After four weeks of band camp, Straughn High School’s Sound of Gold marching band put on a show Thursday for the Straughn community.

SHS’s annual preview night showcases everything that the band learned during band camp and new band director Daniel Walden said it was the most fun that he has had at a band camp in a long time.

“I live in Troy, so I have been having to wake up early and drive to Straughn,” Walden said. “But I told my wife that I get excited to wake up and drive down here because I am having such a fun time.”

Walden said that the students have made band enjoyable.

“I was talking to the old band director and he told me how hard working they are and how enjoyable they are, but I didn’t understand what he meant until I was down here with them,” he said.

Walden said that he does not expect the hype to slow down any during the season.

“I am very proud of how hard they have worked,” Walden said. “I don’t expect them to let up any during the season.”

This year’s show is a tribute to the band Journey and will include crowd pleasing hits like “Don’t Stop Believing,” “Anyway You Want It” and “Open Arms.”

“We are really excited about playing Journey,” Walden said. “It is always a crowd favorite. Even the slow tune like ‘Open Arms’ will make a big impact in the show.”

This was SHS senior Dawson Newman’s last band camp.

“I really enjoy doing preview night,” Newman said. “It shows that we have school pride and the community comes out and supports us.”

Newman said that he will miss band, but is glad that he made so many friends.

“I loved being in band,” Newman said. “I am just sad that I made so many friends that I may not see again for a while.”

Newman will attend Troy University after graduating from SHS.

French horn player Lee Herring said that the people in band are his family now.

“We are all like a big family,” Herring said. “It is going to be hard to have to leave them.”

Herring said that he expects the band to do a lot better than last year.

“We have been working really hard this year,” Herring said. “So I honestly think we will do a lot better than last year.”

Senior trumpet player, Abigail Holland has a solo in this year’s show, and she has worked on it ever since she knew she would play it.

“As soon as I got the sheet music for the solo I started practicing,” Holland said. “I absolutely love being able to play a solo, I wanted it so bad.”

Holland said that she got into the band because she did not fit in anywhere else.

“I didn’t fit in with the jocks or the popular kids,” Holland said. “So I wanted to get into what I was good at, and that was music.”

There are 56 total students in this year’s marching band.

The Sound of Gold will take the field at half time on Aug. 24, when the Tigers play Headland in Straughn at 7 p.m.