Globe Gazette
Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
May 31, 2001

MASON CITY — Summary: The North Iowa Band Festival begins tonight, providing - as has been the case since 1928 - wholesome entertainment for all ages.

Music. Fun. A celebration for all of North Iowa. It is the North Iowa Band Festival, a tradition in our area since the 1920s, and the baton will be dropped on this year's festival tonight.

But first, a bit of history.

Globe Gazette reporter John Skipper, in his history of the Band Festival, noted how the first festival was held in 1928 in observance of Mason City's 75th anniversary.

Eight years later, the Iowa Bandmasters Association held its annual meeting in Mason City and it was decided another Band Festival should be held. Its success prompted yet another the next year, and a tradition was born - disrupted only by World War II.

While festivals have changed over time, one thing has remained constant: The underlying theme of wholesome entertainment for young and old.

So it goes for the 2001 version, which starts unfolding tonight.

The first event is a performance by French horn virtuoso Kristin Davidson at 8 tonight at the First Congregational Church. Festivities continue Friday through Sunday, and the schedule is loaded - check it out in the special Band Festival section in today's Globe Gazette and on Globe Online (www.globegazette.com).

Of course, the traditional centerpiece of the festival will be Saturday's parade at 10 a.m. That's when North Iowa's finest young musicians don their high school band uniforms, polish their horns and strap on their drums to strut down the street to the enjoyment of thousands.