Playing for the Colquitt County 50th Regiment Band are, front, from left, Julio Contreras, Selena Meza and Kelijah Crawford.

MOULTRIE, Ga. – The Colquitt County High School 50th Regiment Band’s school year got started with what its director calls an outstanding camp over the summer and is carrying over its enthusiasm into strong performances in front of Packer football fans.

The rest of the year includes several competitions and other performances and will be capped in April by a trip to play in San Antonio, Texas.

Liz Savage, now in her sixth year as the school’s director of bands, says this year’s 50th Regiment “is still fairly young.”

But the young musicians enjoy performing their new show and, based on the reaction of the Friday night crowds at Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium, Packer Nation does too.

This year’s program is dedicated to Super Heroes with fanfare music from the Marvel movies “The Avengers” and “Iron Man 3.”

The fans are especially enjoying “Can You Dig It” from “Iron Man 3.”

“We picked this out for the kids,” Savage said. “We wanted something they would enjoy. They love it and have been working hard with it.”

The band also has several new tunes they are playing in the stands during breaks in the football games.

“We are trying to help get the fans involved and have some crowd interaction,” Savage said.

The 50th Regiment’s work began during an unusually mild band camp. With the cooperation of the weather, the band had what Savage termed its most successful camp since she has been in Moultrie.

“And their work ethic has been fantastic,” she said.

Savage also got some much-appreciated help during the two weeks of summer camp from three 50th Regiment alumni, Andrea Gaines, Joshua Key and Delaysha Edwards.

She said having former band members helping out is a major part of the group’s success.

“They really helped,” she said. “They were invested in it and they knew my expectations.”

The band’s 23 seniors have taken on leadership roles this year.

Those seniors are Atarah Mapp, Linda Mendez, Kylie Stone, Lily Zeigler, Randi Tapscott, Kimberlin Daniels, Yesenia Ponce Gonzalez, Cheyenne Dahlgren, Abriana Stancil, Luis Palomares, Nolan Howren, Selena Meza, Naiomi Valdez, Jay Pitts, Erica Clark, Micah Lawhorne, Trevor Nemeth, Tykei Mitchell, Brandon Yates, Nicholas David, Marshall Jones, Eli Massey and Andre Pinkney.

Howren is the drum major. Savage said she began to see his future when he was in sixth grade and he is fulfilling his promise.

“He is doing such a great job,” she said. “He works really, really hard.”

Howren is taking the place of last year’s drum major Oscar Avalos, who has gone on to perform with the Marching Southerners at Jacksonville (Ala.) State, Savage’s alma mater.

Colby Camp, another member of the 2016-2017 50th Regiment, also is at Jacksonville State this year.

Massey is this year’s band captain.

“He is our go-to guy when Nolan is not around,” Savage said.

Savage said Kelly Ross, who works in the guidance department at Lowndes High, and Andy Snow, who is from Florida, wrote the work for the color guard this year.

Savage herself has taken charge of the color guard, but has the other members of her staff back from last year.

Jake Thompson, now in his fifth year with the Colquitt County band program, is in charge of the band program at C.A. Gray Junior High School.

Michael Walker, who joined the staff last year, is again guiding the young musicians at Willie J. Williams Middle School.

Savage’s husband Aaron is again working with the percussion sections at all three schools.

And the staff has a student teacher, Kaycee Johnson from Troy University, helping out.

The next couple of weeks will be especially busy.

After the band makes its trek to play at the Colquitt County-Brookwood football game in Gwinnett County on Friday, Sept. 15, Savage and her staff will take the 50th Regiment to the GMEA District Jamboree at Cairo High School the next day.

Then Colquitt County will perform at the Spirit of the South on Oct. 7 in Tifton and in the Sound of Gold on Oct. 28 in Waycross.

There will be a number of parades, concerts and other performances the rest of the school year, but the 50th Regiment band members have already circled the week of April 26-30 on their calendars.

Savage and her staff will take the band west for the Fiesta San Antonio, where it will march in the Fiesta Flambeau Parade on April 2. The trip also will enable the musicians to savor a little bit of south Texas.

Band members will be selling Coca-Cola, Boston butts, ribs and fruit to help raise money for the trip.

“We are really looking forward to it,” Savage said.