The Gazette-Mail Kanawha County Majorette and Band Festival’s decade long streak of good weather should continue tonight as the district’s eight high schools come together at the University of Charleston Stadium at Laidley Field.
The annual competition will start at 6:30 p.m.
Forecasts indicate weather will be fair through most of the day. While some predictions say there is a chance a stray shower or thunderstorm could pass through the Kanawha Valley, the likelihood that will occur is small, said Ken Batty, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Charleston.
Batty said the chance of rain is low and that a worst-case-scenario where the festival is rescheduled to Wednesday isn’t likely.
“Those showers look like they’ll be north,” he said, adding that it should be noted his forecast is based on data available as of Monday evening. “Hopefully, it won’t change.”
Batty went on to say that festival conditions look like those of a typical late-September evening.
“It’s probably going to be partly cloudy and the temperature will drop off to the low 60s,” he said. “People should take jackets.”
Another festival streak will be on the line tonight as Capital High School seeks its 12th consecutive grand champion title. The high school, Kanawha County’s magnate school for the performing arts, also has won top honors 12 of the last 13 years.
The festival, the 69th in Kanawha County history, is the only annual competition featuring all eight of the district’s high school bands.
Each band has a program they’ll perform in an order determined by a random drawing. Some bands have traditional programs featuring classical pieces, while others adapt modern pop music.
Two bands this year, George Washington and Riverside high schools, will perform some of Michael Jackson’s top hits.
During each show, the bands will be judged for their marching, playing and general effect as well as the performance of their silks and percussion sections. Each band’s field commander and featured twirler also will be judged.
Scores in each of those categories will be used to determine a final score. Bands that tally between 85 and 100 points will receive a gold medal, bands earning between 70 and 84 points will receive a silver medal and bands earning between 50 and 69 points will receive bronze.
The festival’s medal system is relatively new. The county switched to an Olympic format in 2013 to streamline and update the competition, said Mark Davis, who coordinates all band and art-related events for Kanawha County schools.
“The way it’s formatted, more than one band can get a gold,” he said.
Determining the festival grand champion and who receives the coveted title of Miss Kanawha Majorette — a male has never won the award — is a little different, though.
The band with the highest score is the festival grand champion. First and second runner-up bands also are named. All three receive a trophy.
And scoring to determine the top majorette is based on poise and skill, but judges ultimately decide who the winner is.
After the high school performances, West Virginia University’s 350-member band, the Pride of West Virginia, will take the field and give a sampling of its pre-game and halftime shows.
Jay Drury, the band’s director of 11 years, said it will play traditional fight songs as well as popular songs like “Country Roads” and a sampling of pop star Meghan Trainor’s most popular hits.
“We’ll showcase everything we do,” Drury said. “Our drumline is featured. Our twirlers are featured. I hope everyone enjoys it.”
Traditionally, the Pride of West Virginia performs at the festival every other year, alternating with Marshall University’s band, the Marching Thunder.
The Pride of West Virginia, which Drury said was given its name after a bowl performance in the 1970s, will also use the festival as a recruiting tool.
“We get to watch them too,” Drury said of the eight high school bands. “The Kanawha County area has been a very fertile recruiting ground with a lot of talent and good band programs.”
Tickets cost $7 in advance or $8 at the gate and can still be purchased at each of the eight county high schools, Kerr’s Music World, Gorby’s Music or Laidley Field.
Festival programs also will be sold for $1.
The festival is one of Kanawha County’s largest band fundraisers of the year. All proceeds directly benefit the district’s eight high school bands.
Longtime festival emcee Johnny Barker will not announce the event this year.
“I’m not sure how long he’s been doing it,” Davis said. “But it’s the Johnny Barker press box over there. He’s a legend.”
Barker, called the voice of Laidley Field, has been ill, Davis said.
The program is dedicated in his honor.
Filling in for Barker is Mountain Stage executive producer Adam Harris.
Reach Samuel Speciale at sam.speciale@dailymailwv.com, 304-348-7939 or follow @samueljspeciale on Twitter.