On the evening of August 26, 2026, Madison Scouts alumni gathered across distance and time zones for a virtual night of fellowship, reminiscence, and friendly competition. Organized by Frank Wateska (1974-77) in partnership with Bill Ives’ Marching Pageantry Arts Museum (MPAM), the online event gave the Scouts family a wonderful time to connect via Zoom, swap stories, and put their knowledge to the test.
The 90-minute gathering brought together a tight-knit group of up to 18 attendees, with 13 to 14 alumni actively diving into the evening’s main attraction: a robust four-round trivia challenge. Each round featured 10 questions spanning the decades from the early iteration of the corps in 1920, through the 1938 re-establishment that began the corps’ unbroken, continuous history, all the way up to the early 2020s. The trivia covered a vast field of corps lore, prompting participants to recall everything from historic founders, Boy Scout Troop affiliation, championship seasons, and iconic shows, to changing uniforms, competitive placements, female performers, and classic musical repertoires. Presiding over the quiz rounds and keeping the official tallies was Jon Schrack, whose deep roots as a marching member (1970–71, 1973–77), Assistant Drum Major (1975), and Drum Major (1976–77) made him the perfect master of ceremonies.
