The Lambton Concert Band is returning to its hometown for Christmas and Conductor Tessa Catton says it’s going to be a lot of fun.

The concert band began in Petrolia in the 1990s when then LCCVI teacher Chris Coyle felt there was a need for a community band. Petrolia and Forest had the White Rose Band and Sarnia had the Sarnia Citizen Band, but they had stopped playing together.

Coyle put the concert band together and it eventually migrated to Sarnia. But Catton says they’re coming back to Petrolia’s Victoria Hall for a Dec. 19 Christmas performance “A Victorian Christmas” starting at 7 pm.

“A lot of people don’t like to drive form Petrolia to Sarnia in the winter because of the snow,” she says, “so we’ve had a lot of requests to please bring it back here. So we did.”

Catton says the 45 to 60 members of the band will be performing all kinds of Christmas favourites including Christmas medleys, some “goofy stuff” such as I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas and some island Christmas music. “It’s fun stuff, good medleys and tunes people will know.”

The concert band has been rehearsing since its last concert in November. Catton says they have about five practices to pull everything together.

And she says there is always a good crowd at their concerts because most people can relate to bands. “If you went to school in Sarnia-Lambton, everyone probably had a band experience; you have to choose art or music, if you take music you’re a band geek. It’s just so cool.”

Tickets for “A Victorian Christmas” are available by calling the VPP box office or through any Lambton Concert Band member. Tickets will also be available at the door.