By Jan Hench, Guest Column

Thanks to all the volunteers, contributors, participants and spectators for making the eighth annual Albert Lea Festival of Bands a great day. The 1,300-plus marching students from 11 Minnesota communities entertained the crowd with great sounds, and fabulous marching maneuvers.

The day actually began weeks and months earlier as bands and sponsors are contacted, schedules are set, summer marching band directors statewide pick their music and plan their routines and the young people take to the field for hours and hours of practice.

Arrangements are made with the state to close the street for the parade and permission gotten from the city to hold the parade. Publicity contacts are made, posters printed, the media is contacted, and volunteers are solicited and trained, and the weather man is petitioned for a nice rain-free day. Just before parade day, the city garage sets out &8220;no parking&8221; signs and street barricades. The police department prepares traffic control.

Parade day begins early with the core committee meeting for breakfast at 7 a.m. Lists are double-checked for anything that may have been missed. Last-minute planning is outlined for the hours remaining to finish the odds and ends that need to be finished before the arrival of

the first band.

As the morning progresses, the participating bands board their buses for the trip to Albert Lea, often after competing the night before at another band festival. With instruments and uniforms, they arrive at Albert Lea High School where they are met by volunteer band hosts, who spend the day with their assigned bands. ATV Club members help the buses park and the bands then tune up, warm up and suit up before being moved to the downtown staging area by their Harley Owners Group motorcycle escort.

REACT helps all day with volunteers at the high school and at downtown parade areas to make sure that things are flowing smoothly and to help to help keep everyone on time.

As the morning progresses, the concessionaires are setting up in the downtown area; the judging area is set up and the judges and the point tabulators from U.S. Band (who put together the judges&8217; scores for the award ceremony in Central Park) arrive.

First aid and fire department personnel are getting ready in Central Park to provide for the safety of the kids and the Eagles Club members are icing down the water and refreshments provided by Culligan and Pepsi and the hot dogs and condiments provided by Hy-Vee and Schweigert Foods. Our programs, put together by the Freeborn County Shopper, are being distributed to the waiting spectators, giving them a chance to read about the grand marshal and the participating bands before the start of the parade.

As the magic hour approaches, the first bands are moved into position, the American Legion color guard starts to form at the kickoff point, the Boy Scouts are lined up to carry the sponsor banners and the grand marshal, Don Lee Sorenson) is moved into place.

At 2 p.m., the parade begins and the spectators&8217; waiting is over. The streets are filled with music and kids (of all ages) are &8220;grooving&8221; on the sidelines with the music and the beat of the drums. The parade is on and each band is given the street, they own it, and they each are the central attraction until they have passed through the judging area, and what a show they each give us.

After all the bands have passed through the judging area and all the tabulations have been completed, we move to the award ceremony in Central Park. The ceremony begins with the drum majors from each band marching into the ceremony area, being led by the Albert Lea Marching Tigers color guard and drum line. The Pledge of Allegiance is said, the grand marshal introduced and the awards ceremony begins.

The park is filled with excited students in anticipation. They are ready to cheer their comrades on and they do as the presentations are made. Pride is in the air as their efforts are rewarded. Trophies and prize money are presented, thanks to the many contributors to the festival.

Too soon the park is empty, the buses are gone and the volunteers do the last few chores before the event becomes a memory until next year. This year the weather man smiled.

See you next year &8212; June 16, 2008 &8212; for the ninth annual &8220;Albert Lea Festival of Bands.&8221;

Albert Lea resident Jan Hench is the Festival of Bands Committee media chairwoman.