This Saturday, the Pride of Paoli band will host the annual Pride of Paoli Invitational at Cook Field. The band has been hosting this invitational for over 40 years and has continued to be the biggest fundraiser for the group every year. 

Bands will travel from all around Southern Indiana to perform at Cook Field. The bands range in size with the largest being Jasper High School, with 120 members, and the smallest is Corydon Central High School, with 31 members. The National Anthem will start at 5:45 p.m. to begin the day, but gates will be open all day. Admission is $7, and Paoli fans will see the Pride perform at 8:55 p.m. 

This year the event will host 13 bands from around Southern Indiana, including Paoli, as the exhibition performance. 

Of the bands performing at the Invitational, five finished their seasons at the ISSMA State Marching Band Finals last school year. The Jasper Marching Wildcats took home the State Championship last year for Class B. Four bands — The Springs Valley Blackhawk Brigade, the Forest Park Marching Rangers, the Orleans Bulldog Regiment, and the Pride of Paoli — are returning after finishing in the top ten in Class D at the State Finals last year.

Performance times for all bands at the POP Invitational are: 

Corydon Central High School 5:53 p.m.

Salem High School 6:06 p.m.

N.E. Dubois High School 6:19 p.m.

Silver Creek High School 6:32 p.m.

Eastern High School 6:32 p.m.

Henryville High School 6:58 p.m.

North Harrison High School 7:11 p.m.

Heritage Hills High School 7:24 p.m.

Forest Park High School 8:03 p.m.

Springs Valley High School 8:16 p.m.

Orleans High School 8:29 p.m.

Jasper High School 8:42 p.m.

“I hope to have another really successful Invitational,” said Band Director Christian Karkosky. 

After hosting the Invitational, the Pride will next travel to Springs Valley on Saturday, September 23, to compete in the BlackHawk Brigade’s Invite.