The Pike County High School Fine Arts Department presented “Christmas in Dixie” Friday and Saturday nights in the auditorium of the PCHS Fine Arts Building.

The program included the contemporary and secular songs of the season by the PCHS choral group, recitations by the theater department and instrumentals by band students.

“The program featured some of the greatest music and dramatic recitations of the season,” said Wayne Duckworth, PCHS choral director. “We brought together band, choral music, theater and art for the concert. The art classes created the set for the performances and the theater students did the dramatic readings.”

Willie Wright, PCHS principal, said he was excited to have such an incredible facility at Pike County High School for the performance of the fine arts and to see so many talented young people take the stage.

“And, it was great to see so many parents and people from the community come out and support our students in this first performance in our new facility,” Wright said. “Mr. Duckworth is doing an outstanding job with our students and we are excited to be able to offer choral music at PCHS again.

“And, what is just as exciting is to see the music, theater and art departments working together. This collaborative effort will bring the fine arts to the forefront at PCHS. The arts offer different avenues for our students to take. We now have a well-rounded fine arts program at PCHS. We offer classes and opportunities for students with different interests and we are seeing students develop in these different areas.”

Wright said that he looks forward to growth in the all areas of the arts.

“The ‘Christmas in Dixie” program was outstanding and showcased a lot of very talented young people,” he said. “We are proud of them and proud to have this outstanding facility for them.”

Duckworth is joined in the fine arts department by Hannah Clifford, theater director; Jimmy Oliver, band director; and Carrie Rigdon, art department.

Margaret Ross, Brundidge City Council member, said the “Christmas in Dixie” program was outstanding.

“For the first performance, it was excellent,” Ross said. “Many of these students have never been on stage before and they just did an outstanding job. There were several solos and it takes a lot of courage to step out on a stage by yourself and sing to an audience. Those who missed ‘Christmas in Dixie’ missed something special.”

Ross said the future for the arts at PCHS is promising.

“What impressed me, too, was that so many of these students were underclassmen,” she said. “They will be a strong foundation for the choral program. The future does look bright.”