One Lynchburg tradition will be bigger than ever this year.
Twenty-three bands will perform at the Lynchburg Classic Marching Band Competition on Saturday, up from roughly 15 or so most other recent years.
The show will begin at 3 p.m. at Lynchburg City Stadium and conclude with an awards ceremony at 9:30 p.m.
Liberty Christian Academy, Amherst County, Staunton River and Brookville high schools will compete in the event, along with bands from the Roanoke Valley, Charlottesville, and Staunton.
E.C. Glass and Heritage high schools, as hosts of the competition, will not compete, but will give exhibition performances, as will the Heritage Elementary “Heritage Pride” drum and flag corps.
Judges will give awards for music, marching, percussion, drum major, color guard and general effect, with a Grand Champion award for the highest-scoring band of the night.
In the event of a downpour, the event will move to the Heritage High School gym.
According to E.C. Glass band director Larry Seipp, between 3,000 and 5,000 spectators often attend the classic, depending on the weather, making it usually the second-largest event held in the stadium after the annual Heritage-Glass football game.
Seipp said that while many spectators come and go over the course of the show, they are welcome to stay for the whole event.
Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for students and seniors. Admission is free for preschool children, toddlers and babies.
“It’s no more expensive with 23 bands than with 15,” Seipp said. “You get your money’s worth.”
This year marks the 35th year of the classic, which began in the 1970s as one of the first marching band competitions in the state.
Unlike football games, the crowd focus is entirely on the bands, making it a highlight for some of the student musicians and teachers.
“Every band student from E.C. Glass and Heritage fondly remembers this, because they went through it,” said Seipp, who attended Heritage.
“Of my high school memories, that was always one of the best.”
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