The first-ever Jimmy Simmons/Lamar Band Golf Tournament will be held Saturday, June 27, at Idylwild Golf Club in Sour Lake. Proceeds from the event will benefit student scholarships for the Lamar University band program, directed by Scott Deppe.

The tournament was conceived as a grass-roots effort by Lamar band alumni to support Deppe and the current program.

“I’m excited that alumni are behind the growth of the band,” said Deppe, who just completed his first year as director of bands. “Not only do they attend concerts and events, but they are not afraid to come out and work to support the band. It’s a great sign that there is such avid support in the community.”

The festivities begin Friday, June 26, with a silent auction and kick-off party at the Star Bar on Crockett Street in Beaumont. Donated items for the auction include gift certificates from Tic Tac Spa; the Elegante Hotel and Spa; a Dallas Cowboys cap signed by Herschel Walker and Tony Dorsett; a signed Houston Rockets print; Lamar basketballs signed by head men’s basketball coach Steve Roccoforte, head women’s basketball coach Larry Tidwell and athletic director Billy Tubbs; a Lamar football helmet signed by head coach Ray Woodard and staff; and a private performance by the Night & Day Orchestra, led by music professor Wayne Dyess (valued at $1,000 per hour).

Event organizer and Lamar band alumnus Mike Barnes was pleased to pull together an event that honors both the band program and Lamar’s president, Jimmy Simmons.

“Before he was president of the university, Dr. Simmons was at one time the band director here at Lamar,” said Barnes. “As band alumni, we’re pretty proud of the fact that he’s now running the show and doing such a terrific job.”

Sponsors for the tournament include Swicegood Music Co., Howell’s Furniture, Sour Lake Motor Co., Lamar’s College of Fine Arts and Communication, Jeanie Turk, and Coach Larry Tidwell and the Lady Cardinal Basketball Team.

Entry fee is $75 per person or $300 per team. Check-in and lunch start at 11 a.m. June 27, followed by a shotgun start at 1 p.m. The outing will follow a best-ball, team-scramble format, and prizes will be awarded for first-, second- and last-place teams, as well as closest to the pin and longest drive.

Tournament winners will receive a round of golf for four at Brentwood Country Club. Other prizes include a round of golf for four at Iron Oaks, a round of golf for four at Cypress Bend and a round of golf for two at Babe Zaharias.

“Everyone who participates will have free gifts, food, drinks and a great time,” said Barnes.

For tickets or more information, contact Mike Barnes at (409) 880-1813 or mike.barnes@lamar.edu. To find out more about the Lamar University band program, visit www.lamar.edu/band.