The moment the Palmerton Area High School Marching Band and its fans have yearned for is just around the corner.

That's because the marching band will perform in front of a live audience when it holds Preview Night at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the high school stadium.The event will be open to the public, and admission is free, according to marching band director Thomas Heinick."The Preview Night on Thursday is a chance for parents and community members to see and hear the band perform without all of the excitement and action taking place at a football game," Heinick said. "It's also another way for us to show our appreciation to the community for all the support we have received."As a precursor to that event, band members gathered Friday at the Palmerton Memorial Pool to perform.One of those members is freshman Matt Binder, who can hardly contain his excitement."We've been working hard the last several weeks to put together a good show," Binder said. "We're excited to be back, and it's great to see all of the community support behind us."Fellow ninth-grader Rachael Dickson agreed."I'm so excited for our first field show, and nervous," Rachael said.Heinick said the goal of having the band perform at the pool "was a way to do something in the community while not in a high pressure performance situation.""We were very grateful for the support we got from the community at football games and parades last year, and we wanted to do something to show our appreciation," he said. "Most of the band members then stayed at the pool for a good part of the day, so it was a fun social opportunity for them after two intensive weeks of rehearsals."Heinick added that the performance at the pool was a way for the band to gain experience, as the band is made up entirely of students who have never done a field show before."Typically only a small percentage of a marching band are first-year marchers, but this group of students has learned so much so fast that I don't think anyone would suspect that they are all new to it," he said. "They are learning the music and flag routines very well, and the marching progress has been simply amazing."Currently, the band consists of 26 members, Heinick said. Of those, 20 are musicians and six are silks, he said.Last year, after a five-year absence, the marching band was a presence during home football games when it returned as a pep band and played pep music, along with "The Star-Spangled Banner."The band did not do any field shows last year.Before that, the last time the marching band performed was during the 2009-10 school year.