Central States Marching Festival Oct. 24 at Kansas State University
Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015
MANHATTAN — Nearly 40 high school bands from Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma will take part in the 29th annual Central States Marching Festival, Saturday, Oct. 24, at Kansas State University. The event is sponsored and organized by the Kansas State University Marching Band, the Pride of Wildcat Land.
Frank Tracz, director of bands at Kansas State University, says the festival has become one of the premier marching band events in the region.
"The Central States Marching Festival is the single strongest and most effective recruitment strategy for the K-State Marching Band we have," Tracz said. "It's a specific audience of band kids right in our backyard who get to experience the K-State treatment."
Band clinics will begin at 8 a.m. at the Memorial Stadium field and at the university's indoor football practice facility.
Field performances start at noon at Bill Snyder Family Stadium and will be steamed live at BandDirector.com. A schedule of performances is available at k-state.edu/band/festivals/2015 Central States Schedule FINAL Sheet1.pdf. Festival activities will conclude around 9:45 p.m. with the finale by the Kansas State University Marching Band, the 2015 Sudler Trophy winner.
The nationally recognized judges for field performance are Larry Blocher, Troy University; Phillip Payne, assistant professor of music education, Kansas State University; Jim Oliver, Kansas City music educator; Danny Galyen, University of Northern Iowa; Steven Smyth, Iowa State University; and Jim Kull, St. Charles East High School.
General admission to the Central States Marching Festival is $10; with student ID, it's $5.
The following bands are participating in this year's festival:
Andover High School, Andover; Arkansas City High School, Arkansas City; Augusta High School, Augusta; Belton High School, Belton; Bonner Springs High School, Bonner Springs; Buhler High School, Buhler; Chapman High School, Chapman; Dodge City High School, Dodge City; Emporia High School, Emporia: Garden City High School, Garden City; Gardner-Edgerton High School, Gardner; Goddard High School, Goddard; Hutchinson High School, Hutchinson; Junction City High School, Junction City; Lansing High School, Lansing; Leavenworth High School, Leavenworth; Louisburg High School, Louisburg; Maize High School, Maize; Manhattan High School, Manhattan; Marysville High School, Marysville; McPherson High School, McPherson; Blue Valley North High School, Blue Valley Northwest High School, Shawnee Mission West High School and St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Overland Park; Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village; Rose Hill High School, Rose Hill; Salina South High School, Salina; Mill Valley High School, Shawnee; Shawnee Heights High School, Tecumseh; Tonganoxie High School, Tonganoxie; Washburn Rural High School and Seaman High School, Topeka; Valley Center High School, Valley Center; and Wichita East High School, Bishop Carroll High School, Wichita Southeast High School and Wichita North High School, Wichita.
From out of state: Enid High School, Enid, Oklahoma.
