Plenty of Statesboro talent will be on display for tonight’s F1RST Friday event downtown.
Three musical acts will highlight the May F1RST Friday event hosted by the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority on the Bulloch County Courthouse lawn.
The free event, which begins at 5:30 p.m., will include performances by Statesboro First Baptist Church’s Starlights Big Band Orchestra, BRAVA! Total Praise Performance’s drum line, and the Statesboro High School musical theater class, said Allen Muldrew, the authority’s director.
The Starlights Orchestra will be the headliner and play throughout most of the evening. The band will play “a mixture of big band, oldies and standards such as ‘Georgia on my Mind’ and ‘What a Wonderful World,’” according to a release issued to preview the show.
“The Starlights Orchestra is a full-blown orchestra and one of the best groups in the area,” Muldrew said. “We are really honored to have them, and they always do such a good job.”
The concert will mark the fourth time the Starlights have performed for F1RST Friday events.
“We look forward to it every year,” said Stacey Brown, of First Baptist Church. “It gives us a chance to go downtown and play for folks that usually don’t get to hear us.”
Ten elementary students who comprise the BRAVA! Total Praise Performance drum line will make their first appearance on the F1RST Friday stage.
The drum line, led by John Gleissner, a percussion instructor at Statesboro High School, will play a choreographed drum cadence.
“We love F1RST Friday,” said Lisa Campbell, a member of BRAVA! “The kids are excited, the adults working with them are excited and we thought F1RST Friday was the best opportunity to share their excitement with the community.”
The Statesboro High School musical theater class will round out the lineup, performing highlights from its upcoming musical “Willy Wonka, Jr.” during concert intermissions. The musical will be performed May 12 at Statesboro High School.
As always, F1RST Friday will also feature an assortment of food and business vendors, as well as a moon bounce and other children’s activities, Muldrew said.
“It will be a great happening downtown,” he said.
Several galleries at the Averitt Center for the Arts will be open for viewing during F1RST Friday.
A new exhibit, “Earth, Air, Fire and Water,” will have its opening ceremony at 6 p.m.
Also, work from the students of Mattie Lively Elementary, Nevils Elementary and Trinity Christian schools will be featured in the center’s Youth Gallery, while the art of Marc Mitchell, an assistant professor at Georgia Southern University, will be displayed in the Legends Gallery.
The event is scheduled to end at 8 p.m.
For more information, contact the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority at (912) 764-7227 or mainstreet@statesborodowntown.com.

Jeff Harrison may be reached at (912) 489-9454.