Wharton County Junior College Band member Pablo Martinez of Wharton practices his trombone during a recent rehearsal. The band will perform "Adventure is Waiting" at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 6, at the Horton Foote Theatre in the Duson-Hansen Fine Arts Building on the Wharton campus. The show is open to the public and free of admission.
WHARTON, TEXAS – Ever dream of being an astronaut, pirate or super hero? Then the WCJC Pioneer Concert Band’s upcoming concert, “Adventure is Waiting,” is your ticket to childhood fantasy.
Scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 6, at the Horton Foote Theatre in the Duson-Hansen Fine Arts Building on the Wharton campus, the concert is free of admission and open to the public. Pieces will include movie themes like “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Superman” and “Apollo 13,” as well as songs featured in hit TV shows about spies, comic book heroes, soldiers and sailors.
The concert’s title seemed appropriate for this particular catalog of music, said WCJC Band Director Joe Waldrop.
“There are so many pieces of music out in the world that bring about thoughts of adventure and excitement,” he said. “Who, as a little kid, never thought about being a pirate, or a super hero, or traveling out in space? The songs in this concert will bring about those childhood dreams once again.”
Waldrop mentioned his own fascination with adventure themes as a child who knew early on that he wanted to serve his country in the military.
“The theme songs from such shows as McHale’s Navy and MASH only heightened my desire,” Waldrop said. “After we got home from school and finished our homework, we would watch these kinds of shows and always felt like we wanted to go outside and save the world.”
Waldrop would follow through with his childhood yearnings, serving as an active duty member of the U.S. Navy from 1973 to 1977 and spending time in a combat zone in Vietnam. After his discharge, Waldrop would later re-enlist in the Navy Reserves, serving from 1980 to 1983.
Waldrop is hoping for a good turnout at the “Adventure is Waiting” concert. He believes it will prove nostalgic for much of the audience.
“As we increase in age and wisdom it is nice to hear some of these theme songs and maybe bring back that little kid we all once were,” he said.
