Gazette-Mail Kanawha County Majorette and Band Festival facts for kids

The Gazette-Mail Kanawha County Majorette and Band Festival is a super exciting yearly event! It celebrates the amazing high school bands and majorette groups in Kanawha County, West Virginia. The festival happens every year in late September at the University of Charleston Stadium at Laidley Field in Charleston, West Virginia.

The very first festival was held way back in 1947. Nearly 25,000 people came to watch! For many years, the band that won the Grand Champion award the previous year would play "The Star-Spangled Banner". But since 2013, all eight competing bands play the National Anthem together. How cool is that?

In 2019, George Washington High School was the Festival Grand Champion. The Charleston Daily Mail newspaper used to sponsor the event. Now, the Charleston Gazette-Mail newspaper sponsors it, after the Daily Mail joined with the Charleston Gazette in 2015. This festival is the longest-running music festival in all of West Virginia! The 2019 festival was its 73rd anniversary.

The JoAnn Jarrett Holland Memorial Scholarship

A special scholarship of $2,500 used to be given to the girl who won first place in the feature twirler competition. This award honored JoAnn Jarrett Holland. She won the competition in both 1949 and 1950. JoAnn was not only a great twirler, but she also loved the festival so much that she attended it every year of her life. Her daughter, Kathi Holland Burton, even won the same competition in 1973! Kathi later became the feature twirler at West Virginia University for seven years. This scholarship is no longer given out.

College Band Shows

Every year, after the high school bands perform, there's a special show by a college marching band. These are called "exhibition shows." They perform right before the awards ceremony.

On odd-numbered years, the marching band from West Virginia University, known as "The Pride of West Virginia," performs. On even-numbered years, Marshall University's marching band, "The Marching Thunder," takes the stage. WVU's band started performing at the festival in 2003, and Marshall's band started in 2004. These shows are a great way for the college bands to show off their skills and encourage high school students to join them later!

High School Bands in Kanawha County

There are eight public high schools in Kanawha County, and all of them take part in the festival.

Current High Schools:

• Capital High School, Charleston, West Virginia
• George Washington High School, Charleston, West Virginia
• Herbert Hoover High School, Falling Rock (Clendenin, West Virginia)
• Nitro High School, Nitro, West Virginia
• Riverside High School, Quincy (Belle, West Virginia)
• St. Albans High School, St. Albans, West Virginia
• Sissonville High School, Pocatalico (Sissonville, West Virginia)
• South Charleston High School, South Charleston, West Virginia

Former High Schools (no longer open):

• Charleston High School, Charleston, West Virginia; closed in 1989
• Dunbar High School, Dunbar, West Virginia; closed in 1990
• DuPont High School, DuPont City (Belle, West Virginia); closed in 1999
• East Bank High School, East Bank, West Virginia; closed in 1999
• Stonewall Jackson High School, Charleston, West Virginia; closed in 1989

Miss Kanawha Majorette Winners

The title of Miss Kanawha Majorette goes to the best majorette competing that evening. Dolores Thompson was the first person to win this award in 1947. It's a tradition for the previous year's Miss Kanawha Majorette to return and present the new winner with the trophy, tiara, and flowers. A girl cannot win the title two years in a row, but she can win it more than once!

Juliana Kemp is the only majorette to win the title twice, in 2003 and again in 2005. She later became the Feature Twirler for West Virginia State University's "Marching Swarm" from 2006 to 2008. Another former Miss Kanawha Majorette, Stevi Ryder (who won in 2006), was also a Feature Twirler for West Virginia State University from 2010 to 2012.

South Charleston High School has had the most Miss Kanawha Majorette winners, with ten! Herbert Hoover High School, Sissonville High School, and the former DuPont High School each have eight winners. The former Charleston High School has seven. The former Stonewall Jackson High School and St. Albans High School have six. Capital High School and George Washington High School have five. Riverside High School has three. Nitro High School and the former Dunbar High School and East Bank High School each have two.

• 2019 – Sydney Moore, St. Albans
• 2018 – Gabbie Mullins, Riverside
• 2017 – Lauren Carnell, Capital
• 2016 – Carrie Long, George Washington
• 2015 – Kaitlyn Cline, George Washington
• 2014 – Olivia Carnell, Capital
• 2013 – Emma Rhodes, St. Albans
• 2012 – Taylor Freeland, George Washington
• 2011 – Heather Ryan, Herbert Hoover
• 2010 – Alexandra Ameli, George Washington
• 2009 – Casey Jarvis, Capital
• 2008 – Kandis Courtney, Riverside
• 2007 – Chelsea Morton, Herbert Hoover
• 2006 – Stevi Ryder, Herbert Hoover
• 2005 – Juliana Kemp, South Charleston
• 2004 – Mandy Jo Wingo, Riverside
• 2003 – Juliana Kemp, South Charleston
• 2002 – Ashley Parsons, Capital
• 2001 – Megan Tucker, Herbert Hoover
• 2000 – Christal Kirk, Herbert Hoover
• 1999 – Laura Hanna, Capital
• 1998 – Jessica Smith, DuPont
• 1997 – Kristen Tucker, Herbert Hoover
• 1996 – Heather Anderson, Herbert Hoover
• 1995 – Julie Keenan, DuPont
• 1994 – Beth Miller, South Charleston
• 1993 – Susan Booth, Sissonville
• 1992 – Kim Jarrett, Sissonville
• 1991 – Sarah Lang, Capital
• 1990 – Leigh Ann Dolan, Sissonville
• 1989 – Jill Pazerski, George Washington
• 1988 – Katie Hodges, Stonewall Jackson
• 1987 – Kristie Roberts, South Charleston
• 1986 – Lisa White, DuPont
• 1985 – Kim Randolph, Stonewall Jackson
• 1984 – Lori Began, South Charleston
• 1983 – Kim O'Conner, South Charleston
• 1982 – Karen Persinger, DuPont
• 1981 – Kelly Ellis, Charleston
• 1980 – Shannon Snodgrass, DuPont
• 1979 – Michelle Noe, Charleston
• 1978 – Ursula Smith, St. Albans
• 1977 – Donna Rowley, Sissonville
• 1976 – Debbie Wilkinson, Sissonville
• 1975 – Dawn Bailey, Sissonville
• 1974 – Jenny Lynn Phyllips, East Bank
• 1973 – Kathy Jo Light, DuPont
• 1972 – Bobbie Coleman, Charleston
• 1971 – Judy Boggess, Nitro
• 1970 – Kay Bennett, Charleston
• 1969 – Kathy Wingo, Charleston
• 1968 – Janie Coffman, Sissonville
• 1967 – Karen Schoonover, South Charleston
• 1966 – Donna Tickle, Stonewall Jackson
• 1965 – Beth Fleshman, Herbert Hoover
• 1964 – Betty Conner, Sissonville
• 1963 – Sandy Limer, East Bank
• 1962 – Jenny Doty, St. Albans
• 1961 – Phyllis Zabel, Stonewall Jackson
• 1960 – Jeannie Irvin, Dunbar
• 1959 – Patti Bostic, South Charleston
• 1958 – Nina Hatfield, Stonewall Jackson
• 1957 – Brenda Sullivan, DuPont
• 1956 – Frances Snyder, Nitro
• 1955 – Judy Thrall, Charleston
• 1954 – Eleanor Carney, Dunbar
• 1953 – Jean Thompson, St. Albans
• 1952 – Barbara Jean Tucker, St. Albans
• 1951 – Joyce Ballard, DuPont
• 1950 – Patty Hendrickson, Stonewall Jackson
• 1949 – Mathilde Bodkin, South Charleston
• 1948 – Phyllis Walker, Charleston
• 1947 – Dolores Thompson, South Charleston

Festival Grand Champions

The Festival Grand Champion award didn't exist before 1970. Herbert Hoover High School was the very first school to win this top award!

Until 2019, Capital High School was the only school to win the Grand Championship for eleven years in a row! They also have the most wins overall, with a total of eighteen. George Washington High School is next with eleven wins. Herbert Hoover High School has nine wins. Nitro High School has four. St. Albans High School and the former DuPont High School each have three wins. Sissonville High School and the former Charleston High School each have one win. South Charleston High School, Riverside High School, and the former Dunbar High School, East Bank High School, and Stonewall Jackson High School have not yet won the Festival Grand Championship.

• 2019 – George Washington High School
• 2018 – George Washington High School
• 2017 – George Washington High School
• 2016 – Capital High School
• 2015 – Nitro High School
• 2014 – Capital High School
• 2013 – Capital High School
• 2012 – Capital High School
• 2011 – Capital High School
• 2010 – Capital High School
• 2009 – Capital High School
• 2008 – Capital High School
• 2007 – Capital High School
• 2006 – Capital High School
• 2005 – Capital High School
• 2004 – Capital High School
• 2003 – Nitro High School
• 2002 – Capital High School
• 2001 – Nitro High School
• 2000 – George Washington High School
• 1999 – George Washington High School
• 1998 – George Washington High School
• 1997 – Capital High School
• 1996 – George Washington High School
• 1995 – Capital High School
• 1994 – George Washington High School
• 1993 – Capital High School
• 1992 – George Washington High School
• 1991 – George Washington High School
• 1990 – Capital High School
• 1989 – Capital High School
• 1988 – Herbert Hoover High School
• 1987 – Herbert Hoover High School
• 1986 – George Washington High School
• 1985 – DuPont High School
• 1984 – Herbert Hoover High School
• 1983 – Herbert Hoover High School
• 1982 – Herbert Hoover High School
• 1981 – Herbert Hoover High School
• 1980 – Herbert Hoover High School
• 1979 – Charleston High School
• 1978 – Sissonville High School
• 1977 – Herbert Hoover High School
• 1976 – Nitro High School
• 1975 – St. Albans High School
• 1974 – DuPont High School
• 1973 – St. Albans High School
• 1972 – St. Albans High School
• 1971 – DuPont High School
• 1970 – Herbert Hoover High School