Heartland Preview 9/24
During the fall, marching band invitationals are held across the nation. Most of them are run by a local high school or school district. These events are important to these band programs as fundraisers for the host and a chance for smaller schools that may not be able to participate in major events like USBands or Bands of America. General Effect Media would like to highlight these contests, which are essential to these local communities and their programs.
On the outskirts of Tulsa, Oklahoma, one of the nebulae of national marching arts talent, is the Owasso Stadium at Owasso High School. Twenty bands will take the field for the Owasso Invitational starting at 10:30 AM (CT). For those in the greater Tulsa area looking for a day of entertainment, look no further - in attendance are several BOA Regional, Super Regional, and Grand National finalists. We should see a nice early-season preview for many bands competing in the Oklahoma Bandmasters Association (OBA) Marching Contest in late October, including the host Owasso (OK). Two bands in attendance hail from outside the Sooner State: Rock Bridge (MO) and Bentonville (AR) will take the field one after the other in the early afternoon block. Alongside Bentonville, Choctaw (OK), Union (OK), Bixby (OK), and Jenks (OK) are all recent Super Regional finalists, with Union being one of the most historically impressive bands in the nation and Jenks very recently making their first-ever BOA Grand National finals in 2018. The full lineup is located at https://www.owassobands.com/.
To the north of Oklahoma are several local competitions within the state of Missouri - starting off just past the border will be the Pride of the Ozarks Festival in Ozark, MO. In attendance will be several powerful Missouri bands, including Super Regional Class A Medalist at both St. Louis and San Antonio Hollister (MO). Also on the roster are local favorites such as Branson (MO) and Bentonville West (AR). Nixa (MO) and Kickapoo (MO) are also past BOA Regional finalists, making for a hearty lineup deep in the rugged terrain of the Missouri Ozarks.
The KC Championships at Blue Springs South includes both a day show and an evening show, with a limit of 16 bands at each, placing some higher-slotted bands automatically in the open class evening contest. Olathe East (KS) and the highly anticipated Grain Valley (MO) both are automatically in the evening competition, which includes an exhibition from the BOA Super Regional finalist and host Blue Springs South (MO).
Rounding out a weekend of Missouri contests is the Lafayette Contest of Champions, a stacked contest hosted at Lafayette High School outside St. Louis. In attendance are several BOA Regional and Super Regional finalists, including Oakville (MO), Rockwood Summit (MO), and Fort Zumwalt North (MO). Other highly competitive bands to watch include the BOA St. Louis Class A Champion Sullivan (MO) and local favorites Hickman (MO) and Battle (MO). Schedules for each can be found on https://midwestmarching.com/.
Even farther north, fans can attend the Rosemount Invitational. The first band will be stepping off at Noon Central Time and features bands like Eden Prairie (MN), Waseca (MN), and of course, the host Rosemount (MN). Additional information about this show can be found at http://www. rosemountband.com/index.php/en/.
Turning our attention to the south, the Ryle Tournament of Bands has several tough competitors attending, including Beechwood (KY), Lafayette (KY), Anderson County (KY), and last week's Obetz Regional runner-up Campbell County (KY). This show features a Prelims/Finals format, so while each will compete for their Class distinction victory during the Preliminary performance, they will all face each other in Finals for all the bragging rights. The first band will step off at 1:00 PM Eastern Time, and Finals begin at 7:00 PM. Additional information, including directions and ticket prices, can be found at https://ryleband.com.
Just back up north in Indiana, in a town west of Indy, is a contest hosted by a band you may have heard of called #2 Avon. Bands from across the state flock to this contest, making it one of the state's most highly attended independent invitationals. With 30 groups performing, it rivals the size of many Bands of America Regionals. Groups like Monrovia (IN), Edgewood (IN), Greenwood (IN), Greenfield-Central (IN), Center Grove (IN), Fishers (IN), and many more give you a taste of the caliber of contest this is. The first performance will go on at 12:15 PM ET, and additional information, such as tickets and directions, can be found at AvonBand.com.
Of course, this is not the only local show happening across Indiana. You could also go to the Carroll (IN) contest in Fort Wayne, where you can catch bands like the host school and NorthWood (IN). There is also the Lafayette Jefferson (IN) contest which will feature bands like Western (IN) and Lewis Cass (IN). To find even more shows and details regarding invitationals in Indiana, you can check out INBands.com.
Not all competitive circuits are run by the state or nationally known identities. Some are regionally run, such as the Mid-States Band Association, which runs a competitive circuit in Southwest Ohio, Central and Southeast Indiana, and Northern Kentucky. This weekend, one of the shows will be held at Lebanon (OH) and feature bands like Milford (OH), which just finished 7th at the BOA Obetz Regional, as well as #13 William Mason (OH). For more information about this show and other Mid-States contests, you can visit MidStatesBA.org.
Everyone should try to attend these events as it is a great way to spend the day. It also exposes young minds to the wonder these shows can bring an active imagination. Any show you go to will help support the Arts in your local area. Having you in the stands will mean the world to the performers as they feed off your cheers and applause!
