Holiday music mash-up

In downtown Willow Springs Saturday night, the Star Theatre was the scene of musical holiday festivities that spanned from spooky Halloween tunes to Christmas standards.

The Southern Ozarks Community Orchestra performed a concert called "Happy Hallowthanksmas." Moving through the calendar of holiday fun, the show opened with the familiar snapping of the theme from The Adams Family. To honor veterans, there were two patriotic selections, "Lest We Forget", and "Armed Forces-Pride of America!". The latter selection's finale was the melody of "The Star-Spangled Banner", and it brought the crowd to their feet.

Homey Thanksgiving themes came next with a Beethoven Symphony, "Shaker Variants", and Ashokan Farewell."

After an intermission, the program was full of Christmas cheer. Medleys featured snippets from Christmas standards from "Frosty the Snowman" to "Winter Wonderland". A traditional arrangement of "Seigh Ride" was the second-to-last selection, complete with horse hooves on the woodblocks, courtesy of Tate Cochran and the whinnying of trumpeter Rich Thompson. 

The finale was evocative of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's style. Electric guitar and bass mixed with the traditional orchestra instruments prompted cheers and raucous applause as the final notes of "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" faded away.

The concert was sponsored by the Willow Springs Arts Council. For more information on the Arts Council or the orchestra, see each organization's Facebook page.