05/14/2026
Our thanks to Janelle Clevinger and the Wilson Time for this article on our show coming up Saturday night. Join us for this high-energy, patriotic show celebrating America's 250th anniversary and the United States Armed Forces.
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The Moonlight Swing Band will celebrate Americaâs 250th anniversary Saturday, May 16, with âRed, White and Swing: A Big Band Salute to the United States Armed Forcesâ at 7 p.m. at the Edna Boykin Cultural Center.
The event will serve as a fundraiser for the Friends of the Wilson County Public Library.
âOur first set is patriotic music, playing an armed forces medley,â said Phil Mooring, band manager, trumpet player, and producer for this event. âAnd we are going to ask veterans in the audience to stand when their branch of the militaryâs song is played. Our second set will be like a USO show, like we are entertaining the troops, with Big Band-era songs.â
Vocalists Karen Barringer, Susan Anderson, and Kenly Corya will perform songs popular in USO shows.
The band has invited 100-year-old Ernest Whitley of Wilson County, a WWII veteran and survivor of the Battle of Okinawa, to attend the concert. Whitley was a seaman on the USS Prentiss, carrying bombs and ammunition to support the American invasion of the Pacific island. Whitley was drafted as an 18-year-old.
âWe are hoping that Mr. Whitley and his family can attend our âRed, White, and Swingâ concert and be our guest of honor,â Mooring said.
The Saturday performance marks the Moonlight Swing Bandâs fourth consecutive concert that benefits a local organization. The band, which celebrates its 13th year as a community band in August, has raised funds in previous years for the Freeman Round House, the Edna Boykin Cultural Center, and Hope Station.
âEvery April or May, we perform a show and always welcome the opportunity to partner with a nonprofit or charitable entity,â Mooring said. âWe are really excited to help this community.â
General admission tickets for âRed, White and Swingâ are $20 and available online at wilsonarts.com/tickets, at Wilson Arts, 204 Nash St., and at the door.
The Moonlight Swing Band is an all-volunteer community band featuring 21 musicians and vocalists.
âFor a small community band to survive this long is pretty incredible,â Mooring said. âThere is a core group that has been with us for years, and weâre delighted that weâve had kids from high school and college play with us. As they move on, we have to replace them, but more or less we have a consistent, core group.â
