T.K. Adams is dedicated. He's a dedicated husband and father; he is a dedicated teacher and he has used that dedication for the last two decades in making sure the Newton County Community Band is the absolute best it can be. Not because he has to, but because of his dedication to the music.

But it wasn't something he took to easily. Still working at his career as a band instructor at Cousins Middle School, he was approached by then Mayor Bill Dobbs to start a band for adults in the community. It took five years of thinking before Adams finally accepted the challenge. Their first step: forming a committee to figure out how to attract members and get the ball rolling.

They started with advertising in The Covington News and surprisingly, or maybe not, there were several people interested from the start.

"I had seniors and seniors in high school," Adams laughed.

They started with 20; now they hold solid at about 60 members. A conversation early on about when they practiced (Mondays) and when they held concerts (four times a year at Christmas, spring, Fourth of July and the annual lighting of the square), and have stuck to that schedule for these many years.

When Adams retired, he lost his space for the band to practice, so he approached the Newton County Board of Education and then Superintendent E. Wendell Clamp, and asked for help. They wanted Eastside High School since it was so centrally located, and some band members come from neighboring counties. And they got it. They have been practicing at EHS ever since, with no problems whatsoever - even during the school year.

And though he has been retired for many years, Adams has no plan to step down from the community band anytime soon. The reason, even more than the music, is the people.

"I have people who come in and they don't care what piece they play or where they stand. They're there to help; they come in to support, and that's the most beautiful thing I have seen in my life. That kind of spirit... We all respect each other and know the importance of support. Each member is important. That's the kind of spirit we have and that just makes my heart feel good."