The Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps was founded in 1964 by Frank Van Voorhis and David Dummer.

The Combine members felt that the corps should be making their own rules, operating their own competitions and championships, and keeping the bulk of the money those shows earned.

At the first DCI World Championships in Whitewater, Wisconsin, the Blue Stars finished in second place in a competition that featured thirty-nine corps from the East, the South, the West Coast, the Midwest and Great Plains, and Canada.

The corps, no longer sponsored by First Federal and beset with heavy debt and declining membership, ceased operations after the 1982 season.

Although the corps missed making DCI Finals, the new organization had paid off enough of the old one's debt to regain use of the name, Blue Stars.

In 2007, the corps introduced a more contemporary uniform design, abandoning the cross-straps and buckle used for the majority of its existence, although their trademark helmet was retained until late in the 2008 season.

In 2008, the Blue Stars qualified for World Class Championship Finals for the first time since 1979, and finished in 8th place each season from 2008 to 2010.

In order to broaden its appeal, the Blue Star Cadets were converted to a youth band with woodwinds as well as brass and percussion instruments.

[6] The Blue Stars Alumni Corps was started in 2005 and marches annually in the La Crosse Oktoberfest parade.