From a Lehigh Valley Knights press release: Some may wonder, "What is all the hype about?" However, the staff and administration of LVK have a very good reason to be excited. With the opening of a new corps hall, the Lehigh Valley Knights welcomed a new crop of prospective members for the 2004 corps this past weekend.

A shot of the LVK drum line, taken this past weekend.
Corps director Rodney Yetter commented, "We told our members last August before they stepped on the field for their finals performance that this was their first rehearsal for the 2004 season. We are certainly excited that they are continuing where they left off." Tour director Glen Paisley added, "I'll always remember how hard LVK 2003 worked to obtain their goals last season, they were an incredible bunch. However, if this audition camp is any indication, we certainly have raised the bar of what people can expect from us this summer, this is one intense group."

This past Saturday morning, the Lehigh Valley Knights welcomed double the applicants of last November's auditions, with prospective members driving upwards of 12 hours to participate in this years' camp. "We are excited to see an increased number of applicants from the Lehigh Valley area this year as well as a marked increase in prospective members from the Schuylkill County and Reading areas," said Paisley. He continued, "With the marked increased in numbers, we also saw a large increase in our Southern contingent, as well as a large number of applicants from both the Pittsburgh and upstate New York areas. Certainly we had a much older and more talented group of prospective members."

The next opportunity to find a spot in the Lehigh Valley Knights will take place from December 20-21 at their corps hall in New Philadelphia, Pa. Yetter said "We are expecting even a better audition camp in December, we hope to see all of those who were here in November and welcome the many new prospective members come December." For membership and audition information check out the Lehigh Valley Knights Web site at LehighValleyKnights.org.

Also on December 20, 2003, the Lehigh Valley Knights will host their annual "2004 Kick-Off Banquet" at the Mt. Carbon Fire Company in Mt. Carbon, Pa. The Lehigh Valley Knights will honor the 2003 DCI Division II & III finalist members, as well as celebrate the beginning to what will be an even more exciting 2004 season of drum corps in Pennsylvania. The Lehigh Valley Knights have also posted pictures from their camp on LehighValleyKnights.org. Yetter concluded, "We will let the pictures speak for themselves -- we all have a very good reason to be hyped up on what 2004 will bring for drum corps in Pennsylvania."