The Fayette High School marching band returned to competition in top form Saturday at the annual Carrollton Band Day. The Falcons took first place in the street and field competitions and second place in the indoor drum-line competition on their way to earning the coveted Sweepstakes Award for Classes 1-3. Fayette also took home honors for outstanding drum major, auxiliary, and percussion in the field performance.

“It was definitely a fun day,” said band director Elizabeth Betts. “The band delivered some consistent performances, and it felt great to be validated for the hard work that has been done the past few months.” 

Mrs. Betts said the band brought home much more than just trophies. “The pride that the students had on the way back home was much more rewarding than anything that we could have won.”

The competition was the first for Fayette since 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down all band days a year ago. That year off means that the majority of band members have never been a part of a marching competition. Two-thirds of the marching Falcons took part in their first ever band day on Saturday. “It has been a tough few years with the pandemic, but the Fayette Falcon Pride Marching Band is back and ready to keep this momentum going,” said Mrs. Betts.

Carrollton Band Day marks the unofficial start of marching season in mid-Missouri. Fayette still has three more competitions scheduled. Next up is Central Methodist University Band Day in Fayette on Saturday, October 9, followed by the Cameron Marchfest on October 16, and the Macon Marching Festival on October 23.