T.R. Miller will revive a long-standing tradition this weekend when the school hosts the Dixieland Band Contest.
The event, which will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday at Brewton Stadium, was once an annual contest.
“The community has been asking me about it since my arrival in Brewton back in 2008,” T.R. Miller band director Lance Gainous said. “We had several years where we got rained out or the contest was canceled for various reasons, and then it was finally suspended.“
But the contest can be a major fundraiser for the band, he said.
“We have ticket sales and concessions and, if everything goes all right, it could be a good money maker for the band,” he said.
Fred Nordmeyer, who is the T.R. Miller Band Boosters’ president, said the band hopes this year’s contest will be well attended.
“The funds we raise will go toward the band’s trip to New Orleans Jan. 9, 2012, for the BCS National Championship,” Nordmeyer said. “We hope that this will continue in the future and more trips will be made possible.”
The bands participating Saturday will be large and small — with 63 from Excel and up to 220 from Foley High School.
“The T.R. Miller Band will play at the contest on Saturday, but they won’t compete for any of the prizes,” Nordmeyer said.
The resurrected contest will host 12 bands from the surrounding area on Saturday, as well as performances by the Brewton Dance Studio Twirlstars Baton Corps, Brewton Middle School Band, T.R. Miller High School Tiger Band and the University of Mobile Ramcorps.
Admission for the event will be $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 6 to 10, and free for children 5 and under. The concessions will include roasted corn, hot dogs and hamburgers, along with a lot of other things, such as T-shirts.
“We’re very excited about bringing this tradition back to Brewton,” Gainous said. “It is my hope that the contest makes a complete comeback and we are able to host annually again.”
The attending guest bands include: in Class A, J.U. Blacksher School, Excel High School, Red Level School, Thomasville High School, Flomaton High School, Saraland Middle/High School, Straughn High School and Greenville High School; in Class AA, Baldwin County High School and W.S. Neal High School; in Class AAAA, Robertsdale High School and Foley High School, whose band director, Carl Major, used to be the band director at Miller.