–Bands from north of the border were the big winners at the 75th annual Algona Band Day Festival on Saturday. Warm weather greeted the 15 bands that participated in the parade through downtown Algona Saturday afternoon, while 13 took part in the field competition Saturday night at Bulldog Stadium.
Stewartville High School from Stewartville, Minnesota took top honors from the parade, with a total score of 74, while the Mankato 77 Lancers from Mankato Minnesota swept the awards at the field competition, including the John Aboud Sweepstakes trophy. This band is made up of students from multiple high schools in the Mankato Area.
Both the parade and field competition hand out awards based on school size. In the parade, the top performers amongst the high school bands included: Bishop Garrigan (1A) 59.0, Eagle Grove (2A) 59.3, Spencer (3A) 68.0. Stewartville was judged in an Open Class for the parade, while Algona High School and the Minnesota State University Marching Band performed without receiving scores.
At the Field Competition, top performers included: Woodbury Central (1A) 55.4, Lake Mills (2A) 70.6, LeMars (3A) 73.8, Mankato Lancers (4A) 81.5. The Lancers claimed the individual awards for Best Winds, Best Percussion, Best Color Guard, Best Marching and Maneuvering, and Best Drum Major.
