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By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE | Special to the Reporter

NORTH SHELBY – For fans of Friday night halftime shows, there’s a special event coming up that’s dedicated to high school bands.

The 2024 Shelby County Schools Showcase of Bands, which will be hosted by the Oak Mountain High School Band, will be held at Heardmont Park at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

The event host site alternates each year between Oak Mountain and Helena High School.

This will be the 22nd year for the showcase, which has been held annually since 2002.

According to Dr. Travis Bender, the associate director of bands at Oak Mountain High School, the purpose of the event is to provide a non-competitive environment for each of the high school bands in Shelby County Schools to perform their halftime show.

“Students and directors receive feedback from a panel of judges in the following captions: band, percussion, color guard, dance team, majorettes and drum major,” Bender said. “This feedback is utilized to help ensembles prepare for upcoming competitions and improve their performance.”

The number of pieces each band plays depends on their halftime show. Some bands will play two or three musical works, while others play more.

The exhibition kicks off at 6:30 p.m. and the lineup for the event includes:

• 6:45 p.m. The Montevallo High School Marching Troubadours
• 7 p.m. The Shelby County High School Pride of Shelby County
• 7:15 p.m. The Vincent High School Yellow Jacket Marching Band
• 7:30 p.m. The Calera High School Soaring Sound of Dixie
• 7:45 p.m. The Chelsea High School Marching Hornet Pride
• 8 p.m. The Helena High School Marching Band
• 8:15 p.m. The Oak Mountain High School Spirit of Cahaba

Bender said that the Heardmont Park Concession Stand will be open all night, “so bring the family and enjoy seven incredible halftime shows performed back-to-back.”

To conclude the event, all high school band students in Shelby County Schools will take the field together to perform “America the Beautiful.”

Proceeds from ticket sales go to the Shelby County Band Directors Association, which operates events like honor bands, solo festivals and commissioned performances for band students in the Shelby County School System year-round.

Admission is $8 per person and tickets can be purchased on GoFan at Gofan.co/event/1638950?schoolId=AL1761.