On October 18th, the Marion Center Marching  Band took the field at Indiana Area High School to showcase their talent and hard work at the annual Indiana County High School Bandfest. The Marching Band presented their halftime show, 75 years of Green and Gold, including hit songs like Harry Styles’ “Golden,” Sting’s “Fields of Gold,” Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender,“ and Lorde’s “Greenlight.” The band’s performances celebrate the long-standing history of the Mean Green Marching Machine, but the show highlights all of the hard work of its band members. From the long, grueling hours at band camp to practices every week, the band has continuously shown its dedication to the music program at Marion Center. Mr. Ryan Page, the director of bands at Marion Center, said, “2025 marks the seventy-fifth consecutive season of the Marion Center Marching Band’s existence. The halftime show this year, “Seventy-Five Years of Green And Gold”, commemorates that. The music is a celebration of the present moment, a nod to times gone by, and a hopeful closing message for the future, wrapped into 8 minutes of music and movement. This year’s shows have been the best of my career. I’m immensely proud of each and every member; it wouldn’t be the same without all 90 of them.”

After their performance, the band had the exciting opportunity to watch Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s (IUP) Marching Band halftime show in action, giving the young musicians and twirlers a glimpse of what marching at the next level will be like. Watching the IUP Marching Band’s inspired students, showing them that their hard work pays off. With hard work and dedication, marching at a collegiate level can one day become a reality for many Marion Center Marching Band students.

The night concluded with the annual drill-down, where students competing in the marching band are given specific commands to complete successfully and accurately. Many students from Marion Center participated in the competitive activity, and when it came down to the top 8, half of the remaining students were from Marion Center. To top off the exciting night, one of the Senior Drum Majors, Sarah Moore, won first place in the competition with her backward marching skills. Mr. Page also commented, “Indiana Bandfest has been a landmark event in the marching band season for decades, and this drill down competition has been something students from every participating school look forward to, since it first began in 2016. Since it began, no student from Marion Center has ever won. That changed on Saturday. I’m incredibly proud of every student that participated, including the four upperclassmen who made it to the top ten, and especially to Sarah. Her years of dedication to every aspect of our band program were on full display. This was all after a spectacular performance of the 2025 show. I couldn’t be more pleased.” Way to go Sarah!