The Pearl River County Community Band will perform at the Picayune Memorial High School auditorium on Nov. 12.

Director Archie Rawls, who recently took over the position after former director Johnny Baker passed away, will lead the PRC Community Band during the performance.

“After Baker passed away, some of the band members got together and asked me to be the director,” Rawls said. “I was honored by the request and I immediately accepted the position.”

Baker created the PRC Community Band about 10 years ago and performed in many cities across southern Mississippi, Rawls said.

Rawls is a resident of Poplarville and was the Director of Bands and the Fine Arts and Communication Department Chairman at Pearl River Community College for 35 years.

“Our performance will begin at 3 p.m.,” Rawls said. “It’s free to everyone but donations will be accepted. We have a couple of sponsors who have helped us with some of the funding.”

The performance, titled “Celebrating America’s Music,” will pay homage to American musical heritage and will include a patriotic event to honor all veterans in attendance and in the community.

In addition to the performance in the PMHS auditorium, a small ensemble will also perform at the Crosby Commons re-opening on Nov. 6 at 10 a.m.

“We’ll have about 20 members at the event who will perform the national anthem,” Rawls said.

Currently, the band rehearses at First United Methodist Church in Picayune on Tuesday evenings.

“We are grateful to Rev. Harold Manning and the staff for providing us with a place to rehearse, “Rawls said. “We definitely couldn’t do it without them and I’m very thankful for their support.”

After this event, the band will hold its next big concert in the spring. A small ensemble will also perform at the Picayune Christmas on the Rails event in late December.

At the moment, the band consists of 50 members but they’re always looking for new members to join.

“I want to invite everyone to come out and listen to great music,” Rawls said. “We have been rehearsing since the summer and I’m looking forward to our first performance.”

For more information on the PRC Community Band, contact Rawls at (601) 795-2534.