Mother surprised by drum tribute to deceased son during VintageNOW fashion show

Tamatha Crowson has performed in every VintageNOW Fashion Show since 2015. However, this year's show Saturday felt a little different.

Crowson's son, Blake Crowson, died April 29, 2020, after sustaining fatal injuries in a car crash. The fashion show's organizers asked Crowson to organize a drumline for a halftime show, but Crowson didn't know the show would be dedicated to her son.

A sign reading "performance in loving memory of our friend, Blake Crowson" popped onto a screen as Southeast Missouri State University's drumline started playing. Blake Crowson's friend, Connor Speakman, played a song he arranged in honor of Blake.

"I was very, very moved and touched," Crowson said. "I thought it was a really nice tribute to him."

Blake Crowson was a 2020 graduate of Cape Girardeau Central High School. Crowson said her son, a "wildly talented percussionist," had been accepted to SEMO on a full-ride scholarship. He intended to minor in percussion.

Blake Crowson was a member of the Cape Girardeau Central Marching Tigers, Shadow Drum and Bugle Corps of Oregon, Wisconsin and Freedom Percussion of St. Charles, Missouri.

He and Speakman marched together in a drum corp called Shadow Drum and Bugle Corps in 2019. Speakman drove five hours to perform at the VintageNOW Fashion Show in honor of his friend.

According to Deb Maevers, director of VintageNOW, more than 1,600 people attended this year's event. Speakman, 19, played a piece in front of the audience by himself.

"It'd been a long time since I'd seen someone of that skill level play snare, really, since I saw Blake play," Crowson said. "I felt proud that Blake had been the kind of person that made people want to go that extra mile for him, that he would inspire that kind of tribute."