The ninth annual Albert Lea High School &uot;Cat&uot;aclysmic Show Choir Festival is Saturday, March 29, in the ALHS Auditorium. The daytime performance begins at 8 a.m. and the evening finals begin at 7 p.m.

According to ALHS Choral Director Diane Heaney, the competition is designed to encourage all types of show choirs, promote great singing and provide an uplifting experience for all.

The schools have been separated into larger and smaller school classes and a prep division, which usually means younger high schools students, Heaney said. Awards will be given to the top three in each class at the end of the afternoon session. The top five scoring groups from any class will be announced to compete in the evening finals.

Class B groups, which start performing at 8 a.m., include Blue Sky from Albert Lea’s Southwest Middle School, State Street Singers from Waseca, Limited Edition from St. James, Encore from Jackson County Central, Centerstage from Madelia, Universal Appeal from the International School of Minnesota, Varsity Show Choir from Emmetsburg, Iowa, Ovation from O’Gorman in Sioux Falls, S.D., and Rebelaires from Westwood in Sloan, Iowa.

A lunch break is scheduled from 11:45 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. Concessions will be available, and there will also be novelties, like &uot;show choir hankies&uot; for sale. There will also be drawings for prizes, the director said, adding there has been a &uot;great&uot; response from the community.

&uot;This is our only fund-raiser,&uot; Heaney said, adding over 100 families are involved in helping that day. Students in the show choir pay a fee to participate, she added.

Prep class groups begin performing at 12:20 p.m. These include Intensity from Ankeny, Iowa, DIVAZ from Hastings, Stage Lights from Washington in Sioux Falls, Knight Lights from O’Gorman in Sioux Falls, New Sound from Sioux City, Iowa, and Roosevelt Prep in Des Moines, Iowa.

Class A groups begin performing at 3 p.m. These include Perpetual Motion from Ankeny, Iowa, Northern Lights from North St. Paul, Riverside Company from Hastings, Headliners from Sioux City, Iowa, Roosevelt Varsity from Des Moines Roosevelt, Visual Adrenaline from Ankeny, Iowa, and Classic Connection from Sioux Falls Washington.

Daytime results will be announced at about 6 p.m., Heaney said, with the finals starting at 7.

The Albert Lea &uot;Cat&uot;aclysmic Show Choir will perform in exhibition that evening. This year, the group is performing a rock’n’roll medley, &uot;Sadie Hawkins Dance,&uot; &uot;Gee, I Wanna Go Home,&uot; &uot;Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,&uot; &uot;Superman,&uot; and Bon Jovi’s &uot;Livin’ On a Prayer.&uot; The group features 47 singers and a nine-piece band, Heaney said.

The group recently participated in a show choir competition in Emmetsburg, Iowa, and took second in its class and fifth place overall.

People who attend will be entertained. &uot;Some of these groups are truly amazing,&uot; Heaney said. &uot;It will be like Las Vegas on the local stage.&uot;

Tickets, which are available at the door, cost $5 for adults and $4 for students for either the daytime or evening shows. A combination ticket, which includes both the day and evening performances, costs $8 for adults or $7 for students.