Photo courtesy of Travis Bender.
All of the Shelby County bands perform together at the 2018 Shelby County Showcase of Bands at Helena High School.
All seven of the high school marching bands in Shelby County will gather for an annual event this month.
The 2019 Shelby County Showcase of Bands, hosted by Oak Mountain High School, will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at Heardmont Park beginning at 6:30 p.m.
The event will feature the halftime performances of Oak Mountain, Helena, Chelsea, Calera, Vincent, Montevallo and Shelby County high schools.
While the event will be judged, there
“The showcase get a judge’s perspective on the band’s show without the competitive atmosphere,” said Travis Bender, associate director of bands at Oak Mountain High School.
The showcase lasts about two hours and will conclude with all the bands together on the field, about 900 students, performing “America the Beautiful.”
Taking place for over 20 years, the host schools rotate between Oak Mountain and Helena, who have the two largest stadiums in the school system.
“All of the middle school and high school band directors in the system have an association, and our association is the group who decided to begin putting on this event,” Bender said.
Proceeds from the event go to the Shelby County Band Directors Association, which funds the band programs at the seven high schools.
The event usually draws a crowd of close to 1,000. Parking is $5 and admission is $7. The concession stands will be serving food and drinks.
For more information, visit facebook.com/ oakmountainband.
