This Friday, Oct., 28, as the Red Devils take on St. John Paul II Falcons, Elkmont band alumni will have the opportunity to dust off their instruments and join the band for some fun in the stands. The 2023 band seniors will also be recognized along with other seniors involved in fall sports.

The Elkmont alumni band assembled in 2019 but got sidelined by COVID for the past two years. Director Bryan Pigg, now in his fourth year as director at Elkmont, decided to bring it back this year.

“Everybody really enjoyed it, and this year we are doing it again. It’s just a very laid back, impromptu thing and they come in that Friday. They walk in with us or march in with us — whichever they prefer. They play with us in the stands. We supply music and instruments for them if they need it,” Pigg said.

Beside being fun for the alumni to come back and be part of the band, Pigg sees the value for their students to have the alumni come.

“I feel like it’s really important for the students to recognize their history. I also like to talk to my students about leaving a legacy for our future,” he said.

To help build the Elkmont Band legacy, the program has hosted the Mini Embers camp this week. The Embers are Elkmont’s collective name for the color guard, dance line, and majorettes.

“We had almost 40 young ladies show up. It’s a recruiting thing. We’ve got a little bit of past, present, and future going on this week. The Mini Embers is a really cool thing to see, because I get to see our older kids pour into our younger kids who are thinking of joining the band in the future,” Pigg said.

Those interested in taking part in the Elkmont Alumni Band should go to the school’s band room Friday at 4:30 p.m. for warm up and a music run through. If you are in need of an instrument, message Director Bryan Pigg. Even if you are not an alumni of the Elkmont Band program, you are invited to play along with them.

Saturday, the Elkmont Band will compete against 10 other bands in their classification (2A) at Deshler’s Coldwater Classic. This will be their final competition of the year. West Limestone’s band will also compete in the 3A classification at the competition.

“We are looking forward to seeing how we stack up on that night,” Pigg said.