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Strike up the bands
Band Review drawing 62 schools, includes march down Main

The 38th annual Foothill Band Review takes place all day tomorrow, starting at 7:30 a.m. with a parade down Main Street, followed by concert competitions at the Amador Theater. The day concludes with 27 bands competing with their field show performances at Foothill High School, running from 2-10 p.m.

The event raises money to support impacted music programs at the school plus is one of the largest and most prestigious reviews on the West Coast. It features 89 total performances throughout the day, representing 62 high schools from all over the Bay Area and Northern California, with 39 in the parade, 23 concert bands, and 27 in the field shows. Dawn and Terry Abbey, who are in charge of registration for the event, reported that it has sold out.

Foothill does not compete in the competitions, since it hosts the event. But Foothill's marching band, under the direction of Josh Butterfield, has taken first place in its division in its first two competitions of parade and field shows this year.

Foothill and Amador Valley high schools generally compete in different associations (NCBA and WBA, respectively), but they always support each other's events by registering and competing. The same kind of local support also crosses between towns: Foothill competed last weekend in Dublin High School's WBA band review.

This year Foothill Marching Band has revived its bagpipe corps, which will perform tomorrow.