The Gazette-Mail Kanawha County Majorette and Band Festival is an annual music festival dedicated to the public high school marching bands and majorette corps in Kanawha County, West Virginia. Established in 1947, it is the longest-running music festival in West Virginia and is held at the University of Charleston Stadium at Laidley Field in Charleston at the end of September each year, typically the last Tuesday. The 2026 festival was the 79th event and the Festival Grand Champion was Riverside High School for a second consecutive year while the 2026 Miss Kanawha Majorette was Maci Rucker from Herbert Hoover High School.

The inaugural 1947 event was attended by nearly 25,000 people. The festival was originally sponsored by the Charleston Daily Mail newspaper and was originally known as the Daily Mail Kanawha County Majorette and Band Festival, but , it is sponsored by the Charleston Gazette-Mail after the Daily Mail merged with the Charleston Gazette, subsequently also renaming the festival. The only year the event was not held was in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The JoAnn Jarrett Holland Memorial Scholarship Fund

A $2,500 scholarship was awarded to the girl who placed first in the feature twirler competition. This was an annual award given each year at the festival. The scholarship honored the memory of JoAnn Jarrett Holland, who won the competition in 1949 and 1950. Not only did she excel at this event, but she also supported it by attending the festival each year for the rest of her life. In 1973 her daughter, Kathi Holland Burton, won this competition and went on to be the feature twirler at West Virginia University for seven years. This award has since been discontinued.

WVU and Marshall exhibition shows Each year the Majorette and Band Festival features an exhibition by one of the state's two NCAA Division I college marching bands. Prior to 2020, on odd numbered years, West Virginia University's Mountaineer Marching Band, "The Pride of West Virginia", would perform in exhibition, while Marshall University's " Marching Thunder performed on the even numbered years. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 festival was cancelled, and upon it resuming in 2021, the bands have switched to Marshall performing on odd numbered years and WVU performing on even numbered years.

High school bands

There are currently eight public high schools in Kanawha County, West Virginia. All participate in the festival.

Current High Schools: Capital High School, Charleston, West Virginia George Washington High School, Charleston, West Virginia Herbert Hoover High School, Elkview, West Virginia Nitro High School, Nitro, West Virginia Riverside High School, Quincy (Belle, West Virginia) St. Albans High School, St. Albans, West Virginia Sissonville High School, Pocatalico (Sissonville, West Virginia) South Charleston High School, South Charleston, West Virginia

Former High Schools: Charleston High School, Charleston, West Virginia; closed in 1989 Dunbar High School, Dunbar, West Virginia; closed in 1990 DuPont High School, DuPont City (Belle, West Virginia); closed in 1999 East Bank High School, East Bank, West Virginia; closed in 1999 Stonewall Jackson High School, Charleston, West Virginia; closed in 1989

Previous Miss Kanawha Majorettes The title of Miss Kanawha Majorette is awarded to the one girl who is the outstanding majorette of the evening of those competing in the category. The first girl to be named Miss Kanawha Majorette was Dolores Thompson in 1947. An annual tradition of being named Miss Kanawha Majorette is returning the next year to present the award to that year's Miss Kanawha Majorette with the trophy, tiara, and bouquet of flowers. A girl cannot be named Miss Kanawha Majorette for two consecutive years, however, it is possible for a girl to be named it twice.

Juliana Kemp from South Charleston High School is the only majorette to win the title of Miss Kanawha Majorette twice, once in 2003 and again in 2005.

Herbert Hoover High School has the most Miss Kanawha Majorette wins with a total of 11. South Charleston High School has the second most wins at 10; although they had only nine different girls win, one girl, Juliana Kemp, won it twice. Next to them is George Washington High School, Sissonville High School, and the former DuPont High School with eight wins; the former Charleston High School had seven; St. Albans High School, Capital High School, and the former Stonewall Jackson High School are tied with six; Riverside High School has three; and Nitro High School and the former Dunbar High School and East Bank High School are tied at two.

2026 – Maci Rucker, Herbert Hoover 2025 – Emma Elkins, George Washington 2024 – Sailor Lucas, Herbert Hoover 2023 – Mia Bartoli, George Washington 2022 – Caroline Dysart, Herbert Hoover 2021 – Anna Payne, George Washington 2019 – Sydney Moore, St. Albans 2018 – Gabbie Mullins, Riverside 2017 – Lauren Carnell, Capital 2016 – Carrie Long, George Washington 2015 – Kaitlyn Cline, George Washington 2014 – Olivia Carnell, Capital 2013 – Emma Rhodes, St. Albans 2012 – Taylor Freeland, George Washington 2011 – Heather Ryan, Herbert Hoover 2010 – Alexandra Ameli, George Washington 2009 – Casey Jarvis, Capital 2008 – Kandis Courtney, Riverside 2007 – Chelsea Morton, Herbert Hoover 2006 – Stevi Ryder, Herbert Hoover 2005 – Juliana Kemp, South Charleston 2004 – Mandy Jo Wingo, Riverside 2003 – Juliana Kemp, South Charleston 2002 – Ashley Parsons, Capital 2001 – Megan Tucker, Herbert Hoover 2000 – Christal Kirk, Herbert Hoover 1999 – Laura Hanna, Capital 1998 – Jessica Smith, DuPont 1997 – Kristen Tucker, Herbert Hoover 1996 – Heather Anderson, Herbert Hoover 1995 – Julie Keenan, DuPont 1994 – Beth Miller, South Charleston 1993 – Susan Booth, Sissonville 1992 – Kim Jarrett, Sissonville 1991 – Sarah Lang, Capital 1990 – Leigh Ann Dolan, Sissonville 1989 – Jill Pazerski, George Washington 1988 – Katie Hodges, Stonewall Jackson 1987 – Kristie Roberts, South Charleston 1986 – Lisa White, DuPont 1985 – Kim Randolph, Stonewall Jackson 1984 – Lori Began, South Charleston 1983 – Kim O'Conner, South Charleston 1982 – Karen Persinger, DuPont 1981 – Kelly Ellis, Charleston 1980 – Shannon Snodgrass, DuPont 1979 – Michelle Noe, Charleston 1978 – Ursula Smith, St. Albans 1977 – Donna Rowley, Sissonville 1976 – Debbie Wilkinson, Sissonville 1975 – Dawn Bailey, Sissonville 1974 – Jenny Lynn Phyllips, East Bank 1973 – Kathy Jo Light, DuPont 1972 – Bobbie Coleman, Charleston 1971 – Judy Boggess, Nitro 1970 – Kay Bennett, Charleston 1969 – Kathy Wingo, Charleston 1968 – Janie Coffman, Sissonville 1967 – Karen Schoonover, South Charleston 1966 – Donna Tickle, Stonewall Jackson 1965 – Beth Fleshman, Herbert Hoover 1964 – Betty Conner, Sissonville 1963 – Sandy Limer, East Bank 1962 – Jenny Doty, St. Albans 1961 – Phyllis Zabel, Stonewall Jackson 1960 – Jeannie Irvin, Dunbar 1959 – Patti Bostic, South Charleston 1958 – Nina Hatfield, Stonewall Jackson 1957 – Brenda Sullivan, DuPont 1956 – Frances Snyder, Nitro 1955 – Judy Thrall, Charleston 1954 – Eleanor Carney, Dunbar 1953 – Jean Thompson, St. Albans 1952 – Barbara Jean Tucker, St. Albans 1951 – Joyce Ballard, DuPont 1950 – Patty Hendrickson, Stonewall Jackson 1949 – Mathilde Bodkin, South Charleston 1948 – Phyllis Walker, Charleston 1947 – Dolores Thompson, South Charleston

Previous Festival Grand Champions Before 1970, there was no award for Festival Grand Champion. That year was the first year the championship was awarded and Herbert Hoover High School was the first school to win the Festival Grand Championship. Prior to 2013, "The Star-Spangled Banner" was played by the previous year's Festival Grand Champion; beginning in 2013, the competing bands combined performed the National Anthem, which was reduced to one band in 2024 by selection.

Capital High School is the only school to have won the Festival Grand Championship for 11 consecutive years (2004–2014). The second most consecutive wins is five, which is tied by Herbert Hoover High School (1980–1984) and George Washington High School (2017–2019, 2021–2022; a festival was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Capital High School also has the most total wins at 18. Next to them is George Washington High School with 13 wins; then Herbert Hoover High School with nine wins; Nitro High School with five; St. Albans High School and the former DuPont High School with three wins; Sissonville High School and Riverside High School with two wins; and the former Charleston High School with one win. South Charleston High School and the former Dunbar High School, East Bank High School, and Stonewall Jackson High School have never won the Festival Grand Championship.

2026 – Riverside High School 2025 – Riverside High School 2024 – Nitro High School 2023 – Sissonville High School 2022 – George Washington High School 2021 – George Washington High School 2019 – George Washington High School 2018 – George Washington High School 2017 – George Washington High School 2016 – Capital High School 2015 – Nitro High School 2014 – Capital High School 2013 – Capital High School 2012 – Capital High School 2011 – Capital High School 2010 – Capital High School 2009 – Capital High School 2008 – Capital High School 2007 – Capital High School 2006 – Capital High School 2005 – Capital High School 2004 – Capital High School 2003 – Nitro High School 2002 – Capital High School 2001 – Nitro High School 2000 – George Washington High School 1999 – George Washington High School 1998 – George Washington High School 1997 – Capital High School 1996 – George Washington High School 1995 – Capital High School 1994 – George Washington High School 1993 – Capital High School 1992 – George Washington High School 1991 – George Washington High School 1990 – Capital High School 1989 – Capital High School 1988 – Herbert Hoover High School 1987 – Herbert Hoover High School 1986 – George Washington High School 1985 – DuPont High School 1984 – Herbert Hoover High School 1983 – Herbert Hoover High School 1982 – Herbert Hoover High School 1981 – Herbert Hoover High School 1980 – Herbert Hoover High School 1979 – Charleston High School 1978 – Sissonville High School 1977 – Herbert Hoover High School 1976 – Nitro High School 1975 – St. Albans High School 1974 – DuPont High School 1973 – St. Albans High School 1972 – St. Albans High School 1971 – DuPont High School 1970 – Herbert Hoover High School

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