ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — With an wide grin and a love of music, Sarah Darelle Anderson could be anything she wanted.

She wanted to be a vet. She was a member of the Auburn University band, playing piccolo, and had been drum major and homecoming queen at Robertsdale High.

That came to an end Nov. 10, 2009 when Sarah was 19. Her car hydroplaned near Montgomery. Sarah was killed. Her passenger, 19-year-old Sara Elizabeth Clayton of Auburn was injured.

The hearts of Sarah’s family were broken. Her parents, David and Linda Anderson decided to take action.

“Sarah was our youngest,” said Linda, adding that the couple has a son, Jon, and a daughter, Danae Odom, and grandchildren.

“It was like a miracle,” said Linda, describing Sarah’s arrival.

“She never met a stranger,” said David.

A memorial concert has been planned to celebrate Sarah’s life and to help establish a scholarship at Auburn in her name. The Auburn University Winds and the Robertsdale High School Symphonic Band will perform Saturday, May 1 at 2 p.m. at Faith Family Fellowship Church in Spanish Fort. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students and youngsters under 12 will be admitted free. Proceeds from the concert will be used to establish the Sarah Darelle Anderson Memorial Scholarship for a Baldwin County student at Auburn who plays the flute. If there is no such student at Auburn, then the scholarship committee will look for a student from Mobile County, Linda says.

And Kappa Kappa Psi, the band fraternity Sara belonged to will hold a 5K run in Sarah’s memory April 24. Proceeds from the run will go the the scholarship. For information, go to kkpsipi.org/node/193.

And if a committee of area RHS alumni and others get their way, there will be a tangible reminder of Anderson in Robertsdale.

“We’re hoping to build a bandstand or pavilion at Honeybee Park or the PZK Hall,” said Linda.

The idea for the bandstand, Linda says came from Sarah’s experience with the RHS band. There is no bandstand at either facility, requiring the band to sit on folding chairs to perform.

“If we build it at the PZK hall, it will be available for weddings,” Linda said.

Thomas Jelinek and Brandi Walters, both classmates of Anderson’s, addressed the Robertsdale City Council Monday morning to present preliminary ideas for the bandstand.

“We want it (the bandstand) to be big enough to hold the band and show movies,” Jelinek told the council.

Mayor Charles Murphy told the council that the bandstand would be city property and built to city specifications.

While a final location has not been set, the council gave Walters and Jelinek permission to go ahead with planning the bandstand.

Sarah started enjoying music early in life, and earned the nickname “Boogie” for her love of dancing

“She sang in church,” recalled Linda, adding that Sarah first performed while at Central Christian School.

“She was four years old,” said Linda.

She started taking piano lessons at an early age, and later took up the flute at Central Baldwin Middle School.

“She was told that it was an easier transition (from piano to flute) than any other instrument,” said David. “She just never quit.”

Sarah needed that determination. She went on several mission trips with Loxley First Baptist Church youth group. One mission was to Haiti, and Linda will be “taking her place” on a church mission there next summer.

She also suffered from several respiratory illnesses, including asthma, something devastating for a wind player. At age 10, she developed severe scoliosis and had to have two rods implanted to help straighten her spine.

It was while recovering from that surgery that Sarah discovered another passion, horses.

“Dr. Thomas Dempsy, her surgeon, suggested that horseback riding would help her recovery, and the family obtained her horse, “Missy.” David got his own horse, and they would ride together.

Sarah’s decision to pursue a career in veterinary medicine came when Missy had an accident. She had a deep cut, and Sarah assisted Dr. Albert Corte with the wound and afterward, decided to become a vet herself.