This year’s Tuba Christmas concert will take place Saturday, Dec. 3 at 1:30 p.m. in the Polk County High School (PCHS) auditorium.

Tuba Christmas in Columbus was inaugurated in December 1998 with 39 players. This free program of carols and other Christmas music began in the Stearns  School auditorium. Since that year, the concert of tubas, euphoniums and baritone horns has grown to 70 players, and the performances have moved to the PCHS auditorium.

Nationally, Tuba Christmas events were created through the efforts of Harvey Phillips, a famous tuba player, in the 1970s. Now there are more than 200 Tuba Christmas events in the United States.

Locally, Tuba Christmas was started by coordinator Stanley Howell of Columbus. Bill Bryant of A.C. Reynolds High School has been the fourth conductor. Cindy Gilbert, band director at PCHS, is the host; Jean Howell of Columbus is the carol singing director and Manfred Walter of Mill Spring is the assistant coordinator.

– article submitted  by Jean Howell