Grand Marshal – Kevin Schultz
I was born and raised in Mason City and have lived here for most of my life. The North Iowa Band Festival has always been a special event for me, starting when I was a young boy and continuing throughout my lifetime. My first experience playing the trombone for Band Festival was in elementary school when the All-City Band played in the street in front of the TV station. That was followed up by actually marching in the parade in the John Adams Jr High Marching Band, and then as a member of the Mason City Marching Mohawks in high school, graduating in 1975.
Some years later I was approached to once again be a part of the Band Festival in a new feature group that would lead the parade, the Trombone Fanfare. This was the brainchild of Al Zook, who then recruited John Klemas, head of the Instrumental Music Department at NIACC, to compose a fanfare that was worthy of announcing the arrival of the parade to the spectators lining the streets. The debut fanfare was performed by 6 of us leading the parade behind Al Zook with his giant bass drum. It was so well received that it has become a permanent tradition of the parade and I have been promoting and organizing the group ever since.
To me, Band Fest is a celebration of the rich musical heritage we have in our area. Our instrumental and vocal music programs have always been top-notch, and by supporting the Band Festival and local school music programs, we can help preserve that level of excellence and continue celebrating that heritage.
I am deeply honored to have been selected to be the Grand Marshal of the 87th Annual North Iowa Band Festival. I want to thank the Band Festival Committee for this honor, and recognizing me for doing something that I simply do out of appreciation for the event and the love of playing the trombone right here in “River City.”
