Sun's drum line would come to dominate DCA, and during those years the Sunrisers were fortunate to have one of the best percussion staffs around. The mainstay of the in-house staff was Dave Franceschina. Also on board in various years were Brian Callahan, Rich Cesani and Jim Mallen, among others.

In 1976, at Teaneck, NJ - the first show of the season - the audience began to buzz as the Sunrisers entered the stadium, sporting new Aussie-style hats. When the corps formed a wedge for its opening "hit" in Procession of the Nobles, the crowd erupted in applause, for it was clear that the Sunrisers had arrived as a championship contender. Sun finished a solid third at DCA Finals that summer. The stage was set for what became the three most memorable seasons the corps ever experienced.

The hunt for the 1977 DCA title became a two-corps chase, the Sunrisers nipping at the heels of the Hawthorne Caballeros, beating the Cabs on several occasions and falling short on others. Neither Sun nor the Cabs lost to another corps that season. Sun did battle with a show that combined sophistication with pure audience appeal. The repertoire included English Folk Song Suite, Spain, Old Man River, Eli's Comin', Dance of the Wind-up Toys and Evergreen.

Bennett, Arietano and DeLucia were show designers and arrangers. The staff included Dave and Pete Franceschina, Cesani, Tom McCarthy, Ted Sasso and Ted Heumann. The personable Tom Hart was drum major.

The corps had a great percussion section, a solid horn line and color guard and a cutting-edge visual show. It was a magical, winning combination. The corps delivered one of its best performances ever at DCA Prelims, beating the Cabs by three points.

That night, Sun performed before a packed house at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown, PA, then nervously awaited the final results. You could cut the tension with a knife as the announcer intoned, "In second place, with a score of 94.10… the Hawthorne Caballeros!" Sun had done it! "In first place, with a score of 94.15… " Yes, five-hundredths of a point. It was the narrowest of margins, but the Sunrisers were the champs.

"Slow start, big finish" could describe Sun's 1978 season. The corps lost its first show, but dropped only two more shows that season and rolled to a successful defense of its DCA title.

The corps got a scare at DCA Prelims, edging the Caballeros by, ironically, .05. But Sun took the night show by nearly three points, winning caption honors for horns, drums, color guard and general effect (including a first-ever perfect score in the GE brass caption).

In 1979, the corps had a big brass section, another outstanding drum line and a strong color guard, but some of the magic was missing and Sun fell shot in a bid for a "three-peat." However, the corps did not go down without a fight, delivering a great performance at DCA Prelims that had the audience roaring from start to finish. In the end, it was not enough. The Sunrisers finished third at finals, but took home another percussion trophy.

The summer of 1980 was a rebuilding year. Several long time members moved on and DeLorenzo and Bennett retired. Veteran Sunriser Len Haring Jr. took over as director, and the corps hired Bobby Hoffman of Bayonne Bridgemen fame to write the 1980 drill. Thankfully, Sun's magnificent drum line carried the corps through a "down" year, finishing second at DCA Finals.

From the pen of brass arranger Arietano came a version of Send in the Clowns that became a Sunriser classic. Also Dennis Dewey came on board as brass coordinator for the corps, which finished in sixth place at DCA Finals. That night, Sun also was part of what surely is one of the most bizarre incidents in DCA history.

The Westshoremen, performing before Sun, decided to release a flock of birds at the end of their show for added effect. The birds were supposed to fly away into the night. One problem: they didn't! So here were the Sunrisers, lined up in their starting position, waiting for officials from the Westshoremen and DCA to clear the field of the flock of grounded birds.

Anyone who was there that night will never forget the sight of DCA judge Walter Kelly firing his starters' pistol in an effort to get the birds to move!

True to their tradition, the Sunrisers "shook things up a bit" in 1981, debuting a bright new uniform of orange tunic-style tops and blue pants and a bright new show featuring pop, jazz and Broadway tunes. Sun once again was led by their monster drum line, which took home the percussion trophy at DCA Finals, and the corps placed a close second overall.

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