Community bands prepare to bring holiday cheer at annual concerts

“These wonderful things are the things we remember all through our lives.”

Those are lyrics from the classic Christmas song “Sleigh Ride.” And they hold just as true for holiday memories as they do for musical ones, at least to the members of local community bands.

“A lot of us didn’t play for 20 or 30 years,” said Charles Amadee of Unity. “But you never forget it, and that desire to play is always there.”

Amadee is the manager of the Delmont Area Concert Band. Formed in 1962, the band has about 25 members today.

And like many other community bands, it is gearing up for a busy December.

The Delmont Area Concert Band will return to the Westmoreland Mall this year after a 2022 performance.

“I was looking for some other venues for the band, and someplace to get us some exposure to help with recruiting new members,” Amadee said.

The band will perform at 2 p.m. Dec. 9 in the lower level JCPenney Court.

Just up the road, the Penn Township Community Band has a packed December calendar, with performances at local senior communities as well as the first communitywide Christmas concert that director Ron Rometo can recall.

“We’re going to do a holiday concert for the township at Community Church Harrison City,” Rometo said. “They used to do a Light Up Night in Harrison City, but this is the first time we’ve done something like this for the entire township, and, if it goes well, we’d like to keep doing it each year.”

The band will request donations from the audience for the first time at the Dec. 10 concert, which will be at 3 p.m. at the church, 3487 Route 130, Penn Township.

“We’re going to share that with the church,” Rometo said.

And just a few miles down Route 130, the Jeannette Community Band will celebrate 35 years of holiday music at its annual Christmas Concert at American Legion Post 344. It will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Legion, 109 S. Fifth St. in Jeannette.

The annual concert will include a sing-along and a special visit from Santa. There is no cost to attend.

“I just love Christmas — all of it,” said Jeannette Community Band secretary Sherrie Wood. “I like the ones we play every year and the new ones we hope our audience will like. It’s just a fun concert.”

The Scottdale Concert Band will wrap up its December with a concert at 2 p.m. Dec. 16 at First Presbyterian Church in Greensburg.