By this stage in the game, drum corps fans south of the Mason-Dixon line (even a few highway-mad Yankees) know to expect a tremendous showdown each year in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. In 2005, DCI Southwestern will be held on July 23. Tickets are on sale now. You can order them online at DCI.org or at 800.495.7469 x 3. One ticket gets you into two big shows that day -- one show is scheduled to start at noon, the other is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. All 24 Division I corps will perform that day. Tickets are $45, $35 or $25. Group tickets, for those of you attending with more than 25 people, will be $15 per ticket. Tickets for other DCI events next summer go on sale in the coming weeks:
• Allentown, Pa. (Aug. 5 and Aug. 6) -- tickets on sale Oct. 12
• Murfreesboro, Tenn. (July 29) -- tickets on sale Oct. 19
• Indianapolis (July 30) -- tickets on sale Oct. 26