Indiana State Fair Band Day
Indiana State Fair Band Day logo for 2015
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| Type | Marching Band |
|---|---|
| Location | Indiana State Fairgrounds, Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Founded | 1947 |
| First champions | Grant County Combined Band |
| Current champions | Winchester Community High School The Force of Winchester |
| Website | http://www.indianatrackmarchingbands.com/ |
The Indiana State Fair Band Day is a marching band competition held at the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis every August. The contest serves as the Championship for the Central Indiana Track Show Association, an organization that governs marching band contests in Indiana during the Summer. First held in 1947 it is one of, if not, the oldest high school marching band contests in the United States. The 71st Indiana State Fair Band Day competition will be held on August 5, 2017.
The first musical contest at the Indiana State Fair was held in 1926, however there was no marching involved. Whiteland High School was initially declared the champion, but they were disqualified when it was discovered they used students from other Johnson County schools. Ligonier High School was then given the title. The idea of a high school band contest faded, but in 1939 the State Fair held a parade for high school marching bands in front of the grandstands. This parade continued until 1941 when the state fair was cancelled due to World War II.
In 1946 the state fair resumed and the first State Fair Band Day Competition was held on September 2, 1947. Less than 25 bands competed in 3 classes. Under the direction of Fred Reiter the Grant County Combined Band won the Class A championship using students from Van Buren, Jefferson Township, Swayzee, Gas City, Jonesboro, Sweetser, and Fairmount. Rochester won Class B and Francesville won Class C. In 1948 the contest switched to a single class format. Gary Frobel High School won the championship that year.
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