Twenty-six bands will compete in this Saturday’s A-Town Invitational marching competition.

The event is sponsored by the Andalusia High School Band Boosters, and includes bands ranging from 1A to 4A, with 12 bands in the 1A criteria alone.

The money raised from this event helps with travel expenses and many other needs for A Sound Tradition, Andalusia High School’s marching band.

Schools competing this year include Luverne, Kinston, Houston County, Cottonwood, J. U. Blacksher, Thomasville, Sweetwater, Monroe County, Opp, Walton County, Escambia County, Brantley, Headland, Straughn, Citronelle, Elberta, Baker, Baldwin County, Elba, W.S. Neal, Daleville, McGill Toolen, Gulf Shores, Rehobeth, and Daphne.

Each school as an allotted time for practice in specific practice zones, and they have a certain amount of time to be on the field, perform their halftime show and then leave the field.

The event will open at 11 a.m. with Luverne.

Other local schools’ times are as follows:

• Opp High School – 1:45 p.m.
• Straughn High School- 3:30 p.m.

Andalusia will perform the exhibition at 8:50 p.m. and the awards ceremony will begin at 9:30 p.m.