WEST PLAINS, Mo. – The West Plains High School Zizzer Pride Band, under the direction of Rocky Long and Melody Alford, and West Plains Mayor Jack Pahlmann will lead the annual “A Musical Salute to Veterans” program at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11, at the West Plains Civic Center theater.
This free event is sponsored by the Missouri State University-West Plains University/Community Programs (U/CP) Department. “I am truly humbled by the sacrifices made each day by our men and women in uniform,” said U/CP Theater and Events Coordinator Emily Gibson. “This concert provides the community the opportunity to thank all of our veterans for their service.”
The concert by the Zizzer Pride Band will feature traditional patriotic music, organizers said. The award-winning Zizzer Pride Band performs over 50 times each school year for parades, band festivals, athletic events, concerts and other community-related events. In addition, the band performed at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 2008 and at the Lincoln Memorial in May 2012 to celebrate the 90th anniversary of its dedication. The jazz band has been selected twice to perform for the Magic Music Days Festival at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.
The West Plains band program consists of nine performing ensembles, including the high school’s Zizzer Pride Marching Band, Varsity Concert Band, Junior Varsity Concert Band, jazz band, jazz techniques class, basketball pep band, middle school advanced band, middle school intermediate band and middle school beginning band.
Pahlmann will speak about the city’s efforts to honor veterans through the Veterans Memorial at People’s Park and other projects that recognize their service and sacrifice, Gibson said. Members of the Missouri National Guard’s 1138th Military Police Company in West Plains will provide the color guard for the program, she added.
For more information about the Veterans Day program, contact the U/CP office, 417-255-7966 For more information about upcoming events sponsored by the U/CP Department, visit the website http://wp.missouristate.edu/ucp/.