High school marching bands from Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Nebraska will compete this weekend at the University of Northern Iowa Bands of America Iowa Regional Championship.
Spokesman James Stephens, says it’s a competition — but there’s a lot of camaraderie. “Everybody wants to support each other and to be there. As a former educator, band director myself, whenever we would go to events, kids would get excited by other performances,” Stephens says.
Stephens says marching bands are a key part of high school activities. “Whether you are a band person, a music person, an athlete — I always say — get involved in something. You’ve got to find what it is. Some kids have figured out a way to maneuver multiple things, and that’s fantastic,” according to Stephens.
He says the competition begins at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, with the doors to the UNI-Dome open at 11:30 a.m. Stephens says you can get tickets at the box office the day of the event and don’t have to buy them in advance. Iowa bands in the competition include Cedar Rapids Prairie; Davenport Central; Waukee Northwest, Ottumwa, and Independence.
The Iowa Regional is one of 22 Bands of America marching band championships across the country this fall. The Bands of America Grand National Championships, are in Indianapolis November 11-13th.