Crusader drum corps display moves to La Salle County Historical Museum in Utica

The La Salle County Historical Museum at 101 E. Canal St. in Utica is the new home to a display commemorating the Crusaders drum corps that played every parade it could until it disbanded in 1980.

The display was initially featured in the northern wing at the Ottawa Historical Scouting and Heritage Museum, which has since shifted around to a new display.

Robert Anselme said he spoke with the La Salle County Historical Museum about moving the display there permanently and the museum obliged, becoming the new home for the display.

The Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps traces its roots to 1930 when Kenneth Kobold joined the Ottawa High School Drum Corps in lieu of learning to carry a rifle, as military training was part of the school’s curriculum post-World War I.

Kobold served in World War II and joined the American Legion Post 33 drum and bugle corps after, before forming the Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps at the request of Rev. Father Edward Duke from Marquette Academy.

The display celebrates the Crusaders and the years of competitions and parades it participated in, made up of neighborhood children throughout Ottawa.