The Oct. 25 Delmarvacade of Bands at Wicomico County Stadium was the Eastern Regionals competition for the Maryland Marching Band Association, and served as a showcase for 12 area marching bands, including three from Wicomico County Public Schools.
The marching bands from Wicomico High, Parkside High and James M. Bennett High received their best scores yet in this final competition tune-up for Saturday’s Maryland Marching Band Association State Championships at Towson University.
- Wicomico High: The judges awarded Wicomico High a score of 80.68, its top score of the 2025 competition season and a 3.07 jump from its previous best score. WiHi placed first out of four 1A bands at Delmarvacade. Next up for the Wicomico High Marching Band: half-time performance at Thursday’s WiHi vs. JMB football game at County Stadium. Then, Wicomico High competes in the MMBA State Championships at 12:22 p.m. Saturday.
- Parkside High: Parkside High’s Band Boosters served as host of Delmarvacade, while on the field the Parkside High Marching Rams earned the band’s top score of the season, 88.28. The band’s score was a 5.36-point jump over its previous best score. This put the Rams first of the two 2A bands at Delmarvacade, and gave them the third-highest score overall for the competition. Next up for Parkside: The Marching Rams compete at 5:52 p.m. Saturday in the MMBA State Championships, the final 3A band in the competition.
- James M. Bennett High: The James M. Bennett High Marching Band, competing as the only Open band at Delmarvacade, received a score of 90.85 from the judges. This was the second-highest score in the competition. The Clippers Marching Band achieved a jump of 5.95 points over its previous high score. Next up for JMB: The band competes at 7:51 p.m. Saturday at the MMBA State Championships; only two other bands will take the field after the Clippers.
Photos from the 2025 Delmarvacade are available to view and download free of charge. Photos of Wicomico County bands are also in individual galleries for Wicomico High, Parkside High and James M. Bennett High.
Planning to catch marching bands in action Saturday at the MMBA State Championships? The MMBA announced that it has 50 bands participating at the State Championships, believed to be the most ever. Be sure to arrive in time to be seated at least one band prior to the scheduled time for your favorite band, as the competition schedule will be adjusted to get bands on the field sooner if possible. Bands are scheduled to take the field every 13 to 15 minutes from 8:30 a.m. to 8:21 p.m., with awards ceremonies at 3:20 p.m. (1A/2A/4A, including Wicomico High) and 9 p.m. (3A/Open, including Parkside and JMB). There will be performances by the Towson University Marching Band at 3 p.m. and 8:40 p.m.
MMBA State Championships schedule: https://schedules.competitionsuite.com/2a96e577-280d-4772-8e83-cc5af428aabc_standard.htm
Wicomico County Public Schools is proud of Delmarvacade of Bands, a longtime marching band event and one of the reasons why Wicomico Schools is consistently named one of the Best Communities for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation. The Parkside Band Boosters have put on the event as a competition for many high school marching bands and as a fund-raiser for the Parkside Marching Band since 1977, two years after the high school opened.
Events like Delmarvacade, and the entire marching band program including halftime field shows at football games, clearly support three of the school system’s five strategic priorities: Student Achievement, Student Engagement, and Parent & Community Involvement. The other two strategic priorities are High-Performing Workforce and School Climate & Safety.
