Indiana State Fair Band Day

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.

In the early years of the contest musical repertoires consisted almost entirely of conventional marching songs. There was no time limit, but there wasn't much for the bands to do other than just march past the grandstands. There was a rule that no band could take a backwards step. Odon Madison Township was the first band to do something other than just marching forward, they did a right flanking movement, then a left movement to straighten up. Noblesville was the first band to do backwards marching in their 1952 championship program.

In 1952, to celebrate the centennial of the State Fair, the contest was moved to North Meridian Street in Downtown Indianapolis, near the War Memorial Building. The contest was held there once again in 1953. The Marching Millers from Noblesville and The Bearcat Pride from Muncie Central won the championship those years. The contest returned to the fairgrounds in 1954.

The fifties saw rapid growth in participation from 39 bands competing in 1951 to 83 bands in 1955. In the beginning the contest was a parade contest, with bands marching in parade formation in front of the grandstands. Eventually the format progressed to the bands playing off the starting line, marching down the field then playing in concert formation, and then playing as they cross the finish line, much like the drum and bugle corps of the day.

1962 saw the greatest number of participating bands with 107 bands registered and 92 participating. 1967 was the first year for a prelims-finals format. Initially the top 15 of the 69 bands in prelims were to return that night for finals, however a scoring error left Madison Heights in 20th place. Rather than removing a band, 16 bands competed in finals.

The Anderson Highland High School Marching Highlanders drum major celebrating their championship win in 1968.

The 70s saw a decline in participation from 59 bands in 1970 to just 32 in 1979. Initially school consolidations affected the number of competing bands, later the All State Marching Band field contest in the fall lowered participation further. In 1970 the Marching Giants from Ben Davis won the World Music Contest in Kerkrade, The Netherlands, but placed second at Band Day to the Anderson Highland Marching Highlanders.

By the 1980s bands did not do a concert standstill portion of their show, but they still had to begin the show at the start line and end at the finish line. To encourage participation of smaller bands a new class structure was introduced in 1982. Bands were divided into two classes, based on band size and school enrollment, Large Bands and Small Bands. In 2007 a class for even smaller bands called Espirit de Corps was added. The class champions are determined in prelims with the top sixteen bands, regardless of class, moving on to finals. The Marching Eagles of Delta High School won the first Small Bands Championship. In 1989 the contest was moved to the opening day of the state fair. That year, under the direction of Doug Fletcher, the Marching Bears of Monroe Central High School became the first band competing as a small band to win the Indiana State Fair Band Day Championship, they repeated in 1990 and 1991 and were runners up in 1992.

The 1990s saw one of the greatest decades of dominance in Band Day history. The Marching Flashes from Franklin Central won 6 championships, the first band to do so. They are also the only band to win 4 championships in a row, winning from 1993-1996 and again in 1998 and 1999. Additionally they went undefeated in all of their championship seasons, except for 1993. In 1997 The Force of Winchester Community High School pulled off an upset victory over the Marching Flashes becoming only the second small band to win the championship. In 1995 a rule change allowed the shows to start and finish anywhere on the track, much like a field show.

Franklin Central began competing exclusively in fall field competitions in 2000. Going in to Band Day that year the Marching Patriots of Jay County High School were the favorites to win the championship. They had won every contest that season, winning over the Spirit of South from Muncie Southside High School. Jay County won prelims by a margin of 1.5 over Southside, but the Spirit of South, with only 59 members edged by the Marching Patriots, who had nearly 100 more members, by a mere tenth of a point, the closest finish ever at the time. Jay County won in 2001 and Muncie Southside began a streak of 3 consecutive championships from 2002-2004 setting the record for the highest scoring show at the Indiana State Fair Band Day with a 93.25. In 2004 the Marching Highlanders returned to Band Day for the first time since 1975 and Finished in 2nd place 8.25 points behind first. From 2005-2009 Anderson Highland and Muncie Southside traded the championship with the Marching Highlanders winning in 2005, 2007, and 2009, and the Spirit of South winning in 2006, and 2008. In 2008 Muncie Southside became the second school to win 6 championships, previously winning in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2006. Anderson Highland became the third band to win 6 championships in 2009, previously winning in 1968, 1970, 1971, 2005, and 2007.

During the 2009-2010 school year the Anderson Community School board voted to close Highland High School. That summer the Anderson, and Anderson Highland bands merged, keeping the name Marching Highlanders but now representing Anderson High School. Going into Band Day the Muncie Southside Spirit of South was the favorite to win the championship, they won every competition they entered that year, but they finished 3rd in prelims behind Anderson and Richmond. Southside moved to second in finals and the combined Anderson High School Marching Highlanders won the championship. Becoming the fourth school to win 6 championships previously winning in 1957, 1958, 1959, 1985, and 1986. In 2011 Doug Fletcher left Anderson to become the director at Winchester Community High School where he was director from 1994-1998. In finals that year The Force of Winchester, competing as a small band, won their second championship by a mere .05 of a point of the Red Devil Marching Band from Richmond, the closest finish in Band Day history. In 2012 the three classes were renamed Class AAA, Class AA, and Class A. That year The Force moved up to Class AAA and won their 2nd consecutive championship, and their 3rd overall. In 2013 Winchester won once again becoming the fifth band to win 3 championships in a row and having the second highest score ever with a 92.70.

Muncie Central High School's Spirit of Muncie, performing their championship winning show at the Indiana State Fair Band Day in 2014.

In 2014 the contest was moved to the second day of the fair as many schools began going to school earlier. In November 2013 the Muncie Community School board voted to close Muncie Southside High School. Much like with Anderson in 2010 the bands from Muncie Central High School and Muncie Southside High School combined for the 2014 season with a new name, Spirit of Muncie. Going into Band Day The Force was undefeated and appeared that they would win their fourth consecutive championship, however the Spirit of Muncie scored a 91.6 in prelims, the highest score ever in prelims, and beat Winchester by .65 of a point. In finals the Spirit of Muncie scored a 92.35 to bring the championship back to Muncie for the first time since 2008 and the first time for Muncie Central since 1953. The Spirit of Muncie did not defend their title in 2015. In 2015 Winchester Community High School went undefeated for a second time and ended their season with a championship for the first time and the second highest score State Fair Band Day history. Winchester would go on to win their sixth championship the following year, 2016. In 2017, The Marching Millers from Noblesville High School won their 2nd championship, and their first since 1952, breaking the record for most years in between championships.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

Winchester Community High School's The Force of Winchester, performing at the Indiana State Fair Band Day in 2015. The Force is one of five bands to have won the competition six times, winning in 1997, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016.

Between 40 and 50 bands participate every year. They are separated into three classes Class AAA, Class AA, and Class A, based on band size. The preliminary competition takes place in the morning and the top 16 bands regardless of class compete in the finals competition at night. Each band is allowed 4–6 minutes to perform 2 minutes for entry and one minute to exit.[2][8]

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• Indiana State Fair 2017