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Toronto Optimists


Other Names:18th Scout Troop; 157th Scout Troop Trumpet Band

Toronto, ONT Canada
Founded: 1952

Inactive Junior
YearPositionScoreTheme/Songs
1958 When You're Smiling * Hello Everybody Hello * It's A Big Wide Wonderful World * Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams * Hello Young Lovers (from The King and I) * In the Mood * Little Brown Jug  
1959 When You're Smiling * Song of the Vagabond King (from The Desert Song) * Halo * Fanfare #2 * Hail to Optimism * It's A Big Wide Wonderful World * Serenade (from The Student Prince) * In the Mood * Fanfare #3 * The World is Waiting for the Sunrise * The Red, White and Blue * O Canada * Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah * Auf Wiedersehen  
1960 Meadowland * Manhattan Beach March * Halo * Hail to Optimism * To Each His Own * Serenade (from The Student Prince) * In the Mood * Fanfare #2 * Song of the Vagabond King (from The Desert Song) * When You're Smiling * Imperial Echoes * O Canada * Lassie * Till  
1961 Cockeyed Optimist (from South Pacific) * Meadowland * Fascinating Rhythm * You're Just in Love * Manhattan Beach March * Serenade (from The Student Prince) * In the Mood * Fanfare * This Is The Army, Mr. Jones * To Each His Own  
1962 It's A Big Wide Wonderful World * Let Me Entertain You (from Gypsy) * Asia Minor * St. Louis Woman * I'm In The Mood For Love * Down By the Riverside * Tabu * I Believe * The Party's Over (from Bells Are Ringing)  
1963 Theme from Lawrence of Arabia * Love Theme (from El Cid) * St. Louis Blues March * Fairest of the Fair * I'm In The Mood For Love * It Ain't Necessarily So (from Porgy and Bess) * Tabu * I Believe * The Party's Over (from Bells Are Ringing)  
1964 Who Will Buy (from Oliver) * More (from Mondo Cane) * Let Me Entertain You (from Gypsy) * El Cumbanchero * It's Legitimate (from Do Re Mi) * I Believe * The Party's Over (from Bells Are Ringing)  
1965 Who Will Buy (from Oliver) * Alabama Jubilee * Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now) * El Cumbanchero * Mandy * Battle Cry of Freedom * O Canada * More (from Mondo Cane)  
1966 Food, Glorious Food (from Oliver) * Battle Cry of Freedom * O Canada * Eager Beaver * Has Anybody Seen My Girl? (Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue) * Emily (from The Americanization of Emily) * Georgia on My Mind * Frivolous Sal * Sweet Georgia Brown * Thank Heaven For Little Girls * That Old Devil Moon * More (from Mondo Cane)  
1967 Born Free * Battle Cry of Freedom * O Canada * Eager Beaver * Has Anybody Seen My Girl? (Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue) * Georgia On My Mind * Frivolous Sal * Sweet Georgia Brown * Thank Heaven For Little Girls * That Old Devil Moon * More (from Mondo Cane)  
1968 The Joker (from Roar of the Greasepaint) * Ontario - A Place To Stand * Goin' Out Of My Head * Has Anybody Seen My Girl? (Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue) * Georgia on My Mind * Thoroughly Modern Millie * Thank Heaven For Little Girls * Temptation * You Only Live Twice  
1969 Hang 'em High * Ontario - A Place To Stand * Temptation * Aquarius (from Hair) * Let the Sun Shine In (from Hair) * Those Were The Days * Blue Rondo A La Turk * San Francisco  
1970 Hang 'em High * The Phantom Regiment * Temptation * You Make Me So Very Happy * Flesh Failures (from Hair) * Little Brown Jug * I Left My Heart in San Francisco  
1971 Victory at Sea * This Is The Army, Mr. Jones * Theme from Patton * Get Together * Moonlight Serenade * Flesh Failures (from Hair) * I Left My Heart in San Francisco  
1972 Paint Your Wagon * Make Me Smile * More and More * Moonlight Serenade * Tuxedo Junction * Caravan * Patton * Superstar  
1973 Le Coq D'or * Caravan * Make Me Smile * More and More * Lucretia McEvil * Sometimes In Winter * Hi-De-Ho (That Old Sweet Roll) * Over the Hill  
1974 34 64.600 Le Coq D'or * It Better End Soon * Beautiful People  
1975 16 75.600 The Man That Got Away * The Trolley Song (from Meet Me In St. Louis) * Over the Rainbow (from The Wizard of Oz) * Soulero * Indian Lady * Beautiful People  
Position 200+ indicates Division II, Position 300+ indicates Division III, Position 400+ indicates Mini Corps.
The Toronto Optimists was initially formed in 1952 as the 18th Scout Troop. This group became the 157th Scout Troop Trumpet Band and in 1956, with sponsorship from the Downtown Optimist Club, they became known as the Optimist Trumpet Band, nicknamed Opti.

With the 1956 Canadian Junior Novice competition, Opti began an unmatched string of championship victories. The corps leaped from being a class B standstill corps in 1957 to winning the Canadian National Junior Corps Championships in 1958, defeating Preston Scout House. Opti then went on to win ten more titles, through 1968. The Optimists’ unbroken streak of eleven consecutive championships is far longer than that of any other corps in drum corps history, American or Canadian.

The Optimists had the distinction of being the first Canadian corps to carry the newly-official maple leaf flag, on Feb. 27, 1965.

The uniform consisted of white bucks, black pants with a white stripe, a white sash and cumber bund, a green mother of pearl shako topped with a white plume and a green satin blouse with a white diagonal stripe bordered in black.

Also known as The Green Machine, the Optimists continued to compete into the 1970s, but De La Salle Oaklands had taken over their place as the power in Canadian drum corps by that time. Opti won one more Canadian Junior title, in 1972, but in the Spring of 1976 they merged with the Seneca Princemen to become the Seneca Optimists.

[http://www.in2corps.com/legends/opti/optimist.htm; A History of Drum and Bugle Corps, 2002; DCW, 8/31/02, p.3; DCW, 3/03, p.3; Jeffry J. Mason 11/22/2004]

Members (6)

Member Name Section Years Involved
Bruton, Richard Brass 1974 to 1975
Bruton, Richard Contra Bass 1975
Grimes, Michael Horn Line 1975
Mason, Jeff Bass Drum 1976
Roberts, Doug Hornline 1970 to 1972
Stewart, Jim Baritone Horn 1959 to 1961

CORPS 57 items

Toronto Optimists
PDF Document

From Toronto, The Optimists by Colin Hedworth Contributed by Bob Carell
Toronto Optimists

1960s Optimist Button from the Bob Carell Collection
Toronto Optimists

1962 Optimists Junior International Button from the Bob Carell Collection
Toronto Optimists

Early Optimist Button from the Bob Carell Collection
Toronto Optimists

Optimist Button from the Bob Carell Collection
Toronto Optimists

Optimist Button from the Bob Carell Collection
Toronto Optimists

Optimist Button from the Bob Carell Collection
Toronto Optimists

Optimist Button from the Bob Carell Collection
Toronto Optimists

Optimist Button from the Bob Carell Collection
Toronto Optimists

Optimist Button from the Bob Carell Collection
Toronto Optimists

Optimist Button from the Bob Carell Collection
Toronto Optimists

Optimist Button from the Bob Carell Collection
Toronto Optimists

Optimist Button from the Bob Carell Collection
Toronto Optimists

Optimist Button from the Bob Carell Collection
Toronto Optimists

Optimist Button from the Bob Carell Collection
Toronto Optimists

Toronto Optimists booster button from the Bob Carell Collection
Toronto Optimists

Toronto Optimists crest for 10 consecutive Nationals from the Bob Carell Collection
Toronto Optimists

Toronto Optimists jacket crest from the Bob Carell Collection
Toronto Optimists

TorontoOptimistCadets,Toronto,ON,LP1(RE-1.0)J_U_S from the Richard Elmquist Collection Contributed by Richard Elmquist
Toronto Optimists
PDF Document

408-411, Toronto Optimists from the Steve Vickers Collection

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