Bands compete in Merced tradition

The sounds of whistles, drums and brass instruments carried along the streets surrounding Golden Valley High School Saturday during the Central California Band Review.

The 55th annual competition tested marching bands, drum lines, jazz ensembles and field shows from junior highs and high schools from Porterville to the Bay Area.

Hannah Borges, 14, played tenor saxophone for Golden Valley High’s marching band, called the Cardinal Regime. The freshman said it was her first time performing during the review.

The host school does not participate in the judged portion of the day, but performs nonetheless as the final act. “We’re hosting this so it’s a big thing,” Hannah said. “Everyone waits for Golden Valley at the end, so it’s cool to be a part of it.”

Michael Vasquez Jr., the director of bands for Golden Valley High, said an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 students, family and friends played in or watched the performances.

He said the annual competition is a “time-honored tradition” in Merced. The review began as a Veterans Day parade years ago, he said, but over time became the competition it is today. The Golden Valley High School Band Boosters has helped keep the review going.

The performances play an important part not only for fundraising, Vasquez said, but also to continue to spur backing from the community.

“It’s essential for community support,” he said. “The fact that it’s been 55 years running is a huge accomplishment for this booster group and the booster groups that have gone before it.”

Booster support is a necessity for band programs. The school’s boosters have said the band has an annual budget of about $99,000 for uniforms, travel, instrument repair and competition entry fees. The Merced Union High School District contributes about $15,000 to the band, so the boosters help to make up the difference.

Another group of boosters echoed the importance of finding extra cash for their players. Anthony Ortega, the president of the Baler Band Boosters, said his group supports the San Benito High School band, whose mascot is a hay baler.

Ortega, 47, of Hollister said fundraising is a year-round effort to support the band’s needs, as well as lend a hand to low-income students. Making sure the band has all it needs for the prestigious Central California Band Review is especially important, he said.

“For the Central Valley or Central Coast, it’s probably like the Super Bowl, because you have schools coming from Yosemite and all throughout the Central Valley.” he said.

Bands like the Hollister-based one benefit from giving the young people the opportunity see other places in the state, as well as perform, he said.

“As you start to look around, you start to see some of the energy some of these kids have,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for them to really showcase who they are.”

Another band from out of the area, San Ramon Valley High School in Danville, brought Roger Martin and his two sons, Adam and Nathaniel, to the review. Martin said it was his first visit to a review – he was there to watch Nathaniel play the trombone.

“I was surprised how many bands are here, and how well organized (it is),” the 45-year-old said. “It was a lot of fun watching all the bands.”

The bands field shows were the culmination of the day, taking place in the evening at the high school.

The Golden Valley Cardinal Regime might not have been competing, but that didn’t stop the band from putting on a good show, according to Hannah, the freshman tenor saxophonist.

“Our drum major turned around at the end of the performance and he said, ‘That was the best I’ve ever heard you,’ ” she said, about the marching band’s finale. “So that was pretty cool.”

This story was originally published November 8, 2014 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Bands compete in Merced tradition."