Fairfax HS Band Students Collecting Donations Door-To-Door On Sept. 6

By Tom Manganello

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — Fairfax Band students will don uniforms and march door-to-door on Saturday, September 6th, for the award-winning program’s largest annual fundraising tradition, Tag Day. The funds raised support the purchase and maintenance of instruments, transportation to performances and competitions, music education clinics, uniforms, and scholarships for students in need. Recent funds were used to replace a decades-old drum major stand for halftime shows and band competitions.

Community members who want to support the Fairfax High School band program can contribute safely by PayPal, Venmo, ACH or credit card by visiting www.fhsbands.org/tagday.

“Tag Day is a chance for anyone who’s ever played an instrument or benefitted from music education to pay it forward for the next generation of musicians,” said Vishal Bhatia, Treasurer of the FHS Band Boosters. “Every donation helps give our students the tools and opportunities they need to thrive.”

The theme of the band’s 2025 show is “Liquid Gold,” inspired by the turn-of-the-century homesteaders that sought prosperity and oil on the American Western frontier but had to overcome danger, greed and chaos.

Instead of their traditional band uniforms, the Marching Lions will be outfitted in period Western costumes and the custom-built show props include fifteen 55-gallon oil drums, three motorized pump jacks, and an oil derrick that pumps simulated oil 25 feet in the air. The show features the music of Ennio Morricone, Jonny Greenwood and other original compositions and is anchored by one of Morricone’s most famous compositions, The Ecstasy of Gold, which has been featured in the Clint Eastwood Western, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, as well as sampled by Metallica and Jay-Z.

To see the band’s upcoming performances, visit www.fhsbands.org to view a full calendar of football games, parades and band competitions. A nostalgic video that celebrates the band’s impact as “The Pride of Fairfax” over the decades can be found at: Fairfax High School Band Alumni Network - Join Now!