Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

Marching Band Festival to be Oct. 13

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Fifty-five high school bands from across the state will compete in the 31st annual Illini Marching Band Festival on Saturday (Oct. 13) at the University of Illinois.

Participating high schools include: (EDITORS: See list).

The bands will take part in the Field Show Band Contest at Memorial Stadium, 200 E. Florida Ave., Champaign. The competition will begin at 8 a.m. with a performance by Winchester High School. Prospect High School will close the show at about 7 p.m. The UI Marching Illini will perform at 7:30 p.m.

Thirty-five of the bands will participate in the Parade Marching Contest, which begins at 9:15 a.m. at Peabody Drive and Fourth Street in Champaign, near Memorial Stadium. Rochester High School will lead the procession. The bands will move east on Peabody Drive, north on Fourth Street, east on Armory Avenue and south on Sixth Street. They will file past the judges reviewing stand one block south of the Harding Band Building, 1103 S. Sixth St., then march west on Pennsylvania Avenue to Fourth Street and back to the stadium.

These roads will be closed to traffic from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.:

o Peabody Drive from First Street to Sixth Street

o Fourth Street (north) from Pennsylvania Drive to Armory Avenue

o Armory Avenue from Fourth Street to Sixth Street

o Sixth Street (south) from Armory Avenue to Pennsylvania Avenue

Judges will include musicians and music educators from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. The judges will rate the bands on marching, maneuvering, music, showmanship, percussion, and drum-major and color-guard performances.

Spectators may enter the west stands of the stadium after 7 a.m. Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for high school students and children, and free for band members in uniform. In case of inclement weather, the show festival will be held in the stadiums west hall.

The band contest is sanctioned by the Illinois High School Association and sponsored by the UI Office of Continuing Education and Public Service in Music, School of Music, University Bands and Division of Intercollegiate Athletics.

MARCHING BAND FESTIVAL PARTICIPANTS

ALTAMONT Altamont High School

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS John Hersey High School

ASHLAND A-C Central High School

ATWOOD Atwood Hammond High School

AURORA Waubonsie Valley High

BARRY Barry High School

BATAVIA Batavia High School

BELLEVILLE Belleville West Township High School West

BEMENT Bement High School

BETHANY Okaw Valley High School

BLOOMINGTON Bloomington High School

BREESE Mater Dei High School

CASEY Casey Westfield High School

CHAMPAIGN Champaign Central High School

CHAMPAIGN Champaign Centennial High School

CHICAGO HEIGHTS Marian Catholic High School

COLFAX Ridgeview High School

DANVILLE Danville High School

DECATUR Decatur MacArthur High School

DUNLAP Dunlap High School

ELK GROVE VILLAGE Elk Grove High School

EUREKA Eureka High School

FAIRBURY Prairie Central High School

FARINA South Central High School

GALESBURG Galesburg High School

GENESEO J.D. Darnell Senior High School

GRANITE CITY Granite City High School

HIGHLAND Highland High School

HILLSBORO Hillsboro High School

HOOPESTON Hoopeston Area High School

HUTSONVILLE Hutsonville High School

JOLIET Joliet West High School

LOCKPORT Lockport Township High School

MAHOMET Mahomet-Seymour High School

MINOOKA Minooka Community High School

MONMOUTH Monmouth High School

MONTICELLO Monticello High School

MORTON Morton High School

MOUNT PROSPECT Prospect High School

NAPERVILLE Neuqua Valley High School

NEW LENOX Lincoln-Way High School Central

NEWTON Newton Community High School

OFALLON OFallon Township High School

ONEIDA ROWVA High School

ORLAND PARK Carl Sandburg High School

PINCKNEYVILLE Pinckneyville Community High School

ROBINSON Robinson High School

ROCHESTER Rochester High School

ROCK ISLAND Rock Island High School

SPARTA Sparta High School

ST. JOSEPH St. Joseph High School

URBANA Urbana High School

WASHINGTON Washington Community High School

WESTVILLE Westville High School

WINCHESTER Winchester High School

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