The Town Hall rocked recently as 13 local bands battled at the Winchester Youth Center's Rock 4 Youth - Battle of the Bands.

Of the 13 bands, nine were invited to move on to the next round of competition, which will be held back at the Town Hall, again from 7 to 11 p.m. on March 18. Admission will again be just $10.

One of the top three bands by vote was Winchester's own jazz ensemble, Neglected Lawnmower. Eric McEntee, the drummer of Lawnmower and a junior at Winchester High School, McEntee explained why he and his band decided to participate in this years contest.

"It's rewarding, it's nice to know that the work we do is appreciated," McEntee said. "There's also something about this local venue, we get to play in front of all our friends and see them react and enjoy our music. I think everyone should play an instrument because it relieves stress and not enough people do it anymore."

Luckily for McEntee, and the rest of the bands, those who do appreciate the music weren't in short supply. The Winchester Youth Center pulled in over 300 audience members equating to over $3,000 that will go towards Youth Service Scholarships through the Youth Center. It took 35-40 volunteers, or Peer Leaders, to pull the show off. 

Project Leaders (those in charge of the Peer Leaders) for the Rock 4 Youth, ,and Winchester High School seniors, Haley Wegner and Ryan VerPlanck, explained what it takes for the Youth Center to pull off this concert and why it's worth all the hard work.

"One of the hardest things for us is trying not to disappoint our friends, while still being fair to everyone involved," Wegner said. "Because you know most of the bands, and some aren't going to make it."

VerPlanck discussed why he thinks Battle of the Bands is one of the Youth Centers longest running and most well attended events.

"It's a great alternative to going out and getting drunk and doing something stupid on a Friday night, that's really the main goal," VerPlanck said.

The goal of the Youth Center is to try and provide the teens in town safe and fun events that celebrate the talents of young residents.

"It's just so rewarding when you see it all come together and see everyone having fun," mentioned VerPlanck. "It's a lot of work, but something like this is worth doing for the town and we thrive in these situations because of that."