More than two-dozen high school marching bands will take at O’Brien Field field to compete in the 35th Annual Panther Marching Band Festival starting at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Alan Sullivan, the festival’s director and director of the Panther Marching Band, said the 29 high school bands will compete in the festival sponsored by Eastern.

“I have been coordinating all the aspects that come in to an event like this,” Sullivan said. “Preparation started last academic year, with the scheduling and registration.”

Much of the execution of the festival will rely on assistance from Eastern’s music students, Sullivan said.

“We can’t run this competition without the help of all the students,” he said. “They’re really looking forward to helping out.”

Olivia Brauer, a senior music major with a teacher certification, said the Eastern students will be responsible for doing

everything from logistics to tabulating scores.

“The band guides are going to arrive and meet the band directors,” Brauer said. “After that, they’ll take them to the warm up field, get them to take pictures and get them to the busses.”

Sullivan said competitions such as the Panther Marching Band Festival can benefit students as well as give them a chance to compete.

“This is an educational event, even though it is competitive,” he said. “Judges make coordinated comments during the performance and band directors use them to help their kids improve.”

Jennette Grau, a sophomore music major with a teacher certification and a judge’s assistant at the festival, said marching band competitions are an important source of pride for the high school students.

“This competition gives high school bands something to work for and something to be proud of as music students,” she said. “Nothing makes students more happy than performing a show that they all have worked so hard on.”

Bauer said the Panther Marching Band will also be performing at the festival out of competition.

“We’re going to be doing a Latin show,” she said.

Bauer, who assisted in assembling the Panther Marching Band’s show as a drill technician, said the Latin show has been well received in pervious performances.

“There are solo performances,” Bauer said. “People really eat that up.”

Sullivan said he and the marching band are excited to perform and will continue to practice until the festival.

“Our performance level is really, really coming along,” Sullivan said. “By the time we perform on Saturday, this band is going to be on fire.”

The 35th Annual Panther Marching Band Festival will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at O’Brien Field. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for students and senior citizens. Children under the age of five are free.

Andrew Crivilare can

be reached at 581-7942

or ajcrivilare@eiu.edu.