United States Air Force Band of Mid-America concert

During a tour of northern Arkansas, the United States Air Force Band of Mid-America performed at the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville on March 21. The band is the principal musical ambassador of Headquarters Air Mobility Command and is stationed at Scott Air Force Base, just outside of St. Louis. The event was sponsored by UACCB and the Batesville Area Arts Council. During a typical year, the Band of Mid-America performs over 400 times. This is the band’s first performance in Batesville and the last stop of the tour before the band returns to Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. Capt. Jason Plosch, commander, said band members were thrilled to be in Batesville for the first time. Paige Dirksen, executive director of the Batesville Area Arts Council, was on hand for the event as one of the co-sponsors. “The Batesville Area Arts Council is so thrilled to be able to bring the U.S. Air Force Band of Mid-America to Batesville. The BAAC supports what the band stands for, and we are so happy to be able to bring the show to the public,” Dirksen said. The U.S. Air Force Band of Mid-America comprises 45 professional musicians. They perform civic outreach and recruiting concerts for audiences throughout the Midwest. In its broader travels, the band has performed in Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Djibouti, Costa Rica, Barbados, Grenada, Guatemala, Venezuela, Bolivia, Germany, the Azores and the Netherlands. The group has performed for Pope John Paul II; Presidents George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter; the Queen of the Netherlands; and hundreds of other U.S. and foreign leaders. (Photos by Cheryl Mauldin/Contributing Photographer)