Community Band Festival Features Military Band Performances

Concert bands from around San Diego and from as far as Arizona have traveled to the living historic village of to perform jazzy, up-tempo music this weekend. 

The  will take place on Saturday and Sunday.

“It’s a joy every year when the bands come every year and perform for each other,” event founder and Pomerado Community Band Director Dean Hickman said. “The city of Poway and the people of Poway have been very receptive to the festival. We’ve had a lot of people come out.”

In celebration of Armed Forces Day on Saturday, Old Poway Park Action Committee Members, Pomerado Community Band, Poway Arts and Crafts Guild, and the city of Poway are hosting this free, family-friendly event.

Visitors can walk through the arts and craft market, check out the music vendors, and for a nominal fee. For food, snacks and refreshments will be available. is also at the park. They will be providing meals for the military bands, Hickman said. 

Boy Scout Troop 608 will carry out opening ceremonies at 11:45 a.m. on both days.

The festival features 14 bands, two of which are highly acclaimed military bands that will each respectively perform live, patriotic music at the end of the each day.

“The music is always great,” Poway Arts & Crafts Guild founder and silversmith Valerie Ann Bailey said. “Everybody always looks forward to the final performances on each day by the military bands.”

Here is a list of bands performing this weekend:

Saturday, May 19
• 12 p.m. - Main Street Community Band (Riverside)
• 1 p.m. - Valley Winds Community Concert Band (Temecula)
• 2 p.m. - Palomar/Pacific Coast Community Band
• 3 p.m. - Rancho Bernardo Community Band
• 4 p.m. - San Diego City Guard Band
• 5 p.m. - Ahwatukee Foothills Concert Band (Phoenix)
• 6:30 p.m. - Navy Band Southwest Show Band (North Island)

Sunday, May 20
• 12 p.m. - El Cajon German Band
• 1 p.m. - Hillcrest Wind Ensemble
• 2 p.m. - Kearny Mesa Concert Band
• 3 p.m. - San Diego Concert Band
• 4 p.m. - Sierra del Mar Divisional Salvation Army Band
• 5 p.m. - Pomerado Community Band
• 6:30 p.m. - 1st Marine Division Jazz Band (Camp Pendleton)

“We get a lot of visitors throughout the day and they’ll stay for the whole event,” Bailey said. “But a lot of people also just come in for the evening performances. It’s usually pretty packed when we get to the last performance of the day.”

On Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., the arts and crafts booths will be at the south boardwalk and also around the fountain near the train depot. On the next day, from 12 to 5 p.m., the booths will only be around the fountain. The arts and crafts artists are selected by a jury. 

“What we look for are contemporary artists who are working today, but who are working in the tradition of historic crafts,” Bailey said. “We’re interested in people who are not just making a product, but who have learned a skill and have experience doing this.

Bailey noted that this is part of the Old Poway Park’s establishment. 

“It comes out of the tradition of a heritage craft, which is the whole point of Old Poway Park, which is a heritage park.” Bailey said. “(The park) intends to show the connection of the past, present and the future. Our theme is continuing tradition in American crafts.”

There will be about 25 artists showcasing their paintings, drawings, cards, prints, hand-spun yarn, quilts, soap, soft sculpture, jewelry, mosaics, photography, blown glass, woodworking, pottery, clothing and accessories.

Bailey is looking forward to the soft sculpture work of Kimberly Allison, who recycles fabric into the form of adult dolls

“She always comes up with something new, so I’m really looking forward to seeing what she’s got,” Bailey said. “She’s extremely imaginative. That’s always what’s exciting about the bigger shows that we have—when we get people coming back that haven’t been there in a while. We can see what they’ve been doing.”

Hickman, who is a former high school band and orchestra teacher, started the event so that bands do not have to be judged.

“I thought it might be a cool idea to create a festival for community bands that weren’t going to be judged like I was used to at the high school level,” Hickman said. “We started out with eight bands and now it’s just expanded.”

For more information, visit www.poway.org/oldpowaypark or call the park office at (858) 668-4576.

• It is the month of , and this week Y3K will perform at 9 p.m. Friday at the . This free, weekly event features a local dance band that plays music from the ’80s, ’90s and today. The Poway Irish Pub features live music performances every Friday and Saturday.

• There will be a Family Jam from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday at the Box Car Stage of the . The free event is a singing event for families to celebrate the tradition of singing songs and passing them along.