Anderson's legion of fans, like their Marching Highlanders, knew when it was their time to shine.
Fans scattered around the Hoosier Lottery Grandstands screamed with delight with each impactful moment, beginning when the band's color guard ran toward the performance area.
The Marching Highlanders acted as pirates seeking treasure. Their show, "Sea of Scots," follows a journey which begins with a map and culminates in a battle with "undead" guard members.
"I think it was our best run of the season," Anderson Band Director Richard Geisler said after the band's preliminary performance Friday at the Indiana State Fair Band Day competition.
The Highlanders have received high placings at several recent contests, including fourth place during the Tartan Tournament of Bands in Anderson and second place during the Drums at Winchester competition in late July.
Drum major Jonathan Chandler, a senior, said he enjoys portraying a pirate in the show, which is based on a video game.
That game, "Sea of Thieves," is a pirate simulation played by a few band members and staff.
The Highlanders hoped to make the top 16 to qualify for the final competition later in the evening.
Anderson's band has a tradition of making the finals, winning seven state championships, the most recent coming in 2019.
This was the Highlanders' 68th Indiana State Fair Band Day appearance, the most of any school in Indiana.
This article appeared in The Herald Bulletin.