On Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, the Havelock High School Instrumental Music Department and the Havelock Band Boosters will host the 21st Annual Crystal Coast Band Classic, one of the premier HS Marching Band competitions in eastern NC and the program’s biggest fundraiser of the year. This year 22 high-school marching bands, both local and from across North Carolina, will compete for the Grand Champion Trophy. The Havelock High School Marching Rams will perform in exhibition at 5:24 p.m.
Gates will open at 9:30 am and the event will end around midnight. Opening Ceremonies will kick off the competition at 9:40 am as the HHS NJROTC presents the colors and a Havelock HS Rams small ensemble plays the National Anthem.
The $10 admission for adults includes a souvenir program. Children 8 years and under will be charged a discounted $5, with no program included. The “Marching Pirates” Marching Band from East Carolina University in Greenville, NC, will entertain spectators with exhibition performances at 5:41p.m. and 10:42 p.m. The Havelock High School Marching Rams will perform in exhibition at 5:34 p.m.
Attendance at the 2021 CCBC was estimated at 3,500 spectators. The 2022 event will have over 2,000 participating students, parents, and chaperones and over 250 volunteers.
There will be two awards ceremonies: Preliminaries at 6 p.m. and Finals at 10:48 p.m. Preliminary Awards Ceremony: 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place for General Effect, Music Performance, Visual Performance, Color Guard, Drum Major, Percussion, and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for Overall Band per class. The bands will be judged in 5 classes – A to AAAAA.
Final Awards Ceremony: Best in General Effect, Music Performance, Visual Performance, Color Guard, Drum Major, Percussion, and Overall Band 1st – 7th place. The Cleveland Arts Performing Ensemble from Cleveland High School was crowned Grand Champion (overall 1st place) at the 2021 Crystal Coast Band Classic.
Trophy sponsors and volunteers are still needed for the event. More information can be found on the HHS Marching Rams Facebook page or their website.
Havelock High School’s first-rate facilities for the CCBC competition include Rams Stadium’s aluminum bleachers with a large seating capacity and a press box perched high above the expertly maintained football field.
CCBC patrons can purchase a wide variety of reasonably priced refreshments, including Chick-fil-A’s chicken sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos, pizza, French fries, and Havelock’s finest funnel cakes! Also available will be bottled water, assorted soft drinks, coffee, hot chocolate and a variety of snacks and candy. Additional attractions include a Drum-o-meter station, where patrons can measure how many drumbeats, they can play per 30 seconds or 1 minute. For the latest CCBC event information, please visit this website or the Crystal Coast Band Classic page on Facebook.
We are proud to welcome 22 bands to compete at this year’s Crystal Coast Band Classic:
Ashley High School
Ayden Grifton High School
Camden High School
Carteret Collective Sound
Corinth Holders High School
Currituck County High School
D.H. Conley High School
J.H. Rose High School
John A. Holmes High School
New Bern High School
Northern Nash High School
Northside High School
Pamlico County High School
Pasquotank County High School
Perquimans County High School
Richlands High School
Smithfield-Selma High School
Swansboro High School
Topsail High School
West Craven High School
West Johnston High School
White Oak High School
By Sandy Cence