The Inter-Mountain file photo The Elkins High School Band’s annual Corn Roast will be offered Saturday at Elkins City Park. Meals can be purchased as early as 11 a.m., and the Elkins Middle School Band will perform at 1 p.m. The Elkins High School Band is scheduled to perform in the park at 1:30 p.m.

ELKINS — For decades the annual Elkins High School Band Corn Roast has been a tradition in the local community, providing area residents with a first glimpse of the upcoming school year’s marching band – as well as a tasty lunch.

As always, this year’s event will take place at Elkins City Park, where meals will be available for purchase as early as 11 a.m. Saturday. The Elkins Middle School Band will perform in the park at 1 p.m., while the Elkins High School Band will take center stage at 1:30 p.m.

“We are really looking forward to Saturday,” EHS Band Director Seth Blake told The Inter-Mountain. “The Corn Roast is one of my favorite events, mostly because it’s the first time that each edition of the band every year gets to play music for the community.

“It’s been a staple in Elkins for a very long time and it doesn’t get much better than a freshly roasted ear of corn dunked in butter. Our pork barbecue this year is coming from Campbell’s Butcher Shop, so we are excited about that.”

Before its performance, the EHS Band will march through downtown Elkins to the park.

The band will depart from an area by First Street at approximately 12:30 p.m. From there, the band will make its way up Davis Avenue before turning next to Huntington Bank and crossing over onto Park Street. The band will then enter City Park, where they will perform for those attending the Corn Roast.

“This event gives us the opportunity to do some parade marching through town,” Blake said. “We’ve been fortunate this year to have done a couple of small things, like the Midnight Madness with the football team and the Meet the Team night, but we don’t get to practice too often in the streets.

“This is our first big performance of the year and we are excited… Our auxiliary works real hard throughout the year to raise money and we have our big staples for fundraising and the Corn Roast is definitely one of our big ones.”

Blake said the EHS band will perform six or seven songs in the park.

“It’s kind of our premiere of our field show music,” Blake said. “We will also play some of our staple tunes and some fun things that the kids have been working on. It’s a really great way to showcase what we’ve been working on over the course of the summer and springboard us into our fall performances.”

Advanced tickets can be purchased from any band member in grades 8 through 12, or at Advanced Hearing Solution or B&J Pawn Shop. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the event.