CULLMAN, Ala. – Marching band enthusiasts were able to attend the event of the year on Saturday, Sept. 28, when Cullman High School hosted the 41st annual Cullman County Band Exhibition at Oliver Woodard Stadium. The yearly event is a staple in the band community, happening the Saturday prior to the Cullman County Fair opening and held the same day as the Cullman County Fair Parade.
The early fall’s crisp air held out for the stadium lights as area marching bands, majorettes and auxiliary, their boosters and supporters flooded the seats, leaving no place empty for the spectacular musical showcase taking place.
The West Point High School Marching Band had the honor of leading the fair parade, which meant it played the cadence for each band to march into the stadium.
The school bands performed from smallest to largest, and, keeping with tradition, the performances were kicked off with a performance by Cullman Middle School Band and capped with the Cullman High School Marching Band, which played a selection of Paul McCartney tunes.
The Holly Pond High School Marching Band took the field as the first county school to perform its show, bringing the boogie back with funky musical selections including “Everybody’s Everything,” “Birdland,” “Sir Duke and Superstition” and “Boogie Down.” Under the direction of Drum Major Silas Reynolds, the Broncos had the crowd tapping toes and dancing along with the beats.
Cold Springs High School’s Royal Blue Band was next to take the field with its show, Party in the CSH. Under the field direction of Addison Rayne, the band featured dance party hits like Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night,” Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A” and Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off.”
Drum Major Stormy Campbell directed the Vinemont High School Marching Eagle Band in its show of classically creepy songs from theater and classic spooky films, even adding in a little bit of the “Monster Mash” to help bring in Halloween.
Good Hope High School Marching Raider Band put its spin on the selections of Queen, performing smash hits like “Another One Bites the Dust,” “We are the Champions,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.” With Drum Major Fulton Easterwood in control of the field, the show was fit for royalty.
The Pride of Hanceville Bulldog Marching Band followed to practice a little musical magic with its show titled Voodoo: I Put a Spell on You. Selected songs were plucked from Cirque du Soliel, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Billie Eilish. Drum Major Jonathan Rodriguez directed the band through a voodoo voyage, triumphing over the villain in the end.
Fairview High School’s band performed a “thrilling journey through the world of iconic monsters, blending powerful rock anthems, classical intensity and driving rhythms to bring the creatures to life” under Drum Major Mia Fortner. The Aggie Band chose to blend musical numbers like “The Thing” from “Godzilla,” “Godzilla” by Blue Oyster Cult, “Monster” by Skillet, “Frankenstein” by Johnny Winter, “Zombie” by the Cranberries and Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor” for its stellar performance.
The West Point Warrior Band stepped out of the country with its show, Sonidos de Espanõl, under the field direction of Drum Major Madeline Carnes. The Marching Warriors entertained the crowd and fellow bands with a spicy mix of Latin songs with uptempo beats.
Closing the evening was Cullman High School’s Marching Band with the show-stopping performance of Sir Paul, a Journey Through Yesterday. Drum Major Leah Hutt led the band through iconic Paul McCartney music while the auxiliary and Feature Twirler Nevaeh Greene stunned the audience with their skills. Greene wowed the crowd with multiple acrobatic tricks including a cartwheel and back handspring under tosses and an astounding five-baton twirl sequence.
Videos of all the bands’ performances can be seen on The Cullman Tribune’s Facebook page.
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