The American Originals are a fife and drum corps, not a drum and bugle corps. But they've been performing at the Dixie Stinger for years now and put on one hell of a show. Their drum line is nothing short of incredible. In fact, most of the people leave the Dixie Stinger every year saying that the American Original's drum line was best of show. I won't argue.

The fifes are damn good, too, although they get overshadowed by the drum line. They have one guy in particular who can play a fife like nothing you have ever heard.

The drum major is a rather attractive woman around my age (and in a singular burst of well-adjustedness I tend to like women roughly my age). A couple of years ago she was narrating the show between pieces and mentioned that they had been playing presidential inagurations for years and always granted the incoming president a request. The new (at that time) president, George W. Bush, had requested "Boots and Saddles". At the prior inaguration President Clinton requested "The Girl I Left Behind Me".

Hmmm.