The world-renowned U.S. Navy Band New Orleans comes marching back to town tonight to kick off Vicksburg’s Fourth of July celebration.

Its 25-piece Ceremonial Band unit will perform at the Old Court House Museum at 7 p.m., one of two free concerts the band will play this weekend.

“We will play some John Philip Sousa-type marches, which is what the unit’s specialty is,” said Lt. j.g. Robert J. Wrenn, director of the band since January.

Also, a patriotic vocalist will sing “God Bless America” and the 1980s Lee Greenwood hit “God Bless the U.S.A.,” Wrenn said.

Another unit, the 20-member Show Band South, will perform at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation Auditorium.

Show Band South’s repertoire consists of tunes from the 1940s Big Band era, including hits by Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey, and such modern artists as Harry Connick Jr.

Two other units, the Express Contemporary group and the Crescent City Brass Quintet, specialize in both jazz and rock and can be seen aboard boat-themed floats in New Orleans Mardi Gras parades.

“We try to cover all different styles,” Wrenn said.

Band membership changes every three years, depending on who is stationed at the Naval Support Activity, located across the Mississippi River from the New Orleans French Quarter in Algiers.

“They transfer to other locations within the Navy,” Wrenn said.

As a result, many band members will be making their first trip to Vicksburg.

“It’s the first time in a long time, I know that much for sure,” Wrenn said.

Each musician is a designated Navy musician and a graduats of the Armed Forces School of Music in Little Creek, Va.

With 35 members, the band is one of 14 Navy bands in the continental United States, Europe and Asia and has played for 25 million people at recruiting and community-relations events since it started in 1971. Their concerts are always free and their schedule always full, Wrenn said.

IF YOU GO

The U.S. Navy Band will perform at 7 tonight on the lawn of the Old Court House Museum. The National Weather Service is predicting only a slight chance of rain, and organizers say the audience should bring chairs or blankets for seating.