Vote: Who has the best high school marching band in Kentucky?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- High school marching bands prepare for KMEA State Championships on Oct. 25.
- Public voting returns to a single poll format with results announced post-Oct. 2.
- The Herald-Leader encourages fair play and discourages automated voting tools.
Though temperatures throughout the commonwealth indicate otherwise, fall is almost here, and with it comes the return of marching band competition season.
High school marching bands have worked tirelessly for months — handling business on the blacktop and the football field, committing complex routines to memory and wowing their communities on Friday nights.
And, while these students take great pride and joy in delivering dynamite halftime performances and soundtracking football games, for many of Kentucky’s marching bands, the true test arrives at the end of October; competing bands give all they have to separate themselves from the pack at the upcoming Kentucky Music Educators Association State Marching Band Championships.
Contests began at the end of August, and will culminate in the Regional Quarterfinals, held at various high schools on Oct. 18, and the state Semifinals and Finals, held Oct. 25 at Western Kentucky University.
For the third year in a row, we’re asking for your help in identifying Kentucky’s best marching band participating in KMEA.
Unlike the 2024 season, during which we decided to split the poll into two based on KMEA classification, the 2025 poll returns to its original model of one single poll — may the best marching band win!
The winning band will be featured in a future Herald-Leader story and digital video and join the likes of previous winners Lee County (2023-24) and Madison Southern (2024).
Voting ends Thursday, Oct. 2, at noon. This is not a scientific poll, and you can vote as many times as you’d like. To vote more than once, simply refresh this page.
Please note that this poll is intended to be a celebration of Kentucky’s high school marching bands ahead of October’s outstanding slate of contests. The Herald-Leader asks all participants to refrain from utilizing bots or other forms of automated assistance in order to skew results or otherwise gain an advantage.
The Herald-Leader also kindly reminds voters to prioritize good sportsmanship throughout the friendly competition.
This story was originally published September 19, 2025 at 6:30 AM.
