- Information
for Parade Viewers
Welcome
to Albert Lea and the 2008 Festival of
Bands. Thousands of people attend the
Albert Lea Festival of Bands parade
each year. By providing the following
information we hope to make your parade
viewing experience more
enjoyable.
Parking:
Several
parking lots can be found in close
proximity to the parade route. However,
they do fill up rapidly. Other parking
can be found on the streets nearby.
However, it may mean you will have to
walk several blocks to the parade
route. We suggest you arrive early if
you wish to get a parking spot near the
parade route. There is NO PARKING on
the parade route
itself.
Viewing
areas:
There
are 4 areas where every band usually
performs. The first area is about one
block into the route in front of the
Tiger City Sports store. This is where
the bands prepare for the actual
judging. The next area is in front of
the judges. This area is from Main
Street to College Street in front of
the Wells Fargo and US Bank buildings.
Most of the parade viewers can be found
in these two areas along Broadway. The
bands will then proceed to Washington
Avenue where they usually perform
twice, once in the area of Sanderson
Motors and then in the area of the
Eagles Building. Washington Avenue is
the best place to watch the bands
perform if you do not arrive early and
find a good viewing area on
Broadway.
Food
/Refreshments:
It
is usually quite warm along the parade
route and therefore we encourage you to
bring a cooler with soft drinks and
food. There are several food vendors
along the route. They are usually
located on William Street and Clark
Street Cold drinks, water, and kettle
corn etc. is also sold along the parade
route. There is a Dairy Queen located
on the corner of Broadway and Pearl
Street which has proven to be very
popular during and after the
parade.
Chairs:
Please
feel free to bring along your blankets
or lawn chairs to help you enjoy the
parade. You don't have to sit on the
curb or stand along the route as the
parade usually lasts about two hours or
more. We strongly suggest you arrive
early and place your chairs in the area
from which you wish to view the parade.
People do arrive early and the prime
viewing areas are quickly filled. The
sun shines directly on much of the
route and we recommend you bring along
some sun screen. We would suggest that
you may be more comfortable if you sit
on the west side of the street as it
does receive some shade as the day
progresses. This should make your
parade viewing more
enjoyable.
Programs:
Programs
are handed out along the parade route
and there is usually a supply of
programs to be found on each corner
along the route. The programs contain
information about each of the bands and
their performance. Be sure to bring a
pen or pencil as there is a place for
you to judge the bands. In case you
aren't sure how to judge, we provide
information as to what the judges look
for. We hope this will make the parade
more meaningful and fun for you.
Awards
Ceremony:
The
awards ceremony is held in Central Park
at the end of the parade. When the
results have been determined, the
Albert Lea drum line will lead a grand
entrance parade up to the awards
location. This parade and the awards
presentation are very impressive and
you will not want to miss them. As the
awards are presented, you can compare
your judging efforts to those of the
professionals to see how well you did.
We
hope you will thoroughly enjoy your
visit to the Albert Lea Festival of
Bands and that you will plan to return
next year for another exciting musical
experience on June 15th, 2008 at 2:00
p.m.
Copyright 1996 Ken
Martinson/ChoreoGraphics. All rights
reserved
