St. Joseph's Drum Corps was founded in 1931 by the Rev. T. Bernard Kelly, pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Batavia. Organized as a youth activity for youngsters in the Batavia area, the Corps started as a choir, then a fife & drum corps and finally a parade corps. In 1951, corps graduates formed St. Joseph's Drum Corps Association Inc., to perpetuate Father Kelly's work. The association sponsored and supervised two corps: a feeder corps, ages 6 to 12; and the older unit, "Mighty" St. Joe's, ages 12 to 21. St. Joseph's Drum Corps operated as a parade corps until the late 1950s, when it became a field competition corps. During the 1960s, Mighty St. Joe's rose to National and International prominence, consistently ranking among the top ten junior corps in the country.
Most notable of the corps many achievements were:
- 8 Times New York State American Legion Champions
- 1963-65-66-67 New York-Canadian Champions
- 1971 Canadian Open Champions
- 1968 National Champion Drum Line
In top level competition, St. Joseph's placed as high as 4th in National and 2nd in World Open competition. Unfortunately, 1971 was the final year of competition for the pride of Batavia, Mighty St. Joe's Junior Drum & Bugle Corps.
After 20 years of inactivity, Mighty St. Joe's Alumni Corps was formed in the fall of 1991 by former members and friends. Wishing again to enjoy an activity that meant so much to them in their teenage years, the present Corps was founded and held their first rehearsal on December 8, 1991. At that first rehearsal, there were 32 people in attendance. Today the corps has more than 100 people involved in one capacity or another. The goals of the organization are to furnish its members with opportunities to perform in a non-competitive basis and to try to put the "good times" back in drum corps.
Even though the corps now calls LeRoy, New York its home, Mighty St. Joe's is a Western New York/Rochester New York based corps with our members coming from numerous communities to participate. Our membership is not restricted to just former members of St. Joseph's but is open to anyone 18 years of age or older who wishes to participate. The average age of our members is in the 60’s. However, we have been bridging the generational gap with our current membership ranging from ages 18 to 78.
Our membership has included former members of many drum & bugle corps, including: Albion Grenadiers, Albion Night Watch, Auburn Purple Lancers, Emerald Cadets, Empire Statesmen, Garfield Cadets, Geneva Appleknockers, Greece Cadets, Hamburg Kingsmen, Hamlin Brassmen, Lake Erie Regiment, Lockport Blazers, Long Island Kingsmen, Mello-Dears, Melodiers, New York Skyliners, Phoenix, Rochester Crusaders, Star of Indiana, Statesmen, Syracuse Marauders, Utica Magnificent Yankees, U.S. Marine Drum & Bugle Corps, Watkins Glen Squires, Yankee-Rebels; and from Canada: Canadian Commanders, Chessmen, Guelph Royalaires, Hamilton Viscounts, Niagara Memorial Militaires, and Preston Scout House.
Members travel from all over western New York State, as well as Pennsylvania and Ontario, Canada to attend rehearsals in Leroy, NY. New members are always welcome and there are openings in all sections: brass, percussion, guard and support staff. No previous experience is necessary.
