The Spirit of the River marching band spent the week of Aug. 10 under the hot sun putting together its pre-game and halftime shows for Pearl River Community College’s 2009 football season.

“This is the best start we’ve ever had,” said Dr. Kyle Hill, PRCC director of bands.

Approximately 100 musicians and color guard members make up the Spirit of the River with 15 young women in the String of Pearls dance squad.

The 2009 halftime show, entitled Ride, combines well-known tunes with others that will be new to most football fans, Hill said.

The show begins with “Short Ride in a Fast Machine,” which Hill described as an esoteric, classical orchestra piece, and moves into “Caravan,” a big band hit popularized by Duke Ellington and Chicago, and on to the Beatles’ “She’s Got a Ticket to Ride.”

The String of Pearls are featured during Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride” before the band picks up with the Doobie Brothers’ hit, “Taking It to the Streets.” The finale will be “Ride,” a concert piece adapted for the marching band.

Trombone section leader Marcus Lindsey of Picayune soloes on “Caravan”. The woodwind sections are featured on “She’s Got a Ticket to Ride” and “Taking It to the Streets” features the percussion section.

The pre-game show will feature the Pearls dancing to “Peg,” a Steely Dan hit from the mid-1970s.

The Spirit of the River will perform at Meet the Wildcats at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, at Dobie Holden Stadium with the first football game performance on Sept. 3 when Northeast Mississippi Community College travels to Poplarville.

Other home games include Hinds Community College on Sept. 17, Jones Community College on Oct. 1 and Southwest Community College on Oct. 17. All home games begin at 6:30 p.m. with the exception of the Oct. 17 homecoming game at 3 p.m.

A pep band will travel to PRCC’s game against Northwest Community College on Sept. 10, and the full band will perform at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College on Sept. 24, Co-Lin Community College on Oct. 10 and East Central Community College on Oct. 22.

The band also will perform in exhibition on Oct. 3 at the Oak Grove Marching Festival at Oak Grove High School.