AISD holds barbecue competition, kicks off ‘Bandtober’

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - Two events will take place this Saturday for Amarillo ISD: a barbecue contest and a marching festival.

The first event is the barbecue contest, which will feature 17 teams of high school pitmasters from around the state for the first regional barbecue cookoff this school year.

This cookoff will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the AmTech Career Academy at 3601 Plains Blvd.

A concession stand operated by AmTech culinary arts students will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with awards for the cookoff teams at 4 p.m.

The second event is the High Plains Marching Festival, which will be at Dick Bivens Stadium from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

High school bands from across the area will perform their 2023 UIL marching show at the annual High Plains Marching Festival, which is the kickoff to what has been known as the “Bandtober” competition season.

This contest is an opportunity for bands to gain valuable feedback on their performances to help improve them before the UIL Band Contest on Oct 14.

Judges will review and offer constructive comments covering music, marching standards, percussion and drumline, color guard and drum major direction. Following the preliminary round, the top eight bands are invited back for a second round of marching, where a winner will then be crowned.

A clear bag policy is in effect for this event at Dick Bivens Stadium.

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