Date: October 18, 2025
UIL REGION MARCHING CONTEST – HOSTING – Saturday, October 18, 2025
This year we are hosting the UIL Region Marching Contest! We will receive a portion of the ticket sales by working this event. This effectively is a bonus fundraiser for us that we need. They are easy jobs that mostly consist of staying in one place and helping people move throughout the contest.
This contest is at the Berry Center
Parking Lot A – band passenger buses and trucks
Have 5 volunteers available to manage bus parking. 2 golf carts or 2 bicycles (you provide) are necessary to guide buses and trucks into parking areas. One volunteer should be stationed at the main Barker-Cypress marquis sign entrance of parking lot A to wave buses and trucks into Lot A. Volunteers in golf carts or bicycles should be ready to direct vehicles into the appropriate staging area. We will use cell phone time as the official contest time.
Volunteers in Lot A will need to manage bus parking and exiting to ensure the safety of all the participants. You will need to keep students from other schools out of the way of moving buses. All buses and trucks will EXIT the stadium grounds from the 1st entrance on West Road. 1 Volunteer is needed to open and close this gate for buses and trucks to exit.
Restrooms for participants and volunteer use will be at Gate 7 & 8 and on the concourse on the visitor’s side.
Band Greeters/Check-In Tent on visitor side near Gate 7
Have volunteers greet passenger buses and directors on arrival in Lot A. Schools usually arrive around 90 minutes to 2 hours before the school contest performance time. Escort them to warm-up about 15 minutes prior to warm-up. After escorting the band to warm-up, the MS directors will take over. MS directors will walk them to the stadium. Report any band that is late arriving for their time to the contest office.
Restrooms for participants and volunteers will be at Gate 7 & 8. Greeters must have a contest schedule. We will deliver packets of wristbands for schools to the check-in tent. Extra wristbands are free.
- Use cell phone time as the official contest time.
- Greet director and introduce yourself
- Be familiar with locations of warm-up areas, restrooms (Entrance 7 & 8), contest office (press box), etc.
- Tell the director you will be ready to escort the band to warm-up about 10-15 minutes prior to warm-up time, or whenever they are ready.
- CFISD Middle School directors will oversee the warm-up area; they will have a radio and be able to answer questions.
- CFISD Middle School directors will escort the band from warm-up to performance.
Spectator Entrance Gate 5
- Have 1 volunteer available to serve as a greeter near the ticket box to help direct traffic. Need to be willing to use your voice to help direct traffic to stadium entrance for pre-sales or ticket window line for credit card sales.
- Have 1 volunteer to serve as an escort to walk handicapped or elderly guests to the elevator access underneath the stadium. Berry Center will provide ticket sellers, bag search and wand crew.
- Have 1 volunteer to help with spectators that are exiting the facility with receiving a hand stamp to return to the contest, if they are leaving and returning. The hand stamp will be provided. Exterior glass doors that lead to the elevator will be locked.
- Admission is $10 for the UIL contest. Patrons over 60 or with the Cy Fair Super Senior passes are free. Children under 12 are free.
Participant Entrance Gate 6
- Chaperones and students enter at Gate 6 with Yellow or Pink wristbands. Students in band uniform or shirt enter at Gate 6. No clear bag policy at Gate 6.
- Send spectators, even if returning to the event with a wrist stamp, to Entrance 5 to enter the venue.
- Handicapped students will be escorted by a parent under the home stands to the back elevator entrance.
- Spectators that are exiting the facility should receive a hand stamp to return to the contest, if they are leaving and returning. The hand stamp will be provided.
Lot G – Ready Line Area
Monitor Band Ready area for prop and band equipment pre-show arrival.
Field Exit gate at Entrance 8
Have 2 volunteers available to help with managing the pit and band EXIT from the arena end of the stadium. Work with the band to clear them from the field and direct them out to Lot A through Entrance 8 in a timely and efficient manner. Bands moving in the drive outside of entrance 8 to the contest Ready Line have the right of way. Open both gates when needed.
Ushers
Have an usher at the stairway entry to the second level to prevent spectators from disrupting performances by entering stands or standing at the rail during performances.
Hospitality
- One volunteer for set up in UL Pressbox by 8:30 am and then clean up at 3:15 pm – Volunteer does not need to stay in the pressbox.
- Please provide 1 dozen donuts and 1 dozen kolaches and an assortment of sodas for the press box by 8:30 am. Turn in Receipts to Mrs Running. There will be an ice cooler here, so coolers aren’t needed. Suggest an assortment of 24 sodas.
- Coffee, tea and lunch for the UIL contest office staff and MS band staff will be delivered by Berry Center catering staff.
- Drinks for Judges– Please provide a cooler on the judges porch with bottles of water for judges (estimate 12 bottles of water and a few assorted sodas).