North Iowa Band Festival Reminders 🥁🎷🎺

MASON CITY, IA—The community is gearing up for the 84th North Iowa Band Festival, which begins  Thursday, May 25 in Mason City. www.nibandfest.comwww.nibandfest.com The Thursday evening entertainment begins at 6PM at the Principal  Pavilion on the Downtown Plaza with the John Adams Middle School Band, followed by the season opening performance of the Mason City Municipal Band at 6:45PM.

Honorees and Parade

In addition to the marching band competition, the parade will honor Ruth Miller and Rosie Hussey  (posthumously) with the Grand Marshal Award.

Bill Stangler of the City of Mason City will be honored as the Klempnauer Awardee.

Saturday morning’s parade begins at 10AM on Pennsylvania Ave. and Third Street NE. The parade starts  at Pennsylvania Avenue and Third Street NE; the area north and east of this corner is used for “staging”  the parade entries, and spectators should not sit in this area. Parade entries will be allowed to distribute  candy and other hand-outs. However, the first three blocks of the parade are the judging area, which is  a designated “NO CANDY” zone. Parents should not allow children to sit in the street or run into the  street. Several of the marching bands will require the full width of the street for their performance.

Pets 

Dogs and other animals—with or without a leash–are NOT allowed along the parade route on Saturday  morning, or in any festival areas Downtown from Thursday evening through Monday evening.

Trash

Festival-goers are encouraged to use the trash receptacles located along the parade route and in Central  Park. Private citizens along the parade route are extremely generous in allowing their North Iowa  neighbors a great vantage point to enjoy the parade, and the Mason City Parks Department has worked  very hard to have Central Park looking its best for guests. Please heed this gentle reminder to dispose of  all trash properly.

Bathroom Facilities 

Porta-potties will be located along the parade route, at the start of the Stu Nevermann Memorial Run,  and in Central Park for the comfort of festival patrons. Please use these conveniently-located facilities  and refrain from requesting entrance to private homes or businesses along the parade route or  downtown. Accessible porta-potties are available downtown. For the parade, an accessible porta-potty  will be placed in the parking lot across from the former YMCA building, which is the area designated for  ADA-parking/parade viewing.

Rain 

Saturday morning’s parade will be rain-delayed in half-hour increments and is subject to cancellation at  11:30AM. In the event of heavy rain or lightning, festival entertainment will be moved to the indoor  pavilion or cancelled. These decisions will be made prior to each entertainment segment (Friday night,  Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening,) if the weather clears.

The Annual Stu Nevermann Memorial Run will begin as-scheduled in the event of rain, but will be  delayed in 30-minute increments for lightning.

Severe Weather 

Festival officials and the Mason City Police Department will work closely with the Cerro Gordo  Emergency Management team to monitor the weather and the potential threat of severe weather.  They will rely upon the National Weather Service to utilize the early warning system, if possible. In the  event of severe weather, the Mason City Police Department will exercise its authority to ensure public  safety. This may include directing patrons to evacuate Central Park and move to nearby shelter (NI  Regional Commerce Center, City Hall, Praise Community Church).

Smoking 

Patrons attending the entertainment events in Central Park/Downtown should refrain from smoking.

Entertainment 

In the spirit of celebrating local musicians, the John Adams Middle School Band will kick off the weekend  on Thursday night, followed by a performance from the Mason City Municipal Band.  On Friday, the talented Mason City High School Orchestra is scheduled at 5PM at the Principal  Performing Arts Pavilion. The Mason City High School Jazz Band is scheduled at 6PM on the main stage,  followed by Elton and Billy – The Tribute at 7PM! This dueling piano duo will be playing all of the  favorites from legendary piano men Elton John and Billy Joel!

Saturday’s festivities begin with The Stu Nevermann Run at 8AM, followed by the BIG parade at 10AM  that runs down East State Street from North Penn to the High School. The state champion MCHS  Danzers will perform at 1PM in front of the Main Stage before the Awards Ceremony at 1:30PM. The  instrument petting zoo will be held from 2-4PM along with balloon creations and spin art. At 2:30PM,  the Bill Riley Talent Show will be held on the Main Stage, a first for the North Iowa Band Festival! This  show will serve as the area’s first of the summer, and the winner of the show will compete in the state  show at the Iowa State Fair later in August.

Saturday evening’s Main Stage performances begin at 5PM with North Iowa comedian Day Peace. Then,  at 5:30PM, local band The Sweet Nuthins will play their renditions of the best pop/rock covers from the  60s-90s. Fans of NBC’s “The Voice” will be in for a treat this year when Morgan Myles takes the main  stage with her country flare at 7PM. Myles recently placed third on Season 22 of the popular singing  competition show. She was also the only female singer to boast the accomplishment of making it to the  top five finalists!

Carnival / Concession / Marketplace 

The carnival and concessions will open on Thursday evening at 6PM and run until 8PM. The carnival and  concession open at 5PM on Friday, 9AM on Saturday, noon to 8PM on Sunday, and noon to close on  Monday. Sunday and Monday will be “Wrist Band Days”. The Marketplace will be open Friday at 4PM,  Noon on Saturday, and 11AM-5PM on Sunday.

Website

The North Iowa Band Festival website contains the most up-to-date information on all aspects of the festival. www.nibandfest.com.