Although the band was formed for the enjoyment of playing the music, word spread around the community, and within a couple of years, the Lake Meade Homeowners Association asked the band to perform for their annual charity fundraiser dance. This would be the band's first public appearance, and the dance was such a success that it became an annual event performed each year by the band. As word spread, Unforgettable began performing more frequently throughout the York area. With proceeds from performances for local charity groups and churches, Steve was able to purchase a sound system and stage lighting. As the band grew, and through turnover of musicians, more and more of the band's core came from the York area, and for convenience rehearsals were moved to First Presbyterian Church in York.

Early performances were for World War II veterans’ reunion events, and the band continued those events as long as there were surviving vets to enjoy them. As the band became more and more self-sufficient, the opportunities to put increased effort into these events became a priority, including lending their talents to a program honoring the veterans at the historic Valencia Ballroom entirely sponsored by the Unforgettable Big Band with local news anchor, Ron Martin, and a sitting U.S. Congressman, Todd Platts, as speakers, as well as several Memorial Day Weekend Big Band Brunch events, with proceeds supporting Wounded Warriors of PA, and Veterans Day Dinner/Dances in cooperation with the Elks Club, who provided food and entertainment for deserving veterans in the York area. Some of these events also supported efforts by Habitat For Humanity to provide housing for homeless veterans.

The list of charitable organizations supported by the Unforgettable Big Band has grown and now includes organizations such as the Shriners, Tall Cedars, Live Strong, the York Jewish Community Center and Brown's Orchards, with proceeds going to childhood cancer research. Also, the band has appeared for programs and fundraisers for area churches including First Presbyterian Church of York, St. Matthew Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Peters Lutheran Church, Messiah United Methodist Church, Aldersgate United Methodist Church, and Zion United Methodist Church. As the band’s reach expanded, other churches and organizations that benefitted from the band’s effort included the Carlisle United Methodist Church, the Women's Club of York and the York Historical Center.

The "Chairman of the Board" would have turned 100 years old in 2015, and with this anniversary, the Unforgettable Big Band paid tribute to this Rat Pack member's legacy through a series of performances. 

As the band became even more active, they decided that keeping the traditions of big band music alive would become a prime component of their mission. Presenting performances that included an educational element became the vehicle toward that goal. In this way, the band has fostered the appreciation of this music and associated American history with many musicians, both young and old, providing mentoring and cultural enrichment experiences at every opportunity. Their concerts took on more of a "show" vibe as they began to incorporate themes and staging into their repertoire. They continued to play for the venues that had hired them up to this time, but they added visual elements to their shows, including lighting, props and video presentations to accompany the music. 

Local community theaters that have also been supported by the efforts of the Unforgettable Big Band include The Belmont Theater (formerly known as York Little Theater), West Shore Theatre, Carlisle Theatre and Hershey Area Playhouse. 

In addition to their mission of community service, Unforgettable Big Band has acquired, preserved and archived more than 3000 complete sets of musical arrangements of this genre, commissioned transcriptions of difficult-to-find big band arrangements and performed many other arrangements of historically significant songs of this genre created by their own Musical Director, Lindy Mack. 

On November 30, 2021, Unforgettable unexpectedly lost its longtime musical director, Thomas "Thom" McLaughlin. As a tribute to an incredible legacy that he left, Unforgettable performed at his memorial service on December 18, 2021 at Messiah United Methodist Church in York, Pennsylvania.

Thom was the face of the band for over a decade having successfully transformed the band from a local community band to a well-known ensemble across the Mid-Atlantic. His hard work and dedication paid off, evidenced by the band's growth in popularity locally and even internationally -- with music streams on Spotify coming from over __ countries and over __ minutes of the band's music streamed across the globe.