For 27 years the Buckeye Classic has brought the region’s best marching bands to Tanks Memorial Stadium. The event has state competition ramifications and this year, 17 bands totaling 1,000 performers will perform throughout the day and well into the night.

Beginning at 5 p.m. Saturday, this long-standing competition will feature Ohio high schools such as Portsmouth, River Valley, Symmes Valley, Green, Federal Hocking, Portsmouth West, Wellston, Zane Trace, Northwest, Rock Hill, Minford, Dawson-Bryant, Chesapeake and South Point. Strong competitors from West Virginia, such as Huntington and Spring Valley, will also make the short trip to Ironton. The Million Dollar Band from Ironton will perform an exhibition at 9:45 p.m.

“We have really good bands at this year’s competition,” Jeff Sanders, Ironton band director, said. “We have schools coming who make regular appearances in the state finals as well as schools from West Virginia with great competition track records.”

Any band from Ohio that earns a rating of “superior” at the Buckeye Classic can go to the state competition.

Bands are rated on five levels with the lowest being poor, then ascending to fair, good, excellent and superior. Four classes will be up for grabs, which are C, B, A and AA. Classes are based on the schools tenth- to twelfth-grade enrollment but bands are permitted to move up a class to compete.

Portsmouth High School will take the field at 5 p.m. to begin the competition, and Sanders said he would be there well before it begins and long after it ends.

“It is a very long day for our band and band boosters,” he said. “Me and my staff will get there and set up at 11 a.m. Saturday and be there until about 1 a.m. early Sunday morning.”

Since Ironton is hosting the competition the Fighting Tigers can’t win any trophies.

“We can still earn a superior rating,” Sanders said. “We aren’t much of a competition team anymore, but I still see us getting a very respectable score.”

Admission to the competition is $5 per person.