PARKERSBURG — The Smoot Theatre in downtown Parkersburg will present two separate events this weekend, one on Saturday aimed at children and families and the other on Sunday for jazz music lover.

On Saturday, the Smoot and the Missoula Children’s Theatre will present “Hercules” with two performances, at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Adult tickets are $9 and student tickets are $7. Tickets may be purchased online at smoottheatre.com.

MCT has been coming to the Smoot for 20 years, putting on performances featuring area children. Auditions were held Monday and the participating children have been rehearsing daily this week with MCT staffers to prepare for the Saturday performances.

The following students from Wood and Washington Counties were cast in the play.

¯Homer: Hannah Greathouse

¯Archimedes: Arabella Hunt

¯Socrates: Zoey Sacconi

¯Aristotle: Ariana VanWey

¯Androcles: Savannah Metz

¯Hercules: Kiria Winebrenner

¯Pegasus: Layne Rem

¯Lion: Mikey Magggard

¯Zeus: Hannah Przekurat

¯Hera: Parker Delbaugh

¯Helen of Troy: Ally Bond

¯Cyclopes: Caleb McClung, Miles Mcgregor, Zach Lantz

¯Influencers: Jules Rodet, Trip Parsons, Noella Rodet, Abby Wyatt

¯Olympians: Eliana Frymire, Mahalia Frymire, Savannah Metz, Josie Hunt

¯Titans: August Whited, Owen White

The Smoot House band will be performing Sunday at the Smoot at 4:15 p.m.

The concert is free to the public.

There will be time to meet and greet the musicians on stage following the concert.

April was designated Jazz Appreciation Month in the United States 24 years ago. This designation was an effort to celebrate and highlight the rich heritage and history of jazz music. It was meant as a time for people to engage with jazz in various ways, especially from attending concerts. The initiative was launched by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History to draw greater attention to this uniquely American art form.

On Sunday the Smoot House Band will present an afternoon of big band music that is representative of “Big Band Jazz.” The music will represent a large variety of music from that of Billie Holiday’s “God Bless the Child,” to Nat Adderly’s “Work Song” to music as current as “Beauty and the Beast,” but played in a way that allows individual musicians to put their own twist on the melody.

Other selections include “This Could Be the Start of Something Big,” “Charade,” “In the Still of the Night,” “Alone Together,” “Yesterdays” and more. Featured soloists for the afternoon include Whitney Hess, Jason Barr, Hughie Lovelady, Eric Staats, Wayne Smith, Stephen Smith, Ben Wright, Paul Ross, Jeff Edman, Pat Somerville and David Lewis.

Also featured on the concert will be a small quintet: Duane Flesher, piano; Hughie Lovelady, alto; Wayne Smith, trombone; Carter Eddy, bass. Their contribution will be “Tangerine” and “The Nearness of You” .