🎷🥁🎺 84th North Iowa Band Festival Award Winners and Royalty Announced

MASON CITY— It was truly “Chamber of Commerce Weather” as the 84th North Iowa Band  Festival parade marched through Mason City. This year’s Band Festival King and Queen were  Nolan Balk from Garner-Hayfield-Ventura High School and Catherine Dow from Rudd-Rockford Marble Rock High School. 

Perennial marching band powerhouse Lake Mills High School claimed the Meredith  Willson Sweepstakes prize, which is awarded to the high school marching band with the overall  highest score. The Festival’s newest honor, the Spirit of Meredith Willson Award, was given to  Central Springs High School for exemplifying great enthusiasm, devotion, and honor. As host  schools for the event, Mason City High School and Newman Catholic High School marching  bands are not eligible for the competition, and their royalty are not eligible to be crowned festival  queen and king.  

To encourage participation in the marching band competition from area schools, the  North Iowa Band Festival Committee provides travel stipends to each participating band. The  schools that marched in this year’s parade represent more than 30 communities with a long  history of participation in the festival parade.

In the float competition, CURRIES employees received top honors in the Grand Marshal  Award competition for their celebration of the All-America Band Festival, creatively using the  commercial steel doors and frames they make at the local plant.  

Award Winners: 

Marching Bands 

Class 1A: Northwood-Kensett High School 

Class 2A: Lake Mills 

Class 3A: Forest City 

Parade Competition 

Grand Marshal Award— 

(presented to the parade entry with the best use of the festival theme “All-American Band Festival”) 

CURRIES—1st Place 

Nettleton Dental—2nd Place 

Window World of Mason City—3rd Place 

Mr. Toot Award— 

(presented to the entry with the most originality, artistic quality, and well-crafted design, based on a theme  of their choice) 

MacNider Art Museum—1st Place 

Vietnam Veterans of America—2nd Place 

Clear Lake Bank & Trust, First Citizens Bank (tie)—3rd Place 

An outdoor community church service will be held at 9AM on Sunday, May 28 at Trinity  Lutheran Church. The carnival and concessions will open at noon on both Sunday and Monday  in Downtown Mason City. The carnival will hold “Wrist Band Days” on both days, providing  unlimited rides for $20 each day. 

The North Iowa Band Festival is sponsored each year by the Mason City Chamber of  Commerce to honor of the region’s musical heritage. Corporate donations and the volunteer  efforts of scores of people enable the Chamber to offer the festival as free event for all to enjoy