The W.D. Packard Concert Band presents its Family Christmas Spectacular, a free concert open to the public, Sunday at Packard Music Hall.

Two days before the public event, the band will play an abbreviated version of that concert for thousands of area schoolchildren. Thomas A. Groth, executive director of the band, programs the Christmas concert with those children’s shows in mind. That’s why there will be school-aged children on stage as well as in the audience.

“I just want to give the young people in the audience the chance to see other young people performing and say, ‘Hey, we can do that type of thing,'” Groth said. “Plus, they’re having fun at Christmas time. They enjoy seeing Frosty and the Grinch out in the audience, interacting when we play those numbers. So it’s just a fun time.”

Students at local dance schools have been a part of the program for decades. This year’s show will feature children from four programs: Fast Furious Feet dancing to “Sleigh Ride,” Jordan School of Ballet on “Skaters Waltz,” Shining Stars Dance & Baton with “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” and James Dance Center for “Tuba Christmas / Nuts and Crackers.”

Groth finally got his wish last year to have a children’s choir as part of the concert with students from Amanda Beagle Vocal Studio participating. They will be back in 2025 to sing “White Christmas” during the concert and join Dean Wilson, a retired elementary vocal teacher with Boardman Schools, for a pre-concert sing along starting at 1:30 p.m.

“The exuberance of her kids and the stage action they did (last year) was just great,” Groth said. “They’re also going to do our opening with Mrs. Santa Claus on ‘We Need a Little Christmas.'”

Several students also will be featured soloists. Elizabeth Jernigan will sing selections from “The Polar Express” and “Let It Go” from Disney’s “Frozen.” Addison Schubert will perform “Grown Up Christmas List,” and Julianna Wason and Ella Jewell Dykes will be featured on “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.” Dominic Morataya, trumpet, will play “Deck the Halls.”

“He’s really an outstanding musician for his age,” Groth said of Morataya. “I won’t even say ‘for his age.’ He’s just an outstanding trumpet player.”

There will be plenty of professionals on stage as well. Frank Tracz, a professor of music and director of bands at Kansas State University, will be the guest conductor, and Bradley J. Holko will serve as master of ceremonies.

Beagle will sing “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” in addition to leading her students. Dana Victor, who plays Mrs. Claus, has been a guest vocalist with the Packard band for more than 20 years. She will narrate Gary Fry’s “The Nativity” and will sing “O Holy Night,” “Jingle Bells,” “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” and “Here Comes Santa Claus.”

“I always like to hear Mrs. Santa Claus doing ‘O Holy Night,’ and we haven’t done that for a number of years,” Groth said.

The band will play a new arrangement of “The First Noel,” and other selections will include Claude T. Smith’s “Fanfare: Rhapsody of Christmas Carols,” “Frosty the Snowman” and “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch.” The last two songs will feature Catena Shore dressed as the characters from those songs.

“It’s always one of the best things that I do each year,” Groth said of the Christmas concert. “It’s just all worth it when you see the kids in the audience enjoying themselves and just having fun at Christmas time.”

If you go …

WHAT: W.D. Packard Concert Band Family Christmas Spectacular

WHEN: 2 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: Packard Music Hall, 1703 Mahoning Ave NW, Warren

HOW MUCH: Admission is free, and funding is provided by the W.D. Packard trust.