North Iowa Band Festival continues tonight in Mason City

MASON CITY — The North Iowa Band Festival continues tonight and tomorrow in Mason City. 

 

== The Grand Marshal Award for tomorrow’s parade is being given to essential workers. The Band Festival committee decided that considering the events of the past year, they wanted to honor an entire group of people who made a significant contribution to the health and well-being of all north-central Iowans. As a tribute to their efforts, representatives from the region’s essential workforce will be leading the parade, assembling behind a banner with this year’s festival theme, “Banding Together & Marching Forward”. 

 

== The Band Master Award winner goes to Mason City native Chris Bell. Chris had a teaching career that spanned over 30 years, being a band director at St. Ansgar, Newman, North Central, West Fork and the Mason City Community School District. Bell says despite having retired from teaching, she still is active in the community. 

Bell says,  “I still give some lessons. I do go out to Newman…I didn’t this year because of the pandemic…but I help with the reading program, I volunteer out there. I play in the New Horizons band which is all retired people, and I love that. I play in the North Iowa Concert Band, and Clear Lake Municipal Band when they need someone. I’ve played in the Mason City Municipal Band since 1970.”

 

== The Dan Klempnauer Award winner is Carrie Berg, who has served as the director of the festival’s Stu Nevermann Run since 2010. Since taking over as the event’s organizer, Berg has used the proceeds from the run to sponsor local high school cross country and “running & reading” programs. 

Berg says, “Our profits are shared this year with SPIN DEVO, which is a developmental bicycling group. The Belmond-Klemme elementary school has a running & reading program where the kids read for 30 minutes and then run for 30 minutes. We sponsor that and give them free entries, so this year we have ten students ages 9-12 who are able to complete the four-mile race. The remainder of the money goes to the Mason City High School cross country team.”

 

Berg and Bell not only will be riding through tomorrow’s parade but will be recognized during the festival’s awards ceremony at 2 o’clock tomorrow afternoon on the main stage just east of Central Park. A

lso on Saturday on the main stage, the Mohawk Danzers perform at 1:30; Brad+Kate perform starting at 5 o’clock followed by the Hepperly Band at 7:30.

Tonight, the Mason City High School Orchestra will perform starting at 5 o’clock on the plaza just north of the Principal Pavilion construction site on Southbridge Mall’s north side. Things switch to the main stage at 6 o’clock with the Mason City High School Jazz Band followed by the group “High & Mighty” at 7:30

 

 

Watch Coverage of this years 82nd North Iowa Band Festival Parade.

Presented by Wayne’s Ski & Cycle in Mason City!

Saturday May 29th at 10:00 AM.

Click below to view our live stream!