Skylander

Welcome to Clifton Park, New York ~ Autobiography ~

Hi! My real name is Joe but here on the internet I use the name Skylander.  In the article that follows I'll be telling you about myself in the form of a self-biography. Within the article you will eventually learn where the name Skylander came from.

 

I live in Clifton Park, NY with my wife Eileen.  Our son Mike "Chilli" is a graduate of the State University of New York's Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY and is currently living in the Los Angeles, Ca area. where he attended the Howard Fine Acting Studio with thoughts of pursuing a career in the performing arts. Mike was also a member of the Pointercounts, a contemporary a cappella group and he's also an alumni of the fraternity Delta Kappa Theta. Mike also attended the Los Angeles Film School.  Today Mike is working for Neway Packaging Company in Rancho Dominguez, CA and serves in the capacity of eCommerce Marketing Manager.  He additionally serves as their webmaster.

 

I guess I would have to say that Mike inherited his musical interests from me. You'll note that I was careful not to say "talent." I would also hope that my past Drum Corps experiences were also an influence. My first instrument, way back in grammar school, was an accordion. I received it for Christmas from who else but Santa Claus. During the next few years the beer barrel polka was played so many times that I'd swear that I almost had brew pouring out my ears.

 

Next it was to on to high school where I took up the tenor saxophone, well at least until I discovered the world of Drum & Bugle Corps. The first corps I played with was the original Interstatesmen Senior Drum & Bugle Corps from Troy, NY and Pittsfield Ma. Then because of my young age it was sort of necessary to step back to the ranks of the Junior Skyliners of Troy, NY. (Patience, this is not where I got the name Skylander from!) While with the Troy Skyliners I met my wife and is it any surprise that I lost interest in D&B Corps - or at least for the next several years!

 

After getting hitched, I served as a volunteer fireman with the Clifton Park - Halfmoon Fire Department for nearly five years. During that time the drum corps bug hit again! A fellow Interstatesmen named Teddy Craver (Mellophone) joined our fire department and before I knew it I was at a drum corps show in Saratoga Springs.  It didn't take long before I found myself marching. I had joined the Syracuse Brigadiers. At the end of that first season (1973) the corps went belly up and it was back home to the ol'recliner again.

 

A few years later I became involved with the New Interstatesmen from Troy NY, but unfortunately that also went belly up too after a few but enjoyable years. Perhaps - I thought to myself - I must be the jinx that put these corps under.

.....no-not really!

In 1978 I went big time and joined the popular New York Skyliners (from New Jersey?). Now here's a corps that just a few years earlier (1975) won the Senior Championships, so I thought they, if any corps, should be safe from the dark cloud that hung over my head. Two years later and a busted bank account I retired from Drum Corps and went back home once again to my trusty ol'recliner, exhausted but satisfied.

 

By the way, if you haven't figured it out yet, it was out of pride for having belonged to the New York Skyliners that I choose the name Skyland for my website - hence "Skylander" as my internet handle.  Once a Skyliner, always a Skyliner, now a Skylander!

 

One evening while traveling back from a show in southern New Jersey, my travel partner (Frank Capone - a soprano horn player) and I stopped at a Diner in mid New Jersey where we observed a couple just arriving following an evening of square dancing. Frank. made the remark to me "That's what you'll be doing when you are too old to march in drum corps." Shortly after getting out of drum corps I found myself smack-dab in the middle of square dancing lessons for a few years. Don't know about the "too old" bit, but I would say that Frank was hitting the old tea leaves a bit!

After a few years out of drum corps I found myself taking a different path in life when I joined the B.P.O.E. which stands for The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.   It is also said that it stands for..........

 

Best PeopleOn Earth

 

I am a Past Exalted Ruler of the Clifton Park Elks #2466 Lodge, lodge webmaster and Lodge Newsletter Editor.  I have also been our district webmaster and was appointed chairman of the New York State Elks Association Internet/Electronic Media Committee at Niagara Falls in September of 1999 and have served in that capacity continually since then.  Additionally, I was the District Editor for the Empire State Elk Publication, official publication of the State Association and also served as State Vice President of the Northeast District from April 2001 until April of 2002.

 

In 1992, the year I became the Exalted Ruler of our lodge, my wife and I enjoyed a week in Dallas, Texas attending the Elk's National Convention. No! None of the cheerleaders were there!  In 2000 we again attended the convention at Dallas and have also attended conventions in Anaheim CA., Reno NV, St. Louis MO and while attending our national convention during July 2004 in Minneapolis, MN, I was sworn in by Grand Exalted Ruler James M. McQuillan as District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler of New York's Northeast District.  I am now a Past District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler.  We are also hoping to revisit Anaheim CA in 2008 and attend that years Elks National Convention.  My wife Eileen is also a Past Exalted Ruler of Clifton Park Elks having served as Exalted Ruler during the 2003-2004 Elk year.

In late 2003 I once again got involved with Drum Corps, but this time in a non-marching capacity.  I am currently a founding member of the Excelsior Drum & Bugle Corps of greater New York State's Capital Region and Western Massachusetts.  I became the corps webmaster and a member of the administrative board, both of which I continue in as of this writing.  You can visit our website at www.excelsiordrumcorps.org.  

As this article comes to a conclusion, let me say thank you for taking the time to read it and I hope the areas it takes you to prove to be at least interesting if not useful. Also, be sure to check out my Music Schools page.  What you will find is information on music related educational Institutions in the New York State as well as surrounding states and Canadian Provinces. There will also be links to other music education related resources.