Musicals are a tradition at Riverland Community College and this Saturday the glory days will be relived.

The Best of Riverland Alumni Shows will be from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday at the Austin East Theatre. Riverland music and theater alumni will revisit favorite songs from summer alumni shows from 1998 to 2011.

“We started doing musicals in the summer as a fundraiser for music and theater scholarships back in 1998,” said Scott Blankenbaker, the head of Riverland’s music department. “At that point we had some students who had graduated and were back in town for the summer so we started that way and continued for about 15 years, every summer we would do a whole full-blown show.”

Special guest Brad Weber will join singers and instrumentalists in music from “Evita,” “The Producers,” “Chess,” “Into The Woods,” “Cabaret” and other hit shows.

“It’s quite a large variety of music,” Blankenbaker said. “We’ve got some that is what people would consider ‘classic music theater,’ and then some that is much more rock inspired, and some of it is quite current.”

“There are things people will recognize for certain,” he added.

Blankenbaker was glad to tie the concert into Riverland’s year-long 75th Anniversary celebration.

“This highlights concert is something I had thought about doing the last couple of years,” Blankenbaker said. “And knowing that this is the college’s 75th anniversary, it was a good way to tie it in.”

Around 20 Riverland alumni will present songs from about a dozen musicals. Former students ranging in age from 20s to retirement-age are traveling from as far as north Minneapolis to participate. Familiar faces such as Brad Weber, Kaye Perry, Alice Holst, Lia Culbert and John Deyo will appear. A special treat for audiences will be long-time Riverland Theater director, Jerry Girton, who will this time be in the role of a performer.

“For me it’s a lot of fun working with these people again,” Blankenbaker said.

He said it’s a fast-paced show that any age can enjoy. Tickets cost $10 for adults, $7 for Riverland faculty and staff, and $4 for students kindergarten through college aged. To order tickets, visit riverland.edu/tickets or call 507-433-0595.

“It’s going to be a chance to hear some familiar music as well as some favorites from alumni shows gone by,” Blankenbaker said.