Oct. 21, 2002

Contact: Kerri Conan, School of Fine Arts, (785) 864-5567.

KU welcomes Heart of America marching band festival Oct. 26

Editor's note: Hometowns and school districts are Pleasant Hill, Center, Shawnee Mission, Belton, Lee's Summit, Blue Valley , Lawrence, Raymore-Peculiar, Goddard, Topeka and Olathe.

LAWRENCE -- The most colorful high school marching bands in the region will gather here for the 11th annual Heart of America Marching Band Festival on from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Oct. 26 in Memorial Stadium on the University of Kansas campus. Admission is open to the public: $3 for adults, $2 for students, and $1 for children under 12.

This year the the bands will be competing for the first time for both ratings and rankings.

"It creates a more exciting event," says John Lynch, KU director of bands. "The camaraderie paired with a supportive spirit of competition should guarantee a highly charged afternoon of music and marching."

Student bands will be grouped according to their 4A, 5A, or 6A status and may opt out of the rankings competition if so desired. Each will be judged in categories of music performance, marching performance, and overall effectiveness. The adjudicators Ð all from premier marching bands -- include James Hudson from Southwest Texas State University, Jeff Mathews from Northwestern State University in Louisiana, and Paul Brizzi from Ankeny High School in Iowa.

Participating area high schools are (in order of appearance) Pleasant Hill, Center, Shawnee Mission North, Belton, Lee's Summit, Shawnee Mission South, Shawnee Mission West, Blue Valley North, Lawrence High, Blue Valley NW, Raymore-Peculiar, Free State, Goddard, Shawnee Mission East, Shawnee Mission NW, Topeka West, and Olathe South.

The KU Marching Jayhawks will perform an exhibition after the competition, while the scores are being tabulated. The awards ceremony is scheduled to begin at 5:15 p.m.

The festival is co-sponsored by KU Bands and the Northeast district of the Kansas Music Educators Association (KMEA). Admission to KU Marching Day is $3 general, $2 students and $1 children under 12. Tickets are available at the gate. For more information, please contact the KU Office of Music & Dance at 785-864-3436.