A Brief Look at the History of the Indiana State Fair Band Contest
Although the first high school music contest was held at the Indiana State Fair in 1926, it didn't involve marching, and the idea faded over time. In the late 1930s, an annual parade saluting farmers started and included youth marching bands sponsored by county farm bureaus and 4-H organizations. World War II then brought a temporary pause to the Indiana State Fair.
The 1940s
In its second year post-WW2, the Indiana State Fair held the first high school marching band contest on September 3, 1947, as part of Education Day and Children's Day. The contest was called the Education Day band parade and held in front of the Grandstand. The 11 bands that participated included Class A Champion Grant County Combined Band (using students from several small schools including Van Buren, Jefferson Township, Gas City, Jonesboro, Swayzee, Sweetser, and Fairmont), Class B Champion Rochester (winning by default as the only band in Class B), and Class C Champion Francesville). Other participating bands included Bunker Hill, Fortville, Jackson Central, Kewanna, Lyons, Otterbein, Pulaski, and Worthington-Jefferson. Due to school consolidations throughout the years, only Rochester still exists as a high school.
In 1948, the contest switched to an open format to determine the overall champion and 26 bands participated. The contest was a true parade of bands as they lined up around the track and processed past the Grandstand using a military marching style and uniforms. There was a one-minute courtesy period between bands to eliminate two bands playing at the same time. Of the bands still competing in 2024, Lincoln of Cambridge City first appeared at the contest in 1948 while Alexandria, Lapel, and Yorktown first participated in 1949.
The 1950s
During the 1950s, the contest continued to grow reaching 75 participants in 1959. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Indiana State Fair in 1952, the band parade was held through the streets of downtown Indianapolis on opening day of the Fair. Noblesville won their first championship that year. The contest returned to the Fairgrounds in 1954 with bands once again parading in front of the Grandstand. Anderson High School first participated in 1955 and achieved a milestone in 1959 by becoming the first band to win three consecutive championships. Through the 1950s other Madison County schools participating included Elwood, Highland, Madison Heights, and Pendleton had joined the contest.
The 1960s
In the early 1960s, the contest continued to grow reached a peak of 94 participants (out of 107 entered). Scoring was based on Inspection, Marching, Playing, and General Effect. In addition to the bands from Madison County, another major competitor in the 1960s was Ben Davis High School from Indianapolis, which won four times in the 1960s. The year 1967 marked the first time the contest format had prelims and finals. Only 15 bands were scheduled to return for finals competition. However, a prelim scoring error initially omitted Madison Heights from the Top 15. It was corrected before finals and the Top 15 became the Top 16, which exists to this day. During the 1960s, track contests as part of county fairs grew in popularity in Delaware, Vigo, Shelby, Hancock, and Decatur counties. Many bands also participated in the annual Indiana State Fair Farmer's Day parade.
The 1970s
By 1971, bands had four minutes to compete their routine and cross the finish line (up from three minutes in the 1960s). Bands were judged on marching and maneuvering, music, and routine/general effect. Although 59 bands participated in 1970, interest had declined to 32 bands by 1979. A combination of events impacted participation including school consolidations and limitations on performance area (track vs. field). Many participants switched to field competitions during the 1970s with the creation of a fall state marching contest. In addition, some directors cited the difficulty rehearsing during the summer months and the increased costs associated with State Fair shows. Long time participant Richmond won its first championship in 1973. Another long-time participant, Jay County, joined the contest in 1976. Kokomo, the 2023 & 2024 champion, first appeared at the contest in 1971.
The 1980s
To encourage participation by small bands from small schools, a special awards category was added to the preliminary awards in 1982. Initially given to the Top 5 scoring small bands, it was expanded to the Top 8 in 1988. In 1983, the Central Indiana Track Show Association was formed to provide coordination for the contests leading up to Band Day. Initially, the contests were held as part of the Delaware, Shelby, and Jay County fairs, as well as in Anderson (sponsored by Madison Heights at that time) and Winchester. By 1981, field coverage was added to the judging system to account for how much the entire unit moved during the show vs. standing still. Performance time had now increased to five minutes. This decade saw Wapahani win three times in a row - the first time a band had achieved that feat since Anderson in the 1950s. By 1988, though, the number of competing bands had dipped to 24 and remained in the upper 20s to low 30s for more than 10 years. By 1989, guard/auxiliary performance was included as a separate category towards the overall score. It was also the first year that caption awards were presented to large and small bands for music, marching, general effect, and guard/auxiliary. By 1989, performance time was set at a minimum of four minutes and maximum of six minutes. A two-minute staging time was added to allow bands to set up equipment and props.
The 1990s
In 1991, a third band, Monroe Central, achieved three consecutive championships. The decade also saw Franklin Central become the first band to win four years in a row. In 1992, a caption award for percussion performance was added. The year 1995 brought about the biggest change to date when bands were no longer required to start their performance from the start line. Although the band still got into position at the start line, it was now allowed to enter the performance area to set-up, warm-up, and then begin their performance. That was also the only year Band Day finals were cancelled due to inclement weather and track conditions. Final placings were based upon preliminary scores.
The 2000s Through 2024
By the year 2000, the scoring had been set at 100 points for the categories of music, visual, and general effect. Muncie Southside dominated the 2000s with 6 championships. The biggest change was the elimination of the small band awards and creation of Class A, AA, and AAA awards in 2012. This change provided additional recognition for bands based upon their achievements in preliminary performance. In addition, the contest grew to 49 bands three times in the 2010s. The year 2017 the saw longest number of years between championships (65 years) when Noblesville won their first Band Day title since 1952. Winchester Community dominated the 2010s with 5 championships and 2 runner-up trophies, while Centerville won all 11 Class AA championships from 2012 through 2023 (Band Day wasn't held in 2020). Bands representing multiple high schools reappeared in the line-up for the first time since the 1950s with the Decatur County-Greensburg Marching Band in 2016 followed by Montgomery County United in 2017.
As we continue into the 2020s, the contest survived the COVID pandemic and continues to attract more than 30 bands each year.