Bands Battle it Out at Bonanza Competition

The sounds of flutes, horns, and drums filled the air at Sulsberger Stadium Saturday at Zanesville High School for the 49th Annual Bonanza of Bands competion.

10 marchings bands from various high schools across southeast and central Ohio competed against each other Saturday evening in the areas of music, marching, maneuvering and overall performance.

"They’re competing against a standard. They are trying to get a rating of 1 or superior and that 1 will qualify them to compete at the state band competition which is held at the end of October," said Chairman Kelley Ryan.

Bands also compete for first and second place within their own classification. Ryan says all the bands have been hard at work prepping for the big event with most of them beginning practice weeks before school even started.

"We have a contest season that runs for 7 weeks and you can go to as many or as few contests as you choose if your band is participating so many of the bands will have already have competed but a couple of them this is their first time out for this year," said Ryan.

Here are Saturday night’s Bonanza Competition winners:

Waterford won class B and C

1st Place: Ridgewood

2nd Place: Meadbowbrook

3rd Place: Licking Valley

4th Place: Coshocton

5th Place: Cambridge

John Glenn won in Class A and AA

Central Crossing from Grove City: 1st Place

Newark: 2nd Place

The Three bands that qualified for the state competition was Ridgewood, Central Crossing, and Zanesville.