It's time to "Swing into Spring" with the Minot Community Concert Band under the baton of Tim Wollenzien Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Holiday Inn-Riverside.
The annual concert is a fundraiser for the Minot Public School Foundation and helps provide resources for students and teachers in the Minot area.
"Our board decided when it first formed that we want to make a difference today," said executive director Lowell Latimer. "We've been giving grants in the community right from the beginning. Of course we like to have enough to put some away for the future, but our goal is to give incentive grants to teachers in amounts from $100 to $500, help with travel expenses for our students to get to national competitions and that sort of thing.
"Mostly it's for the arts and music that are underserved, but we look at a large variety of things," he added.
Wollenzien has planned a rousing program for the evening, beginning with a Sousa march, "The Invincible Eagle."
"We bookend it with 'Emblem of Unity' by J.J. Richards," Wollenzien said. "It's a fun program. Some of the numbers are 'Fantasy on "When Johnny Comes Marching Home,"' with Amy Hall playing a piccolo solo, and 'Hollywood Medley' which is kind of fun, too."
One of the pieces is "Elegy for a Young American" which was composed in 1967 by Ronald Lo Presti in memory of President John F. Kennedy. "It is appropriate to perform this on the 50th anniversary of his inauguration," Wollenzien said.
There will be hors d'oeuvres included in the $10 ticket price and a cash bar. The cost is $5 for students.
Minot's Swing Band will perform following the Minot Community Concert Band, and there's a dance beginning at around 9 p.m.
"Anyone is welcome to come to the dance for free," Latimer said. "The more the merrier, and we want the whole community to have the opportunity to dance."