PENDLETON — For many of Pendleton Heights High School’s marching band members, Wednesday will be their first taste of Indiana State Fair Band Day.

Freshmen make up more than half of the Marching Arabians, which will present the show “Manhattan Heights” at 11:54 a.m. at the Indiana State Fair. Although most of the freshmen played in the band in middle school, learning to play while marching is a new step for all of them.

“Anybody that comes into the high school has never marched before,” Pendleton Heights band director Chris Taylor said. “We have to start with the very basic, but from where they’ve come has been incredible. They’ve made a lot of improvement.”

Freshman Holli Hughes, 14, was looking forward to performing in front of a larger crowd at the State Fair. She has been in band for three years, but this will be her first experience with marching band.

“I’m kind of nervous, but I am looking forward to it,” said Hughes, who plays the French horn. “It’s going to be my first time, but you pick up on it really quickly.”

The group practiced during band camp for the past four weeks, with all-day practices from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. This summer, the Marching Arabians competed in contests at the Delaware and Jay county fairs and at a Muncie Southside contest, finishing in 10th, 12th and 13th place, respectively, out of about 18 bands.

“They were nervous the first few contests, but they’re definitely more comfortable now,” Taylor said. “The first contest, we were a little bit stronger musically. We needed some more impact and to be cleaner. We’ve added some things visually and musically.”

“Manhattan Heights” will feature two pieces of music, “Metroplex” by Robert Sheldon and “Sevens” by Samuel Hazo. The band staff chose the show to provide something unique that the students would enjoy playing. “Manhattan Heights” describes New York City and features a nightclub scene, color guard flags that look like taxis and a backdrop of the Manhattan skyline.

“I think it’s really exciting,” said senior Jaime Craig, 17. “The more we’ve worked on it and the more we’ve added to it, it’s gotten really exciting. We’ve been working nonstop, and everyone’s pulling their own weight, so it’s going pretty good.”

Craig will experience State Fair Band Day for the second time Wednesday, after three years in marching band playing the baritone. She looks forward to seeing bands from around the state and knowing with whom the Marching Arabians are competing.

Pendleton Heights’ marching band has 77 members, 20 more students than it had last year. Although the school’s band program has been struggling, Taylor has seen a lot more interest this year than during his first year as the school’s band director last year. Before coming to Pendleton Heights, Taylor was the band director at Highland High School for six years.

Taylor helps the band learn one show per year, which it uses in all its competitions. This year’s State Fair Band Day will be the last for the Marching Arabians, who will return next year to doing field shows instead of the state fair’s track shows.

“There’s a lot of positives to both,” Taylor said. “Field shows have a longer season in the fall. It’s nice to be able to take a little bit longer and work on things longer. We like some of the aspects of the actual competitions a little more in the fall.”

Summer shows are performed on a track and must be condensed, both in space and time. They last 4 to 6 minutes, while field shows last 6 to 10 minutes. In the fall, band members have more chances to compete and can advance to the state level.

There’s more to the Marching Arabians than just performing at the State Fair, however. Some of junior Michael Farmer’s favorite memories of his years in band include playing at football games and in the school’s homecoming parade.