The 7th Annual Pensacola Memorial Day concert honors and reflects the bravery and sacrifice of American veterans and members of the U.S. Armed Services. The concert begins at 5 p.m. at the Hunter Amphitheatre at Community Maritime Park behind the Blue Wahoos Stadium. This concert is an excellent way for area residents, families, and friends to end the Memorial Day holiday weekend and have the opportunity to honor the men and women who have served in the military to maintain our freedom.

This event is sponsored together by the Pensacola Civic Band, the City of Pensacola, and TLC Caregivers and is held at the Hunter Amphitheater at Community Maritime Park. The Memorial Day program directed by Pensacola Civic Band director, Doug Holsworth, will entertain the audience with a number of patriotic selections that reflect on our nation’s history, including the premiere of the Emerald Coast March composed by the band’s own Jeff Henderson. Frank Emond, who will have just celebrated his 104th birthday, will conduct the National Anthem to kick off the show.

At 104 years old, Mr. Emond will break his own record once again that he set back in 2019 when he conducted the Pensacola Civic Band and was named the oldest conductor with Guinness World Records. Originally from Rhode Island, Mr. Emond enlisted in the Navy in 1938 as a musician. He played French Horn for the ship’s band and even got to perform at the 1938 World’s Fair in New York before he was assigned to the USS Pennsylvania in Hawaii in the summer of 1941. As the sun rose on December 7, 1941, Emond was preparing for morning colors and the raising of the American flag. That’s when Emond noticed the hundreds of Japanese planes that filled the sky followed by the sound of torpedoes striking the ships docked at Pearl Harbor.

Concert goers should bring blankets or lawn chairs to enjoy the concert. The concert is free and we invite everyone to bring their chairs or blankets for outdoor seating. Several vendors will be onsite with food and beverage available for purchase. For more information, please visit www.pensacolaremembers.org or call the Pensacola State College Lyceum Ticket Office at 850.484.1847. This concert is made possible by the generous partnerships of the Pensacola Civic Band, The City of Pensacola Parks and Recreation, Community Maritime Park, Pensacola State College, and TLCCaregivers.

If any person or business would like to help by sponsoring the event, please contact PCB Publicity Chairman Lewis Garvin at publicity@pensacolacivicband.org.