2024 Schedule Notes

Here's a cheat sheet to help Directors have a smooth contest registration process and choose the shows that work best for them!

--Registration begins at 10:00am on Wednesday, November 1st, for all groups who have paid their registration fee.

--If your check is still in transit, aka delayed through no fault of your own, you may submit proof of payment (bank statement screenshot, invoice payment screenshot, copy of the check, mailing tracking info, etc) and request the ability to register for contests starting at 11:00am (one hour after registration opens). To make your request, you must reach out to Jon Shaw by email AFTER 10:00am on November 1st. NOTE: A Proof of Payment IS considered a proof of payment; a Promise to Pay IS NOT.

--Julie Noble will be monitoring CompetitionSuite all day, making sure the process is going well, working with groups that have paid and may be experiencing technical difficulties selecting shows in CS. Jon Shaw will be monitoring card payments and membership registration in real time, as well as reviewing requests and proof of payments for those who have experienced delays on their side with their payments.

--Contact us by email first --- so we can review the situation, do some research, and come up with a solution more efficiently. If you have not received a response within 15 minutes, you should then text Jon Shaw. Posting any issues on your personal Facebook, or in the Facebook Groups is not efficient as we may not be monitoring those channels, unless you can count on your peers to help you remedy a solution.


--Show Hosts have already been pre-registered for their Home Show... example Miamisburg Guards and Winds are already registered for the Miamisburg HS Show.

--Judge Assignments are current on each Event Page as of October 30th. Scroll down to Upcoming Events and click on each contest for a list of judges at each show.

--Whenever possible, the PERFORMANCE ORDER at each show will flip flop from week to week. However, there are factors taken into consideration that can impact that practice. These can include judge flight times, event registration, facility/space availability, sound ordinances, athletic conflicts, and band performance events such as Solo & Ensemble Festival or Concert Band Festivals.


And now.... CONTEST NOTES!

Opening Weekend - Both Miamisburg HS and Oak Hills HS will feature all three divisions of MEPA. Both dates will open with Percussion and Winds, followed by Guard later in the day. Both days will feature an additional guard adjudicator giving commentary, making overall comments about your show. Miamisburg is likely to be an all day event, while Oak Hills is a new facility for MEPA and will run primarily in the morning and early afternoon. They have double decker gym bleachers for a great vantage point for the judges.

Week Two - Perennial favorites Fairfield HS and Northmont HS feature large arena settings with perfect views for the panels and spectators. Northmont tends to fill up quickly, sometimes within the first hour. We will have Guards performing first, followed by Percussion, then Winds at Fairfield which also has at least one judge that is on the Championships panel.

NOTE: All Member Groups must participate in at least one of the contests during the first two weekends above.

Bellbrook HS and Butler HS take over week three and highlight a contrast of an intimate space with outstanding audience reach, with a double decker bleacher space offering a great view from the top for the judges. This particular weekend will start with Percussion both days and Winds (on Saturday), followed by Guards.

Trent Arena on February 24th is a great WGI Regional and past Championships venue. This is likely to be a full show and will start with Guards in the morning and afternoon, with Winds and Percussion later in the afternoon and into the evening.

Our fifth weekend of MEPA contests will highlight the Nutter Center and equally awesome Centerville HS. Both venues offer high vantage points and will be nightcapped by Guards after a jam packed morning of Percussion and Winds. This will be a third and fourth reading for some of the panelists this weekend, not counting the potential to see them at WGI Regionals earlier in the season. Percussion Groups will be treated to a bonus judge this weekend, giving overall commentary during your performance. Both of these contests have been waitlisted each year, often filling up by the end of the week. If you are a guest for this show and have already paid the fee, you have already been registered for this event.

Hamilton HS and Troy HS have something for both the Dayton area and the Cincinnati area over St. Patrick's Day Weekend . Each site features large performance venues with high ceilings and great vantage points. Guards will go first, followed by Percussion Groups. Winds groups will have this weekend off. Of special note: this weekend will be dedicated to highlighting the younger classes, featuring them at the end of their division and thus giving them a larger audience to perform for!

The regular season concludes at Milford HS on the morning and afternoon of Sunday, March 24th. This is a new venue for us this season and gives the judges a great vantage spot, and a great last opportunity to get a review of your show prior to MEPA Championships. It is likely to start with Percussion and Winds, followed by Guards.

After a week off for the Easter Holiday, we are already excited to welcome the potential to break participation records at our annual Championships at the Nutter Center on April 6th and 7th. We're building on the flair and fanfare we brought in 2023, and will make this such a special weekend for all of our MEPA groups!

All of us at MEPA look forward to getting contest registration underway here shortly. We're here to serve you and your performers as we build a great season ahead!