It has played in Walt Disney World and Nashville, but on Aug. 12 at 5 p.m. the Lehighton Area High School Indian Pride Band will take the Carbon County Fair Stage for the first time in over two decades.

When band director Bryan Buffington got the call, he eagerly confirmed participation.

“I thought what a great opportunity to showcase the kids and to hopefully bring back a tradition that was something I know a lot of people looked forward to in the past,” Buffington said.

A lot of Lehighton band members, he added, already participate in the fair through 4-H or another group, so adding a performance makes it extra special.

“They were really excited when we told them the news because it really combines multiple things that they really love,” Buffington said. “It brings parts of their life that may have been separate in the past together and lets them showcase all they can do in one event.”

While the fair will be one of the band’s earliest performances for a given school year, it was able to keep the same practice schedule, starting two days per week in the beginning of July. That leads into a two-week band camp during which students practice from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. five days per week.

“The Friday of the fair happens to be the last day of our band camp so it worked out really well,” Buffington said. “Our preparation should be at the point where we can perform pretty well and the kids will be comfortable.”

The band will be performing the songs it will use during halftime of Lehighton football games as well as some other fun songs that may make an appearance on Friday nights this fall.

“You’re going to see a larger Lehighton band,” Buffington said. “We grew in numbers this year, which is wonderful. We have a bunch of energetic kids that are really excited to start the season. It should be a great musical performance with the power and the passion that people love about the band.”

Lehighton has around 125 band members this year and while many extracurricular activities took a hit during COVID-19, Buffington’s group held strong.

“We went up a little bit last year and then we really took a jump this year,” he said. “What I’m seeing more of is just getting back to the normalcy of everything such as the practice schedule, the games and no threat of things shutting down. Hopefully there are no more restrictions and the normalcy of what he have always done is back for good.”

Part of that return to normalcy would be taking trips again and Buffington is hopeful the band will be playing in the “Happiest Place on Earth” again in late February or early March.

“We’re waiting to hear back from Disney on a potential 2023 performance down there,” he said. “It’s one of our goals to showcase our Lehighton students all over and share what we have to offer. It’s a big deal for everyone and we really look forward to the opportunity.”