Mahanoy Area to host marching band competition this season

MAHANOY CITY – The sights and sounds of marching band are a quintessential part of fall, and fans will have another opportunity to see the best perform in northern Schuylkill County.

Mahanoy Area Band Director Chelsea Ferraro told the Sentinel Tuesday her music program will host a Tournament of Bands competition this season.

Tournament of Bands is one of two competitive marching band circuits covering east-central Pennsylvania, the other being Cavalcade of Bands.

It’s the first competition Mahanoy has hosted in recent memory, if ever, but it’s not the first in northern Schuylkill County.

North Schuylkill has hosted a Tournament of Bands competition for well over a decade and will continue this year, director Jacob Shoener told the Sentinel. His program also hosted region championships last year.

The Mahanoy competition will take place Sept. 27 at Alumni Stadium in Mahanoy City. Five bands have already signed up, including North Schuylkill and Hazleton. Also signed up are Tri-Valley, Wyoming Area, and Pottsville Area.

If you’re a band director or involved in a music program and want to sign your band up, there’s still time. The deadline is Sept. 12. Contact Chelsea Ferraro at [email protected].

The following week, North Schuylkill hosts their competition on Ghosh Orthodontics Field at Spartan Stadium. That’ll take place Oct. 4.

All Sentinel area schools will be there as of now — Shenandoah Valley, Mahanoy Area, North Schuylkill, and Hazleton — along with Wyoming Area, Panther Valley, Pottsville, and Lake Lehman.

Tournament of Bands is split into various divisions based on the band’s size and competition level. The Open class is considered “the traditional competitive arena for experienced groups and staff,” though they were in different divisions based on their size.

In the A class, intended for bands which are newer to the competitive space, bands performed field shows which could be considered more traditional for those who are used to high school football halftime shows.

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Kaylee Lindenmuth

Kaylee Lindenmuth is a Shenandoah native with a passion for journalism and the community she calls home. She is a 12-time Keystone Media Award winner, a PAB Excellence in Broadcasting award winner, and has been nominated for a Mid-Atlantic Emmy award.

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