni Experience Committee has planned a series of special events in which alumni will finally gather for the first time in two years. This year’s Homecoming Weekend will be held Saturday and Sunday, October 9-10, 2021. Click the tabs to browse events and purchase tickets (on sale May 19!). You won’t want to miss this special weekend of events.
12:30-4:30 p.m.
The Cadets’ 2021 Homecoming event series will include a very special Legacy Luncheon honoring four iconic members of our corps’ history.
This year’s luncheon will be held on Saturday, October 9 at the Venetian in Garfield, N.J. — an extravagant venue truly worthy of this premium event. Gourmet food, high-end wines – you won’t want to miss it!
Ticket Price: $500
We hope you will plan to join us as we honor and celebrate the legacies of:
Tony Bartello: “Bart” joined the corps in 1948 at the age of 12 as a French horn player and ultimately served as drum major in 1956 and 1957. He marched with the Cadets in four American Legion National Championship seasons: 1949, 1950, 1953 and 1957. During his time in the corps, Bart’s leadership was both inspirational and motivating. Afterwards, he served in the US Army and went on to become a drum corps judge, marching instructor, and a leader among Cadets Alumni. In recent years, Bart has been a leading voice in The Cadets’ alumni programs. He served as the co-chairman for the 50th-Anniversary Celebration (2007),currently serves on The Cadets Hall of Fame Nominating Committee and is the Liaison to the Heritage Selection Committee.
Hugh Mahon: Hugh Mahon started his drum corps career in the late 1950s as a drum major for four different drum corps, including the Garfield Cadets in 1960 and 1961. He returned to The Cadets as a drill instructor in 1968 and became director of the corps two years later (1969-1972), pushing the concept of “total theme shows” and the formation of the United Organization of Junior Corps, which he sought to assist eastern corps in regaining national prominence. His efforts led to meetings that ultimately resulted in the formation of Drum Corps International. Hugh was elected as DCI’s first co-director, and he served as the DCI Eastern Coordinator. He later became a charter member of both The Cadets Hall of Fame (1984) and the DCI Hall of Fame (1985), recognized for initiating a new era of drum corps.
Art Mura: Art and his family are synonymous with The Cadets legacy; his three older brothers were founding members, and his two younger brothers also wore the uniform alongside him. Art joined the Holy Name Cadets in 1937, serving as a junior drum major for three years. He then played bugle for one year before moving to the percussion section as a snare drummer in 1942, where he stayed through 1949. Art was a member when the corps won its first three National Championships – 1940, 1948 and 1949. He also won the Bergen County and New Jersey State individual snare drumming titles in 1946 and 1947 and was the runner-up in 1948 and 1949. Art went on to serve in the US Army and later become a drum corps instructor and judge. Art was inducted into the New Jersey Drum Corps Hall of Fame (2001) the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame (2002) and The Cadets Hall of Fame (2010).
Rich “Scotty” McGarry: Scotty joined The Cadets as a bugler in Sept. 1957 and marched in the corps through 1966. After aging out, he has become the corps’ historian and photographer, traveling (on his own expense) from the 1980s through 2010s, talking with current Cadets, volunteering his time, and of course, taking lots of photos. He was a board member of the corps for several years and is featured at Spring Training each year when he presents a History Night to the current corps of Cadets. Scotty was inducted into The Cadets Hall of Fame in 2011.
7-11 p.m.
On the evening of Saturday, October 9, The Cadets will honor and celebrate its Hall of Fame Classes for 2020 and 2021 at the VFW in Garfield, N.J.
Since we were unable to gather in person to welcome our 2020 Class into The Cadets’ history books, the Alumni Experience and Hall of Fame Committees are thrilled to finally present this event, combining two years of accolades into one memorable evening.
Please save the date and plan to join us as we celebrate 2020 inductees Cindi DeVivo, Marie DiDomenico, John Molloy and Andy Warntz, as well as the 2021 Class yet to be decided!
This event stays true to the corps’ New Jersey roots with a classic beefsteak menu featuring filet mignon, French fries, ziti and ice cream.
The Cadets Hall of Fame Committee will soon be opening up nominations for the Class of 2021, so stay tuned to cadets.org for updates!
Ticket Price: $65
10:30-11:45 a.m.
The Holy Name Cadets are being honored by a special mass for the current members, Cadets Alumni and Cadets Eternal in celebration of the corps’ 87th-anniversary year.
“A tiny, wooden, Catholic church in the blue-collar, family-oriented community of Garfield, New Jersey, was where the spark was lit. The church was tiny, but the name was grandiose: the Church of the Most Holy Name. It was in this modest structure with a grand name that the foundation for what was to become one of the most honored drum and bugle corps in history was established,” (The Cadets History Book, p. 9).
In its opening excerpt, The Cadets History Book sets the stage. While the building itself has changed, Cadets members and alumni still return to their sacred starting place of the Church of the Most Holy Name.
As part of our 2021 Homecoming Weekend, we hope you will join us on Sunday, October 10 at 10:30 a.m. for a very special Cadets Mass celebrating our 2021 corps, all Cadets Alumni, and Cadets Eternal.
This is a free event. Click below to let us know you’re coming!
87 for 87: An Appalachian Celebration
1-5 p.m.
Homecoming Weekend 2021 will culminate with a wonderful event honoring the 1987 Cadets and celebrating the 87th year of our corps.
The biggest event of the weekend, this year’s gala is entitled 87 for 87: An Appalachian Celebration. It will both celebrate the present and honor the past, drawing its theme from the corps’ 87th year and the 1987 championship-winning season.
Held at The Brownstone in Paterson, N.J., this celebration will not disappoint. For one, the menu is simply too lengthy to publish here. Plan to pace yourself, and save room for dessert!
“After the cocktail hour, people were stunned when they were served dinner!” recalled Cindi DeVivo, a Cadets Alumna and Board Member, about the 2019 gala. “The appetizers were so fabulous that no one realized dinner was still coming. Then they brought out desserts, and people didn’t know what to do! It’s such an incredible event, and so much fun,” she said.
In addition to the amazing menu, special plans are in the works to make the 2021 Appalachian Celebration a Cadets event to remember.
Ticket Price: $100
Location: The Brownstone
351 W Broadway
Paterson, NJ 07522