The Muncie Board of Public Works and Safety on July 9 approved closing Walnut Street from Maple to Weiser on July 19 to allow staging and transitions for a marching band contest hosted by Muncie Community Schools.

Muncie Community Schools Director of Public Education and CEO Chuck Reynolds, who requested the closure, said the district expects 23 bands from across the state and large spectator and vehicle volumes. “we have 23 bands scheduled from across the state to be here,” Reynolds said. He estimated about 75–80 school buses and roughly 4,500 people on campus that day.

Reynolds said the district will use the southbound (west) lanes of Walnut Street to transition performers into Muncie Central’s football stadium and leave the other two lanes open for emergency vehicles. He described parking and staging logistics: vans will park in front of the school and in the north parking lot and then transition to the football field up Walnut from the south side of the field house.

A motion to approve the street closure was made, seconded and approved by voice vote; the board recorded the motion as carried. The board did not record a roll-call vote and did not identify the members who moved and seconded on the meeting record.

Discussion and approvals occurred during the regular meeting; city staff said they had coordinated logistics with the fire department. The closure was approved for the approximate window organizers gave — transition operations beginning about 6 p.m., with contest activity starting about 6:30 p.m. and the final band performing a little after 10 p.m.; the road would be reopened after spectators and performers were released.

Board members asked clarifying questions about routing and access; no public opposition or conditions were recorded in the meeting minutes. The board emphasized safety and emergency access as the primary considerations for granting the closure.