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Community Band Festival is Saturday, Sunday

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The Southern California Community Band Festival returns for the 22nd year Saturday and Sunday in Old Poway Park, 14134 Midland Road.

This free festival, which features a wide variety of community bands from across Southern California, will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.

The festival is put on every year by the Pomerado Community Band, which will perform on Sunday. The City of Poway is co-sponsoring the event along with the Poway Arts and Crafts Guild.

In addition to 15 bands, attendees can enjoy a train ride for a nominal fee, visit the Farmer’s Market from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday and browse through the Boardwalk Craft Market from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

An opening ceremony will be held at 9:50 a.m. Saturday and 11:50 a.m. Sunday.

Local and regional bands will take the stage each hour, beginning with Main Street Community Band at 10 a.m. Saturday. Saturday’s lineup will continue with the American Bavarian Brass Band at 11 a.m., the Covina Concert Band at noon, Valley Winds Community Concert Band at 1 p.m., North County Winds at 2 p.m., Palimar/Pacific Coast Concert band at 3 p.m., Shoreline Symphonic Winds at 4 p.m. and Ahwatukee Foothills Concert Band at 5 p.m. Saturday’s concerts will conclude with Trumpets R Us performing at 6 p.m.

Sunday will open with the El Cajon German Band at noon, followed by the Kearny Mesa Concert Band at 1 p.m., the San Diego City Guard Band at 2 p.m. and the San Diego Concert Band at 3 p.m.

The Pomerado Community Band will perform at 5 p.m. on Sunday, and The Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame Orchestra will finish out the day at 6 p.m.

The concert will include several groups performing pieces with a military or patriotic bent to them, in honor of the armed forces and the upcoming Memorial Day, said Dean Hickman, the festival coordinator and musician with the Pomerado Community Band.

While in the past, the festival has tried to close out each day with a military band performing, Hickman said it was becoming harder to find military bands available to perform as the military downsized. Instead, he said, the two days of the festival will close out with a trumpet ensemble and a big band and jazz dance band.

While the festival provides fun for the community, it also provides an outlet for local community bands to come together and perform in a noncompetitive venue, said Hickman, “These groups are all volunteers who may or may not be professional musicians, with a love for performing and their community,” he said. “It’s a fun weekend being part of the community, and for the musicians, being part of the greater musical community.”

For more information on the festival, call 858-668-4576 or visit pomeradoband.org/band-festivals.

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