The 2019 Tri-State Band Festival, scheduled for Sept. 28, will be the largest festival in years.
Twenty-nine bands from three states are scheduled to participate in the 69thannual marching band competition.
“We will have a great festival,” said Jane Wildung-Lanphere, executive director of the Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce, which hosts the Tri-State festival each year. “This is the most bands in many years.”
The Northern State University Marching Wildcats from Aberdeen, South Dakota, will march in exhibition in both the parade and on the field.
Lanphere said there are some bands returning in 2019 that have not competed in the festival in recent years, including Waseca, which has won the sweepstakes trophy a number of times.
“Our festival chairman, Dale Nelson, has been visiting with directors. Being a longtime band director himself, that might have encouraged a few more bands into coming,” she said.
The parade competition on Luverne’s Main Street begins at 9:30 a.m. Eighteen bands will march in the parade this year.
The field competition, with 17 bands performing, begins at 12:30 p.m. at Luverne High School’s Cardinal Field.
Lanphere said the number of large school bands competing at Tri-State is also increasing.
"This year we have 4 Class AAAA bands in field competition. Last year we only had one,” she said.
Minnesota high school bands competing this year include Adrian, Murray County Central, Pipestone Area, Stewartville, Waseca, Tracy Area and Worthington.
Schools coming from South Dakota include Brandon Valley, Brookings, Dell Rapids, Garretson, Huron, Lennox, Madison, Mitchell, Sioux Falls O’Gorman, Sioux Falls Christian, Sioux Falls Roosevelt, Sioux Falls Washington, Tea Area and West Central.
Iowa bands competing include Boyden-Hull, George-Little Rock, Sibley-Ocheyedan, Sioux City East and West Lyon.
The Luverne Middle School and High School marching bands perform as hosts for Tri-State.
Lanphere said although construction at Luverne High School will impact this year’s festival, the festival committee is working hard to plan for parking, homerooms for bands, and other logistics.
“It will be challenging, but we are working on being creative to figure it all out,” Lanphere said, referring to finding space for over 2,500 band members and thousands of fans amid significant construction.
“We are going to need all the help we can get to direct the bands and the public both in the school and outside the school,” she said. “If people want to volunteer, we would give them a band festival booklet and button and be in their debt,” Lanphere said. “Nothing will be as usual this year, but that’s what makes it exciting.”