Around here, it is Fiesta time. There are tons of fun events, parades, etc. We usually only attend one Fiesta event a year (maybe) because many of them seem to be so expensive and crowded. Well, last night, my DS, two of his friends and I attended the Battle of Flowers Band Festival. We had a blast! Tickets were only $5 each for reserved seats. I had bought them a couple of weeks ago because my DS expressed interest, especially now that he is in the middle school band. It takes place in a school district stadium and there are 30 local and area high school bands that compete. There are also 3 "showcase" bands.

I tell you, these kids are terrific. The bands all did a wonderful job and it was so entertaining watching their routines (a lot of them REALLY jazz it up) and listening to the music. My hats off to all the band parents and band directors and the kids who compete. Each year, they rotate schools to give every school in the area a chance to compete. We had a great time and there was a fireworks show at the end to the music of all 3500 band members from the various schools all together onthe field. If any of you ever get to this area at this time of the year and want to attend a Fiesta event, I would highly recommend the Battle of Flowers Band Festival. My son is now really looking forward to being in his high school's marching band someday.


--Michelle