Update: Tickets are now sold out.

With the 50th Annual Bird Calling Contest set to take flight on Friday, April 17 at 7 p.m., contest producer Ken Brown anticipates it to be a big show and for tickets to sell out fast.

Tickets are only available for purchase online at http://www.tinyurl.com/50thbirdcalling, not at the door. Admission is $10 for students, $20 for adults and $30 for reserved seating.

“We have great plans to make it a big event,” Brown said. “I don’t want to give away too much, but we’re going to honor the past, honor the roots of the contest, and capture the different generations of callers.”

To celebrate the 50th anniversary, one of the goals is the make the contest very community-specific, Brown said. This is the first time student art has not been used for the contest poster since 1993.

“I wanted something that could go down and really stand the test of time, so we got something that really fits with the theme of Piedmont and also recognizes the history of the contest,” Brown said. “The bird that’s prominently featured is the waxwing bird, that being Leonard J. Waxdeck, the founder. We tried to make his hair and beard look like Leonard a bit, just kind of to remember the past as we move forward.”

Waxdeck’s son and an ornithologist from San Francisco State University are among this year’s judges. Contestants will be judged on three criteria: poise and delivery of the call, accuracy of the call, and delivery of the skit and information pertaining to the bird.

As in previous years, the top three acts will be invited to perform their calls on the Late Show with David Letterman.

Brown expects there to be 10-12 performances, the majority being group acts but a few solos as well. Students can still sign up by emailing Brown at kbrown@piedmont.k12.ca.us and will be accommodated if there is room.

Freshmen Kay Sibal, Maya Guzdar and Anna Campbell are newcomers to the contest. They will be performing a skit centered around the red-throated loon.

“We want to be those freshmen who are bold,” Sibal said. “Not like, ‘Oh we’re better than you [upperclassmen],’ but that we have the ability to perform and be on stage just like everybody else.”

Sophomores Josef Crombie Presberg, Danny DeBare and Cole Bloomfield will also be performing for the first time. They have chosen to imitate the chukar.

“[The call] is a series of chucks, and we felt like it matched our range and our three people well,” Crombie Presberg said. “I can tell you what the bird is, but the skit itself is confidential; it will be humorous.”

Although he is a bit nervous, he is excited for the contest.

“The Bird Calling Contest always sells out so I figured, maybe I won’t be able to buy a ticket,” Crombie Presberg said. “I might as well enter in so I can get a free ticket and watch other people too.”

Sibal said she wants to participate in the contest because it is what Piedmont is known for.

“If you meet someone outside of Piedmont, they might be like ‘Oh, are you a bird caller?’” Sibal said. “And then you could tell them all about it and it’s kind of like Piedmont pride. Also it’s really unique and you can’t find something like this anywhere else.”