Lauren Henderson (left) and Jessica Davis in front of the trophy case in the PHS band room. (Times photo/Tim Blair) [Click to enlarge]

Next summer two young ladies from Piggott will have the opportunity to take the trip of a lifetime, and represent Arkansas and Clay County to an international audience, as members of the state's Ambassadors of Music band.

The musicians, 2008 graduate Lauren Henderson and sophomore Jessica Davis, will be traveling to Europe the first week of July in 2009, and are scheduled to perform in several major cities.

The two were among several nominated for inclusion in the program by PHS band director Brian Pearson and attended an informative meeting on the subject. Both Henderson, who is now a member of the ASU band, and Davis decided they wanted to pursue the opportunity.

"We'll be visiting London, Paris, the Swiss Alps, Venice and Frankfurt, Germany," Henderson noted of the trip's itinerary. "I'm really looking forward to seeing London and Paris, it's something I've been wanting to do for a long time and I'm very excited."

"I'm excited about flying over the ocean, I think that will be pretty cool -- that and all the different countries and places we get to visit," Davis added.

Lauren, who played the flute in the Marching Mohawk band, now plays with the ASU band. Jessica is playing the saxophone in the PHS marching band this year, but will be playing her primary instrument the clarinet in the Ambassador Band.

The next step toward making the trip possible for the two will be raising the necessary money to pay for the trip. "It's going to cost about $5,000 each for us to make the trip," Henderson added, "so we'll be doing a lot of fundraising between now and next spring."

The two are just beginning to organize their fundraising effort and in the near future will be setting up an account for those who would like to help. Donations are currently being accepted for the two by Lauren's mother, Tammy Cashion. Those interested in helping the young ladies represent Piggott on the European tour may send donations to Cashion at 442 Lakewood Drive, Piggott, Ark., 72454. She can also be reached at 870-598-3918.