John Junker Fiesta Bowl President

Greetings Friends!

In 2002 the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Fiesta Bowl National Band Championship reached a milestone, celebrating its 25th Anniversary while the Fort McDowell Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation witnessed a record crowd.

I am excited for you to be a part of this wonderful experience that has earned high marks from students, teachers, parents, families and band communities from across the nation. We hope to share this unforgettable experience with your band's exciting future.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Fiesta Bowl National Band Championship is one of the Fiesta Bowl's longest running events and has distinguished itself to earn a reputation as one of the most prestigious high school marching band competitions in the nation. More than just a great event, though, it is a great event for the students, faculty members, families and school communities that participate in this tremendous activity. The focus is on a quality experience for our students, and our adjudicators are highly-rated HIGH SCHOOL directors who have built quality music programs in their own communities.

It is an unforgettable trip for band students and serves as a rare chance to see many of the finest high school marching bands from all parts of the nation. The young men and women participating have dedicated themselves to an important endeavor that builds teamwork, self-esteem and time management skills and their experience is truly one with lifetime memories. That's why here at the Fiesta Bowl, we treat our band members and their support like the stars of the show-because THEY ARE the stars of the show! Home to our "field show" is Bank One Ballpark, site of the one of the nation's only retractable domes, where our bands march on a beautifully-turfed all-grass field.

The Fort McDowell Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation is one of just a few major parades in the nation in which marching bands are judged for their performance. This event is the single largest one-day event in the fast-growing desert Southwest, and each year the parade dazzles its spectators AND participants. We have been fortunate to earn "rave reviews" from visiting band members, directors, faculty members and parents who have enjoyed this event.

The parade has welcomed bands from across the nation, including those from Florida, New York, Connecticut, Oregon, Missouri, Texas and California. In my latest count, our Band Championships and Parade have hosted bands representing 36 different states through our history.

I would like to extend our thanks to our community for their support and most importantly our incredible sponsors, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. Their support allows us to "go the extra mile" for our VIP visitors from music programs across America.

We know, if you honor us with a visit to our events, how hard you will have to work to get here. We would love to have you join us for another year of incredible performances which have made both the Parade and National Band Championship true treasures to the Valley of the Sun. With your participation through our award-winning partners at International Travel, you will soon learn why the Fiesta Bowl and its band activities are considered "National Championship" caliber in nearly every way.

Sincerely,
John Junker
President