The Lampeter-Strasburg (L-S) High School marching band is getting its time to shine under the bright lights.

The Lampeter-Strasburg Marching Band (LSMB) Boosters will host a Pennsylvania Marching Band Coalition Festival on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 6 to 9 p.m. in the L-S football stadium, 1616 Rosier Way, Lancaster. Gates will open at 5 p.m. If there is inclement weather, check the band boosters' website or social media for updates. For more information, go to http://www.L-Smarchingband.org or the boosters' social media pages on Facebook at "LSMB Boosters" and Instagram at @LSMBBoosters.

Tickets can be ordered in advance through Venmo @LSbandbooster. Venmo payments and cash will be accepted at the gate.

"When you think about the marching band, everything they do is for everyone else," said LSMB Boosters president Carissa Magras. "Like, the football games, they're there to keep the energy up for the football players. The Memorial Day parade, they're there to honor the veterans. The Halloween parade, they're there to make it more fun for the kids. Everything they do is for everyone else, to make everyone else's experience is better. They are there for all of these other people and all these other things. I think for me as a mom, this event is just for the band kids. It's for them. It's about them. And that's honestly really cool because it's like you see all these people are coming just purely to watch them and support them."

L-S hosted a festival for the first time last year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the marching band. "It went really well, so we decided we'd do it again," L-S band director Larry Royer said.

Magras stated that it takes teamwork to be able to host such a big event. "I know there's one band that's 20 people, but then we have another band that's 150," she said. "You have such a wide range of bands, and especially the smaller schools, they can't put on a show. They can't do a festival like we can. I think that shows that in the Strasburg, Lampeter, and Willow Street community, we have such a strong community, and so we're able to put on these kinds of things. We're able to have a festival because it takes a lot. There's a lot of parent involvement and a lot of work that goes into it."

Judges will provide constructive feedback, but there is no placement. "It's really cool," said Royer. "(The L-S band) gets to go on last while all the other bands will be seated and all eyes will be on them. That makes it exciting to perform, and it's kind of an honor."

He added that all nine bands on the docket, including one from Millersville University, will be worth seeing. "Lots of kids will be doing great performances," Royer said. "It's near the end of the year, so the bands are at their best. It's an exciting time to watch them."

The band boosters will sell food, including Oola Bowls, hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, chips, and beverages. "We are going to have some really good food," said Magras.

Magras said spectators will enjoy the experience. "Personally, I just think they're fun," she said. "If you've ever been to a college football game, the band is so much fun to watch. ... I'm obviously a band fan, so I'm going to be biased, but I just think it's a lot of fun to come out. The cool thing about the marching band is you're not sitting there for two hours. Because they're performing their halftime shows, the bands will be out there for 15 minutes and then they're done. It's very fast paced, and it's fun music. They do neat music. Different bands have different themes. It's upbeat, and the kids do such a good job performing."