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The Albert Lea
Festival of Bands
looks
forward to seeing you in Albert Lea on
Father's
Day, June 15th, 2008 for the
9th
Annual Festival of Bands
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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.
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.
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