Things were heating up Thursday at Oil City High School as the Oiler Marching Band practiced for the upcoming Music in Oil Country festival the school will host Saturday.
Temperatures hovered around 80 degrees as the clouds gave way to sunshine, and the kids practiced through pieces like “A Sky Full of Stars” by Coldplay and “All Star” by Smash Mouth.
This year’s festival at the high school athletic complex will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday, with gates opening at 6 p.m. Twelve high school bands spanning seven counties will perform.
The festival will showcase the hours of practice the students have put into each of their shows.
Oiler Marching Band director Dan Cartwright said this year is one of the biggest turnouts Music in Oil Country has ever had, and two bands are joining this year for the first time.
And returning to perform in addition to the Oil City band will be bands from Franklin, Titusville, Keystone, Lakeview, Cambridge Springs, Warren, Conneaut Area, Fort LeBoeuf and Brockway.
As in past years, the festival will again offer concessions, raffles, a bake sale, candy grams and air grams.
Proceeds from the festival will benefit the Oiler Marching Band’s uniform drive. The band will be purchasing new uniforms in the near future.
In the event of inclement weather, the event will be held in the Oil City High School gymnasium.
“It’s a lot of work, and a lot of logistics, but to be able to put an evening together that showcases marching bands and the efforts of halftime is worth it,” Cartwright said.
