Wyandotte Marching Chiefs Host 7th Annual Downriver Fanfare

Marching bands from throughout the region will showcase their skills at the seventh annual Downriver Fanfare beginning at 5 p.m. today at

The show is expected to last about five hours, with a 9:35 p.m. awards ceremony and a post awards reception on the field.

This is the seventh year that the Wyandotte Marching Chiefs have hosted the event, which allows bands "the opportunity to perform their current show for a large Downriver audience and be adjudicated by professional judges in several areas of performance and musicianship," event spokeswoman Jean Pilon said.

In addition to the Wyandotte Marching Chiefs and the Marching Warriors, this year's participants include bands from several high schools–, Flat Rock, Annapolis, John Glenn, Lincoln Park, Southgate, Taylor Truman, Taylor Kennedy, Huron, Wayne-Memorial, Gibraltar Carlson, Summit Academy, Davison and .  

Awards will be given for first, second and third place in each category by school size, along with other specialized awards.

"This marching band showcase is not meant to be a highly competitive event, but rather a friendly meeting and celebration of the music and pageantry of marching bands," the event's website said. "We are happy to host our neighboring bands, and provide them a great performance venue with a beautiful field as their stage on which to present their 2011 marching band shows."

Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. For more information, visit the Downriver Fanfare 2011 website.

The show also will be broadcast online.