Get into the spirit with holiday concerts at Gulf Coast State College

Ebonee Burrell, The News Herald
·3 min read

PANAMA CITY — Gulf Coast State College will host its annual holiday concerts during the weekend.

The shows will be Friday and Sunday on GCSC's main campus at the Amelia Center Theatre. Admission is free and open to the public. Face masks are recommended, and seating will be limited to half capacity.

“The music program has grown so much over the years ... we’ve had to split it into two concerts. It kicks off the holiday season, so it’s nice to have the community come together,” said Jason Hedden, chairman of Visual and Performing Arts at GCSC.

The GCSC Visual and Performing Arts Presents Annual Holiday Concerts will be held Friday and Sunday at the Amelia Center Theatre on GCSC's main campus.
The GCSC Visual and Performing Arts Presents Annual Holiday Concerts will be held Friday and Sunday at the Amelia Center Theatre on GCSC's main campus.

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The Singing Commodores and Jazz Ensemble will perform Friday beginning at 7:30 p.m. This concert features a glee-styled Jazz Choir with songs “Slow Dancing in the Snow,” “Man in the Mirror” and “Let it Snow.”

The Concert Chorale and Concert Band will perform Sunday beginning at 2:30 p.m. Attendees can expect a more classical choir with performances of “O Magnum Mysterium,” “Calypso Noel” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” by music students and professional musicians playing with various sizes of recorders.

GCSC will accept canned food donations for local food banks and monetary contributions for music scholarships. Both concerts will be live streamed on gcsctv.com.

Gulf Coast State College will present a holiday concert featuring the Singing Commodores and the Jazz Ensemble.
Gulf Coast State College will present a holiday concert featuring the Singing Commodores and the Jazz Ensemble.

Plenty of holiday events this weekend

From concerts to parades, here are some holiday events you don’t want to miss this weekend:

Todd Herendeen's Patriotic Christmas Concert

Todd Herendeen’s annual Patriotic Christmas Concert will be Saturday at the Todd Herendeen Theatre, 8010 Front Beach Road. The show will honor God, country and veterans with a Christmas theme. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. For tickets, call 850-381-0310 or go online to www.toddherendeentheatre.com.

Parades

  • The sixth annual City of Lynn Haven Christmas Parade is Saturday. The parade, which will run through Fifth Street and Florida Avenue, starts at 9 a.m. and is expected to have about 45 floats. The city of Lynn Haven welcomes everyone to enjoy the festivities with friends and families.

  • The annual Millville Christmas Parade for children presents “A Candy Cane Christmas” on Friday beginning at 9:30 a.m. The parade starts at Waterfront Park at Maple and Third Street and runs to Daffin Park.

  • The Panama City Jaycees 2021 Christmas parade starts at 6 p.m. Saturday at Tommy Oliver Stadium. It will travel down Harrison Avenue to Fourth Street.

Christmas Extravaganza

Christmas Extravaganza is a drive-thru or walk-through full of Christmas lights at Grace Presbyterian Church, 1415 Airport Road, with entertainment for families, including face painting, music, balloon artists, photo opportunities, and Santa Claus one night a week. This year’s theme is Disney, and lights will be synchronized with music from popular Disney songs.

The event is free, however, the church will be accepting $5 donations per person and $1 donations for s’mores and hot chocolate. Christmas Extravaganza runs nightly from 5:30 to 10 p.m. on weeknights and 5:30 to 11 p.m. on weekends until Jan. 5.

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Gulf Coast State College holds holiday jazz, singing concerts