The Bradford Area High School Marching Band will share music from around the world when they take the field on Saturday at the 34th annual Autumn Classic.
The marching band competition featuring area high school students takes place each year at Bradford High’s Parkway Field. Nine marching bands will perform on Saturday.
This year, the Marching Owls will perform “Around the World in Eight minutes,” said band director Kathy Thumpston, who explained the students will perform “snippets” of easily-recognized songs representing different countries. The minutes-long journey includes stops in America, the British Isles, France, Russia, Korea, then “back home again.”
The Marching Band will consists of 77 students, including musicians and colorguard from the high school and eight Floyd C. Fretz Middle School students who push backdrops around the field, said Thumpston.
Thumpston said students have been invited from Fretz to help for the past several years. “It’s a nice way to bring some Fretz kids in to be connected to the band.”
The students began the year with a strong start, taking first place in their class on Saturday at their first competition of 2013 held in Jamestown, N.Y. The event was part of the New York State Field Band Conference.
The students also performed Sept. 7 at an event hosted by General McLane High School, but the bands were not ranked.
At the Autumn Classic, gates will open at 4 p.m. and opening ceremonies will take place at 5:15 p.m.
In the AA Class, Cochranton Marching Band will take the field at 5:30 p.m. Then Cameron County Marching Band will perform in exhibition starting at 5:45 p.m. The Open Class Iroquois Marching band will play at 6 p.m.
In exhibition, the Sheffield Marching Band at 6:15 p.m. and the Otto-Eldred Marching Band at 6:30 p.m.
Intermission will take place from 6:45 to 7 p.m.
In the A Class, the Coudersport Marching Band will perform at 7 p.m., the Port Allegany Marching Band will perform at 7:15 p.m. and the Maplewood Marching Band will perform at 7:30 p.m.
Finally, performing in exhibition at 7:45 p.m. will be the hosting Bradford Marching Band.
Awards will be given out at 8:15 p.m.
Advanced sale tickets for the event will be available at different outlets, and tickets will be available at the door.
