Bands triumph over weather at Mount Prospect contest

Wheeling High School's marching band overcame more than the 10 bands in their AA class on Saturday.

The musicians also triumphed over rain and mud.

At the Knight of Champions 14th annual marching band festival, hosted by Prospect High School in Mount Prospect, Wheeling was the last band to perform their competition show outdoors before organizers moved the event inside to escape the rain.

"By the time we took the field, it was raining hard," said Wheeling band director Brian Logan. "But our kids performed the show as good as they've ever done it. I'm so proud of them."

Judges on hand agreed with Logan, scoring Wheeling's band first in music and general effect. This earned them first in their class, with their program designed around the music of Ron Nelson.

"They marched really, really well," said Richard Kemp, who judged them in visuals and general effect. "They had a variety of forms in their drill, that worked smoothly to showcase the visuals of their program."

Wheeling edged Waubonsie Valley of Aurora, whose band members finished in second place but took first in color guard and percussion, followed by Davenport Central High School from Iowa.

Larger schools in Class AAA saw their flight moved indoors, and consequently they played their program standing still in the school field house. Each band was judged on its music, percussion, color guard and general effect.

Lake Park High School of Roselle, with its original program called "Elements of Balance" written by Los Angeles composer Donald Hill, won every category in the division, on their way to being crowned grand champion.

Hersey High School of Arlington Heights placed second in the competitive field, followed by Naperville North High School.

Chris Barnum, Prospect High School's band director, said making the decision to move the competition indoors was not an easy one.

"It changed the whole nature of the competition pretty significantly," Barnum said. "But we wanted to give the larger bands the opportunity to be judged, so that they could get the feedback and take that back before their next performance."

He credited the event's endurance over the elements to Prospect's band parents, who spent months preparing for the competition that also serves as a major band fundraiser. On Saturday, they arrived hours before the bands to set up outdoors, before having to reorganize everything indoors, from warmup rooms to concessions.

"It was a pretty stressful day, for everyone," Barnum added. "But I think most people thought it was a good experience."

Other high schools that competed include: Notre Dame/Resurrection of Niles and Chicago; Round Lake; Wheaton Warrenville South of Warrenville; Lakes Community of Lake Villa; Glenbard West of Glen Ellyn; Warren Township High School of Gurnee; Prairie Ridge High School or Crystal Lake.