Band festival Friday
Benson will host Nine bands will be coming to Benson Friday for the 37th annual Pioneerland Band Festival.
The parade starts at 6:30 p.m. at the western edge of Benson on U.S. Highway 12/Minnesota Avenue and will travel along the same route as in the past. The bands will perform in three areas along the parade route.
The bands will start performing near Runnings along west U.S Highway 12 (Minnesota Avenue), then turn north on 14th Street South, going past McKinney’s, the Benson Armory, and Roosevelt Park. The parade ends at the Benson High School.
For best viewing, spectators are asked to position themselves at Sandy’s Cafe/Coop Credit Union for the 1st performance. The band judging will be at the second performance in front of the Armory. The third and final performance for the bands will be at Roosevelt Park/Courthouse.
Benson High School’s Marching Band serves as host of the festival. While it will perform first and receive the judge’s comments, it will not be part of the competition.
Competing in Class A will be KMS, Albany, and Montevideo. Competing in class AA will be Fergus Falls, Alexandria, and Sartell. Competing in class AAA will be Litchfield, Bemidji, and the Patriots from St. Anthony Village, Benson High School Director of Bands Brock Duncan announced.
The bands compete in the three classes according to a combination of school enrollment and band size.
Reed Anfinson, owner of the Swift County Monitor-News with his wife Shelly, will be the Grand Marshal of the parade this year.
“This great community event would not be possible without the support and efforts of many people,” Duncan said. The Pioneerland Band Festival Committee is looking for volunteers to help with the planning and execution of the event. Anyone interested in getting involved is encouraged to contact Brock Duncan.
“We have an event established that everyone looks forward to. People from all over the state travel to Benson to attend the parade,” he said. “There are so many people that work behind the scenes to make the parade possible. However, we can use some more help. The work is easy and rewarding.”
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