Mercer Community Band calls its eight-week summer concert series on the Mercer County Courthouse lawn "the best free entertainment on a Friday night," and Director Dr. Hendley D. Hoge wants to make sure the musicians don't lose their summer free time to the band.

"When people make the commitment, I don't want them to feel it's a job," Hoge said. "That's why we only have one rehearsal."

That rehearsal is the night before the concert. It might appear that that's not much time to prepare for a concert, but after 25 years of doing it that way, who's to complain?

The band, which opens its season June 28, prints up 1,000 programs for every concert, and the Girl Scouts who hand them out never have any left over.

The 90-musician band's guestbook is filled with signatures from attendees who live in all 50 states and 20 foreign countries.

That level of acceptance was not predictable when Hoge gave the first downbeat. The first season boasted two concerts and 20 musicians.

"We had more people in the band than in the audience the first year," said Hoge, whose office at Mercer Area High School, where he is principal, is filled with paintings and drawings of the bandstand and the band in performance.

But the shows caught on as businesses and organizations offered their support.

Businesses underwrite the cost. Community groups take turns sponsoring the ice cream socials that are held in conjunction with each show, and the warm-up acts.

The all-volunteer band is aided by a staff of 20 volunteers, who are responsible for assembling music folders, hauling equipment, setting up the stage and other duties.

"It's my love of music and my community service," Hoge said of his motivation for continuing to direct the band. "I want to give something back to the people of Mercer County."

The unpaid job is a demanding one. Hoge picks selections for concerts, signs on musicians, books vocal and instrumental soloists for each show and selects warm-up acts.

"As soon as the last show is over, you start planning the next season," Hoge said.

Hoge, a married father of five, is grooming Ken Jewell, the director of bands at Commodore Perry High School, to take over when leaves, which he has no plans to do.

Hoge also picks a student director each year, a college senior who is majoring in music education. This year, it's Brent Barnett of Greenville, a student at the University of Akron and an eight-year member of the band.

Hoge has set up a musical format for each concert. He always programs marches, a classical overture, Broadway selections, a waltz, a sing-along piece, a children's novelty number, a sacred song and pop tunes.

"We have a pretty extensive repertoire," Hoge said.

The band will mark its 25th anniversary publicly July 26 -- a banquet will be held the next night -- with a concert that will feature Dr. Michael Martin's "The Courthouse Square Concert March," a 3 1/2-minute piece the band commissioned for the event.

"I gave him the artistic freedom to do what he wanted," Hoge said of the composer, a professor of music at Albany College, Albany Ga.

Hoge added that he hopes to program the work for one concert each year.

The band sets an eight-week series of concerts, with three of those filled by outside bands. This year, Hoge agreed to stage an additional show, a July 7 concert at Buhl Farm park, Hermitage, as part of the park's summer concert series.

The band's Web site is at: http://mercomband.homestead.com