Over 1,500 students to attend 71st annual Tri-State Band Festival

LUVERNE, M.N. (Dakota News Now) - More than 1,500 students from 21 schools across three states will roll into Luverne this Saturday for the Tri-State Band Festival.

James Jarvis is the director of the Luverne high school band, and ahead of any competition, he focuses on the students working together as a team.

“We all have to work together there’s no benching, nobody is allowed to sit out, everybody is on the field all the time, so everybody has to be up to the level of everybody else,” Jarvis said.

Senior drum major, Parker Carbonneau, is one of the leaders of the group.

“Working together with this year’s seniors has been awesome. We’ve been a really close group since 9th grade, and it’s just really fun to see how we grow both as people and as band players,” Carbonneau said.

The impact of this event goes beyond just the students that participate.

“To be able to work in a community that really supports us is just really awesome having this 70-year plus tradition, one of the longest running marching band competitions in the nation,” Carbonneau said.

That includes the executive director of the chamber of commerce, Jane Lanphere, who grew up in Luverne.

“I was always at the band festival. From a very young age, I never missed a band festival,” Lanphere said

For the city of Luverne, the hope is the Tri-State Band Festival will be something to continue to live on.

“Those lifelong memories that are really something special and we’re so proud that we can continue it,” Lanphere said.

The festival begins with the parade portion of the competition on Main Street beginning at 9:30 a.m., followed by the field competition, which starts at 12:30 p.m.

Admission to the field is just $10.

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