At midnight on April 23, students, chaperones and staff boarded a bus in route to the adventure of the school year. Some 10 hours later, they took the stage in competition against the finest high school symphonic bands from Southern California and Arizona.

The 37-member band, by far the smallest group in the competition, performed Julius Fucik's "Entry of the Gladiators," Dr. Phillip Smith's "A Gold Country Suite," and Gustav Holst's "Mars, Bringer of War." Forum Festival's Judges Invitational is the final contest of the year, and is the showcase for previous concert season's gold-medal winners from theme park contests. The Judges Invitational is to pick the best of the best middle and high school musical groups. Over 1,200 student musicians took part in the event.

Mariposa had won the right to compete after winning a gold medal last May at the Six Flags contest in the Bay Area. "You would be mistaken judging this group on first impression," said the chief festival judge. "They are here because they won a gold medal, and despite their small size and lack of instrumentation, they had discipline and stage presence."

He continued, "Then when they played, you quickly realized why they were here." "Their performance was equal to any group here," he concluded.

"They cut us no slack for our size," said Grizzly Band Director Dr. Phillip Smith, "We were expected to perform as well as the 125-piece Northland Prep Academy." After their performance, the band went to Disneyland where the award ceremony took place that evening in the Festival Arena.

Mariposa finished just out of the medals, in fourth place, behind Northland Prep (a private arts academy), El Segundo, and Scottsdale (Arizona). "Our kids were both disappointed at not getting a medal," Smith says, "and extremely proud of what they had accomplished." "Just the fact that we were competitive against these elite programs was a testament to our kids," said Smith. "This was our first experience at this level," he continued, "and they represented our school and community with pride, discipline and honor."

The Nationally Acclaimed Grizzly Band will present its Spring Concert on June 3 at the Fiester Auditorium. The concert will feature the festival selections, patriotic favorites, and other concert band works; as well as the popular Grizzly Jazz Band. Donations will be accepted at the door, or residents may purchase tickets from band members or boosters.

"This was a life-time memory," said Smith, "and none of it would have been possible without the support we received." The band will begin preparations for a regional festival next spring, to once again qualify for the Judges Invitational the following year.