Evidently members of the Northern Lehigh School District Marching Band can have their cake and eat it, too.

Not only will members get to perform, they’ll also be able to do a show in front of their hometown crowd when the district hosts the annual Tournament of Bands Marching Band Competition.

The competition will begin tonight at 7 o’clock in Bulldog Community Stadium. Doors open at 5:30. Admission is $10.

Bands competing in this year’s event include Northern Lehigh, Tamaqua, Schuylkill Haven, Mahanoy Area, Northampton and Governor Livingston, New Jersey.

Northern Lehigh Band Director David Carroll said he’s thrilled that the district has the privilege to present the event.

“I am happy to host a showcase of such talented students from the region,” Carroll said.

The Tournament of Bands encompasses member bands from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, West Virginia, Virginia, New York and North Carolina. The nine states are divvied into regional subdivisions called Regions.

Region 2 is the greater Lehigh Valley Region that extends west to Reading and north into the Poconos.

Each team competes against bands of about the same size or “group.” The school’s student population is not a factor in determining a band’s group size.