MADISON – The “March on Madison” expo will assemble several local bands for residents to experience their 2018 field shows, in case you can’t attend a football game yet yearn to feel the splendid sights and sounds of marching bands.

Bob Jones High School Marching Bands host the annual fundraiser event that offers band aficionados a venue to see the latest marching drills and hear up-to-date arrangements of music, ranging from pop to classical.

March on Madison is scheduled for Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. in Madison City Schools Stadium, 211 Celtic Drive. Gates will open at 5 p.m.

Woodwind and brass instrumentalists, drum lines, color guard in synchronization with flag and rifle routines and skilled dance team members in precise, high-kicking moves will entertain.

Along with Bob Jones, bands will perform from James Clemens, Madison County, St. John Paul II and Huntsville high schools and Madison Academy. Discovery Middle School Panthers Band will entertain as the only middle school unit.

James Clemens’ halftime/competition show, “Days of Blue,” is set in the 1920s to 1930s during the Great Depression. In homage to George Gershwin, the timeless music features “I Got Rhythm,” “Rhapsody in Blue” and “Summertime.”

A crowd pleaser, Bob Jones Band’s football show features a mashup of “Thriller” and “Uptown Funk,” followed by “Can’t Stop the Feeling” and “Dirty Pop.” Their competition show, “The Divide,” represents controversy and arguments related to current events and the global attitude.

“I love to showcase the hard work of our students, and there’s no better way to do so than by putting on diverse performances under the lights of our home stadium,” Bob Jones Band Director Leigh Thomas said previously. “It also is great way for our community to show how much the marching arts mean to the city of Madison and to the surrounding counties as well.”

Spectators can buy snacks at the concession stand.

Tickets cost $5. Children younger than kindergarten age will be admitted free. Spectators can buy tickets at the gate or in advance from any Bob Jones Band member, color guard or dance team member.