Mason City Schools hosted the first annual Battle of the Bands this Saturday at Principal Pavillion. Four student bands competed in front of a panel of judges and a host of community members for the grand prize of a performance slot at Band Festival and a free professional recording session.

Acacia Allen, performing solo on acoustic guitar, was chosen as winner. “I didn’t think I would win,” she said after the results were announced. “I can’t even put it into words, actually. I can’t even fathom it. I don’t think it’s actually hit me yet.”

Inspired by artists like Taylor Swift and Billy Joel, Allen performed two original songs, one a debut.

“Song writing and music give me a space to say things I wouldn’t otherwise have the courage or opportunity to say,” Allen said. “A lot of the time, as a human, you’re not allowed to whine or mope or feel how you feel about things society deems as trivial.

“I believe that just because there are other things happening in the world, [that] doesn’t mean that your feelings and experiences are any less real.”

According to Bridgette Exman Dunn, who emceed the event, that was the goal all along.

“We celebrate because music does something really powerful,” she said in her speech to open the event. ‘It connects people, it builds confidence, [and] gives a voice to things that are sometimes really hard to say in any other way.”

Anne Hansen, who helped coordinate the event, remembers her parents talking about participating in Battle of the Bands while they were in high school in the 1960s and 70s.

“When the idea of bringing the event back was first discussed, I was immediately excited to support it,” she said.

Performances included a diverse range on genres, from improvisational jazz to folk to grunge and heavy metal, which Dunn said represented the diverse range of students and ideas at Mason City High School.

“You’re going to see an incredibly diverse lineup, which I love, because we have an incredibly diverse school, and we have an incredibly diverse community,” she said in her speech.

One such band was the Kings of Swing, led by Cruz Jones. Inspired by New Orleans-style improvisational jazz, Jones said it was important to him to show the self-expression that the jazz genre is conducive to.

“I think that jazz is the most expressive music and it kind of hurts to see that it is not that popular,” said Jones. “[Battle of the Bands] is a way to revitalize some old standards by making them new.”

The musicians agree on one thing: music is about self-expression and sharing ideas, and experiences like Battle of the Bands allow them to share their ideas with a wider range of people.

“It’s kind of surreal to be up here and share your deepest darkest secrets with a whole lot of people,” said Allen during her performance. Her two songs, “Loose Term” and “He is the Storm” were based on personal experiences.

“We find music to be an outlet for things we can’t voice,” said Cashius Bagur, lead singer of Pole, a self-described political activism band. Bagur says his band uses music as a way to make real action on their political views.

“When Donald Trump was first elected, we noticed that there was a large population of people preaching change and talk of ‘revolution,’ but no one ever really stood by it,” said Bagur. “We decided we might as well get up and stand by this stuff ourselves.

“There are people all across this country who watch what’s going on and don’t know how to express their emotions towards it,” he added. “We try to write music that helps people feed into that expression.”

According to Dunn, the competition was less about competing and more about sharing: sharing music, sharing ideas, and sharing passion for music.

“This is a competition, but it’s not just a competition. It’s a reminder that here in Mason City, we show up for our kids. We make space for their passions,” said Dunn. “This is about the return of something that matters.”

“These kids here today showed us that you can be exactly who you are, and you can still support somebody who’s different than you, who sounds different, who looks different. That’s something we should celebrate as a community.”

This story was originally published on Riverhawk Press on May 7, 2026.