For more than three decades the hometown team providing the support essential to the life and success of the Argonne Rebels Drum and Bugle Corps was the community of Great Bend and Barton County. An estimated 2,000 area youth, ages 10 through 21, participated in the program. Alumni often describe their membership in the corps as “transformational.” Non-tax supported, the corps was dependent on the generosity of local fraternal and civic organizations, churches, school systems, businesses, law enforcement agencies, talented and dedicated staff, families, friends, and countless fans.
The support given to the corps – and the youth in its ranks – was more than financial. It included donations of goods and services, summer jobs, incalculable time, unwavering loyalty, essential life skill, and heartfelt goodwill. The Argonne Rebels made friends everywhere they traveled, receiving encouragement, high honors, respect, and praise from admirers nationwide – and its members made lasting bonds yet to be broken.
Jeff Yeager marched with the corps from 1967 – 1974. He echoes the sentiment of all alumni: “We recognize that the value of what each member received from the community of Great Bend and Barton County is immeasurable. We are profoundly grateful, and thank the community – that for more than three decades – championed its youth with unwavering support.”
Learn more about the history and heritage of the corps, and its rise to national prominence. Explore the current exhibition: The Argonne Rebels Drum and Bugle Corps / The Hometown Team / How Our Community Championed Its Youth, through Sept. 5, at the Great Bend Public Library. The exhibit is part of the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street Program, sponsored by the Kansas Humanities Council.