HARRISVILLE — Whether they started by carrying a base drum, banner or baton, members of the Harrisville Community Band have been known to stick with the group for a while.

In fact, two charter members — Karen McKnight and Judy Critchlow, both of Harrisville — haven't missed a beat since the making of the band in 1965.

The group, which has about 40 members ranging in age from 15 to 76-year-old Frank Yerkens of Slippery Rock, will celebrate its 40th anniversary as it began, with a concert for the community.

The concert is set for 7 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Harrisville Fire Hall and will feature patriotic tunes and other familiar favorites.

The late Rev. David Kennedy, former pastor of Harmony United Presbyterian Church, formed the band to give amateur musicians a place to play after high school or college. He also wanted a local patriotic band to play at various community events.

Anyone from the surrounding area — not just residents of Harrisville — is welcome to join the group.

McKnight was recruited for the band at age 16 by Kennedy because she played the saxophone.

Still a member 40 years later, McKnight said playing in the band is great for relieving stress.

"When you play, that's all you can be thinking about," she said.

Making friends is another reason she stays involved, said McKnight.

Her sister-in-law, Marsha McKnight of Harrisville, started at age 14 and has been a member for 37 years.

At a recent practice at Har-Mer Elementary School, Marsha pointed to the stage in the multipurpose room and said, "I remember standing up there playing the flutophone as a kid."

Marsha has watched others grow up in the band, as well.

"I enjoy it," she said. "There's this wonderful mentoring. You see a teenager next to a person in their 80s.

"Students see you can have fun without drugs and alcohol.

Steven Allaman, 18, of Butler, has marched with the band since eighth grade. Before playing the trombone, he carried the banner, guns and flags as a youngster while his mother, Diana, played in the band."Mom talked me into it," he said of his induction into the group.The high school senior has never taken band in high school, instead focusing on school and an after-school job. He enjoys playing with the Harrisville band as a form of relaxation away from those pursuits.His mother, 34, is still a member. She started as a majorette at age 13."My brothers and sisters were involved and my mom and dad drove us around," she said.The band gives her a place to continue to play the flute "instead of just packing it away," Diana said.Karen McKnight agrees."It's what a community band is all about," she said, "to continue that love of music."Or to put it another way, McKnight added, "Band geeks are always band geeks."Rebecca Sopher, who has directed the band since 2002,earned her bachelor's degree in music education from Slippery Rock University and her master's in music education from Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University.She currently teaches music at Moraine Elementary School in Prospect.Band members reside in Harrisville, Grove City, Slippery Rock, Butler, Sandy Lake, Franklin, Clarion, Plain Grove, Mercer, Hadley and Stoneboro.Practices are held Tuesday evenings at Har-Mer school in the fall and spring.The band has marched in various communities over the years, including Harrisville, Clintonville, Slippery Rock, Grove City, Worthington, Mercer, North Washington, West Sunbury, Butler, Rocky Grove, Fredonia, Franklin, Petrolia, Mars, Jackson Center, Parker, Sligo, Emlenton and Kinsman, Ohio.For more information on other concerts or to join the band, call Karen McKnight at 724-735-2987 or Critchlow at 724-735-4664, or visit the Web site harrisvilleband.com.