The Clanton Police Department Auxiliary will be hosting the Central Alabama Battle Jam band competition March 12, with all proceeds going toward Juvenile Diabetes.

The event, which will be at the Chilton County Fairgrounds, will be the first of its kind for the Auxiliary. The previous fund-raiser was a beauty pageant, but Auxiliary Director David Hicks said that rising costs made the pageant no longer a viable option.

“We did a St. Patrick’s Day beauty pageant [for a few years], and the cost of everything once the economy went down ended up being too much to make a profit,” said Hicks.

After not having an event in 2009 or 2010, Hicks said the idea for a band battle appeared to be a great option.

“We’re always looking for something new, something we could make a family event,” he said. “It looked good, so we decided to go with it.”

Hicks also stressed that while Battle Jam is a new event, the Auxiliary’s work with juvenile diabetes is not.

“This is our seventh year of working with juvenile diabetes,” he said. “It’s close to [the Auxiliary]. Several members of our Explorers knew people personally that diabetes affected.”

Despite what one may think about the crowd at a battle of the bands event, there is something for everybody at Battle Jam.

“I expect ages from 13 to 60,” Hicks said. “You can blend in any ages here.”

The main goal of Battle Jam is to keep the atmosphere family oriented, Hicks said.

“It’s a family event for charity. Everybody’s doing this for charity. The bands are doing this on their own time,” he said.

The bands brought in are not the average garage bands either, according to Hicks. All acts are from Alabama, and all are rated highly among their peers.

“All of the acts performing are ranked within the Top 12 in the state, and two have record deals,” he said. “Most of [the music] will be pop and easy rock. One has a country sound. If you come out and listen, something will appeal to you.”

The acts include Endeavor, Burning Bright, Jesse Minor, Stomps Hills, West Brothers Band, and Next Flight Out. Tickets are $8 in advance, and $10 at the gate. For more information, call (334) 451-5026.