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Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa May 25 - 29, 2017 Theme - "Music * Family * Fun"
Globe Gazette
By John Skipper
Rutt will receive the Band Masters Award given to a retiring band master in recognition of outstanding work with young musicians over the years. Berggren will receive the Klempnauer Award, named for the late Dan Klempnauer, and given in recognition for years of service to the Band Festival.
This year's Grand Marshal Award, usually given to an individual, will go to Henkel Construction Co. for its years of service in helping with the festival. The festival will be May 25-29 in downtown Mason City with a theme of "Music. Family. Fun!" Berggren has worked for the city for 28 years and has been the city's Band Festival liaison for the past 15 years. Berggren’s crews work as event support during Band Festival weekend. They are responsible for ensuring street closures are clearly marked, keeping the parade route and downtown tidy and providing electrical service to the festivities downtown, along with countless other items. Rutt has taught instrumental music for 35 years, including 24 at Forest City High School. His marching bands have received numerous Division 1/Superior ratings at state competitions and set the school record of 33 consecutive Division 1 ratings. The concert band received Division 1 ratings in 22 of Rutt’s 24 years with the district. Rutt currently serves as the exhibits chair for the Iowa Music Educators State Conference. He has been involved with the Iowa All-State Music Festival for 10 years, including the past six years as chairperson of the Iowa All-State Band. He has also served on the Iowa High School Music Association's executive board.
Globe Gazette
By Ashley Miller
McEniry was initially laid off when the district closed one of its schools. “When they closed Monroe Middle School, they let me go since I had low seniority,” he said. “I taught for two years in Osage, then my job came back open that I never wanted to leave anyways. “I had recall rights, and have been here ever since,” said McEniry, who is associate director of Mason City High School’s bands.
McEniry initially thought he’d be a marine biologist. “I always enjoyed aquatics — I had 10 aquariums in my parents’ basement where I bred fish and was a scuba diver in high school,” he said in his office Tuesday, where glass fish decorated his desk. “But I had a great experience in high school band that really turned me on to music.” He credits former Mason City band director Robert Dean, who died in 1994, and the University of Northern Iowa’s Jon Hansen in steering him towards teaching. McEniry also said he “learned tons about being a band director” from Gil Lettow, a former Mason City band director who died from cancer in 2007.
His music lessons began with piano as a first-grader in Michigan. McEniry's mother used to sit with him to make sure he practiced. Like most that age, McEniry said he was not a “model practicer.”
“In first, second grade, I would much rather have been playing ball or kick the can w ith kids in the street, but I did that after piano,” he said. His piano training later assisted him with band in sixth grade, when McEniry was set on playing trumpet or cornet, like the one his father owned. He had been earnestly practicing a C scale, but when it was time to play it on a trumpet for the band director at school, he couldn’t get the instrument to work. When he switched to the trombone, McEniry said the “sound came right out.” McEniry felt defeated when the band director announced he would play the trombone.
“At the time, I was really disappointed because I wanted to show how well I could play a C scale on the trumpet, but it all worked out great,” he said. “I moved to Mason City (in 1968) — Meredith Willson’s ‘Seventy-Six Trombones’ — and fit in. “I’ve enjoyed being a trombone player since then. I have no regrets on the trombone,” he said.
To honor the 50th anniversary of the Broadway premiere of “The Music Man," McEniry and band director Russ Kramer organized a trombone and trumpet/cornet group to lead the Band Festival parade in 2008. It included Mason City High School, Newman Catholic and Alumni Band members. “It was a rather large band, with minimal rehearsal and practice, but that was very memorable,” McEniry said.
Next year, McEniry will be seeing Band Festival and concerts from a different perspective. In his retirement he plans to teach private lessons, play in Mason City’s Municipal Band and several other groups, assist with music at First Covenant Church, possibly volunteer and fill in at the school, when needed. “I want to see the music department succeed at Mason City High School,” McEniry said.
He’s looking forward to spending more time with his wife, Pam. “This job has a lot of nights and weekends with concerts, pep band and rehearsals,” McEniry said. “She has always been supportive of me and allowed me to have a busy schedule.” But he says the thought of retirement still has him “running hot and cold.” “I have days I think, ‘Do I really want to retire; am I doing the right thing?’” McEniry said. “I don’t know when it’ll hit me… maybe when marching band season starts in August, it might hit me then.”
MASON CITY -- A retirement party for Mike McEniry is planned for Saturday.
The event is 5 to 8 p.m. at First Covenant Church, 411 S. Ohio Ave.
Globe Gazette
Here are the 2017 North Iowa Band Festival high school royalty candidates. They'll ride in the parade at 10 a.m. The awards ceremony will be at 2 p.m. in Central Park.
Globe Gazette Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa May 26, 2017
by Courtney Fiorini
“The first one was when I was just born, so I can’t really remember that one,” Prestholt said. He was born with severe heart defects where the main arteries leaving his heart were reversed, affecting his internal oxygen flow. Prestholt also had atrial and ventricular septal defects — known as a “hole” in the heart. In 2013, Prestholt’s freshman year, his aortic valve began showing signs of failure and required a second open heart surgery.P>“That went smoothly, and I was able to stay in band and choir,” he said. Prestholt was required to participate in band and choir in sixth grade, and still plays percussion in band.
“Afterwards I stayed because I liked it so much,” Prestholt said. When sports became more difficult before the second surgery, music continued to grow as an interest.
“When I was a kid, my heart problem wasn’t in the way of sports or anything,” Prestholt said. “Once I got into middle school, I couldn’t play football, and I wanted to do it because my older brother did.”
He’s been involved with marching band, concert band, IBA conference band, concert choir, Knightsingers Chamber Choir, NIACC Honor Choir and the Dorian Music Festival.
Prestholt's third open heart surgery happened last spring. “The third one was the roughest because they had to do a lot more than was planned,” he said. “When they had the breathing tube in me, it severed my vocal cord and it got paralyzed.” Last month, Prestholt had another surgery to reconnect his vocal cord to another nerve. The cord will take nine to 12 months to fully recover.
There are no additional surgeries on the horizon, Prestholt said. This month, he graduates with his sights set on North Iowa Area Community College in the fall. He wants to either go into a music field or sell real estate. For now, he’s happy to be done with school. Prestholt has marched in the Band Festival parade for several years and will now ride along as Newman's band king.
He was not surprised that he was voted band king. “I thought it was pretty cool because band is a huge part of me,” Prestholt said. “I’m super into music.”
He found a talent for writing music in class this year. “Writing music is easy to me, and it’s more natural than just writing a paper,” Prestholt said.
The festival previously had been held in East Park since 1992. Originally, it was held in Roosevelt Stadium and was moved downtown in 1982 after the stadium was torn down. The festival returned downtown in 2015. Along with the traditional parade, activities included the carnival and marketplace. Entertainment for the band festival will include a variety of musical genres.
The country music band Thrillbillies will open Friday night followed by headliner Chris Hawkey. Hawkey is known for his country hit singles "My Kind of Crazy" and "Good Liar." Local favorites Betty and the Gents will entertain those of all ages with a mix of classic and modern hits Saturday evening. The Pork Tornadoes of Cedar Rapids will kick off performance Saturday evening as well. They are one of the most sought-after party bands in the Midwest, Band Festival officials said. Musicians from the Mason City Municipal Band and students from the Mason City Middle School Band, high school jazz band and high school orchestra will play on the plaza throughout the weekend. The Mohawk Danzers and Newman High School Dance Team will perform as well. Festival activities, which also include the carnival and marketplace.
The North Iowa Band Festival is this weekend, which includes fun, food, festivities, fellowship (I'm running out of f's) and, of course, the Saturday parade.
The festival has always been an event to showcase the youth of North Iowa and that, in itself, makes it worthwhile. It also is an example of two traits that make North Iowa great -- traits that are not tangible like schools and parks and libraries -- and yet are profoundly felt by those of us who live here: generosity and volunteerism. It takes thousands of dollars and hundreds of volunteers to put on the Band Festival. That's why it's free for everyone to enjoy. The Band Festival has no political agenda. We can put all of that stuff aside and just enjoy the entertainment and each other's company for a weekend.
There are those among us who say the Band Festival isn't what it used to be, that it has lost its luster, and that that there are fewer bands in the parade.
Each year, hundreds of people experience the festival for the first time -- new band members at each school and their mothers and fathers and grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles and brothers and sisters who come to watch them perform. Believe me, they see the luster in it. And there are fewer bands because Sheffield-Chapin-Meservey-Thornton used to be four bands instead of one, just to name one example.
I was the Band Festival coordinator for five years -- 1993 through 1997 --so I have some degree of familiarity with what it takes to bring it about. The late Al Zook, who also headed the festival for years, used to say, "It's a festival three days a year because it's a business the other 362 days." And he was right. The day after the festival ends is when planning for next festival begins.
It's been a long time since I've been directly involved with the festival, but I'm sure some things have never changed.
Registration, which is $20 for adults and $10 for students, can be completed at www.active.com.
Bike valet will be available from 7 to 9:30 a.m. Trophies will be given for overall male and female winners with medals for first, second and third place in each division.
All proceeds benefit Mason City and Newman cross country teams, as well as Roosevelt Elementary's reading and running program. Nearly $10,000 has been distributed the past seven years.
Three or four runners from Roosevelt Elementary will participate this year, as well as student support advocate Mark Young and another staff member.
Those part of Roosevelt's club follow a 5K training plan before spending a half-hour reading. About 41 are participating this year in the club, which is modeled after Lincoln Intermediate's Read and Run, where sixth-grade literacy instructor Kathleen Nutt developed after discovering kids typically perform better academically after exercising.
Students are gearing up for next weekend, Young said, recently completing a 25-minute walk or run without stopping.
The funds Roosevelt's club receives covers Stu Nevermann entry fees as well as T-shirts for the kids, Young said.
Stu Nevermann, who ran North Iowa road races with his dad, Le, died at age 25 due to a heart ailment. He was a 1982 Mason City High School graduate who lettered in cross country and track.
The race is also part of the North Iowa Race Series, where participants can earn points with each race finish. Cash prizes will be given to the top series finishers.
Globe Gazette
"I just love the music and seeing the youth and the bands and all the people," said Mary Bloomingdale of Northwood. "It's a wonderful tradition in North Iowa."
Bloomingdale, who watched the parade with her children and young grandchildren, said she remembers coming to the band festival when she was a small child.
Later on she marched in the parade with the Northwood-Kensett High School Band. Marching bands from all over North Iowa participate in the parade. Band kings and queens chosen from each school ride in front of their band. Both Bloomingdale and her daughter, Erin Bedford, were band queens for Northwood-Kensett. Bloomingdale's mother, Madeline Midtgaard, was the band queen for Fertile High School.
"It was really an honor to be chosen by my classmates to represent my school," Bloomingdale said.
Paul Hamilton, who grew up in Mason City and now lives in Oklahoma, was at the parade for the first time in many years. "I think it's great that bands from all over will come and participate," he said.
Laura Allen of Clear Lake and her 2-year-old twin daughters, Larissa and Maliyah Vysocky, were at the parade for the first time this year.
"They are excited," Allen said. The twins were dressed in identical red, white and blue outfits. One of the girls danced as a band went by. "They love to dance," Allen said.
They also enjoyed the candy distributed along the parade route. Allen said she decided to bring the girls to the parade because of its size, as well as "the candy and the nice weather."
When asked what she likes best about the parade, Lukereisha Walker of Mason City replied, "Everything." "I like the bands," she said.
Walker, now 36, has been coming to the parade since she was 5. Now she brings her children. "They love the candy," she said.
Photographs by Chris Zoeller, courtesy of The Globe Gazette
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MASON CITY -- Longtime Forest City High School Band Director David Rutt and Mason City Street Superintendent Bob Berggren are honorees for this year's North Iowa Band Festival.
MASON CITY -- For nearly four decades, the North Iowa Band Festival parade has been an integral part of a Mason City man’s educational and professional career.
Mike McEniry, a 1974 graduate of Mason City High School, has spent 37½ years as an educator in Mason City, Iowa Falls and Osage. He will retire at the end of this academic year after 32 years with Mason City Schools. 
MASON CITY -- Newman Catholic's Band Festival king Drew Prestholt has overcome many obstacles in his life. Prestholt, 18, endured three open heart surgeries before his 18th birthday.
The 79th band festival, held May 25-29, stayed downtown for the third year with variety of entertainment. The largest free marching band competition in the Midwest, it brings in thousands of tourists.
MASON CITY — The 27th annual Stu Nevermann Memorial Run is 8 a.m. Saturday, May 27. The chip-timed 4-mile run, which travels a portion of the Band Festival parade route, begins and ends at the Mason City Aquatic Center, 901 Birch Drive.
MASON CITY -- Throngs of people of all ages lined the streets of Mason City Saturday to watch the 79th North Iowa Band Festival Parade.
Hamilton, who was wearing a T-shirt with the slogan, "Trouble, Right Here in River City," said some people in Oklahoma already knew the fictional town in "The Music Man" was based on his hometown before they met him, while others did not. 
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