Horry County Schools marching bands come together for free performance to end season

MURRELLS INLET, S.C. (WMBF) - After a long year that began in the sweltering summer heat, all nine high school marching bands in Horry County gathered to end the year in the crisp November air.

St. James High School was the site for Thursday’s HCS Marching Band Extravaganza. Each band performed their competition shows for their peers and those who attended the free showcase.

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Of the bands, both North Myrtle Beach and Aynor were both fresh off appearing in state championship competitions last weekend.

For SJHS band director Chuck Capps, however, Thursday was the culmination of hard work that took months to put together.

“We practice for two-and-a-half months before the first competition even happens,” he said Thursday. “To watch the full show come to fruition and all of our thoughts and everything - and our imagination come to life, that’s what we love to see.”

The night ended with all of the bands, comprising of nearly 600 students, performing a pair of final selections for the audience.

“Marching band is a big, old family. We come in and it’s all these kids from different walks of life, and we tell them it’s about the family and it’s about the journey,” Capps said. “It takes a lot of time and dedication and practice.”

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