Newton Citizen

Photo by Corinne Nicholson

COVINGTON -- For 18 years, the Newton County Community Band has been marking the holiday season with an annual Christmas concert to get everyone in a festive spirit.

This year's concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the Eastside High School Auditorium. Director T.K. Adams will give a pre-concert talk at 7:15 p.m. to provide a history of some of the selections, for those who are interested.

The concert will feature a variety of Christmas songs, such as "We Wish You A Merry Christmas," "Hallelujah Chorus" and "A Christmas Fanfare."

"We hope they will get in the spirit of Christmas," Adams said of the purpose of the event.

This year's show will have particular significance for Adams, as his son Timothy will join the band. Timothy is the former timpanist for the Pittsburgh Symphony and recently moved back to Georgia to be near his parents. He is now a professor of percussion at the University of Georgia, and two of his students will perform as well. The concert is free and open to the public.

The Newton County Community Band was formed in 1993 by Adams and is made up of 60 members representing eight counties, including Newton and Rockdale. The youngest members are in high school and the oldest is 81. Fifteen members have been with the band since the beginning and each year new members are welcomed.

"We're always open for new members. We got 15 new members this year," Adams said.

Band members rehearse weekly and present free community performances that include the Christmas and spring concerts, a joint concert with eighth-graders of the Newton County School System, a July 4 concert on Covington's historic Square and an annual concert at Oxford College.