Heritage Chapel to host ‘Celebrating in Song’

Published 1:47 pm Tuesday, March 12, 2019

By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

Chestnut Creek Heritage Chapel is celebrating the Alabama Bicentennial by highlighting local musical talent.

“Celebrating in Song” will be held on April 6 from 10 a.m. to noon with lunch and fellowship opportunities on-site to follow.

“Music has always been an important part of our history,” Ola Taylor with Chestnut Creek Heritage Chapel said.

She said the music would not be limited to a certain historical time period but would rather be a celebration of local musical culture.

“We are asking choirs to do the kind of singing that comes from their area, songs that are popular,” Taylor said.

The event is expected to feature a blend of religious and nonreligious songs.

Taylor said a spring singing is an annual event for the chapel.

“This year when there was an opportunity to join in the state bicentennial we decided to give it a try,” Taylor said.

The organization received a grant from the Alabama Bicentennial committee to help cover costs for the event.

Admission is free.

The focus was on featuring smaller, local choirs at the event.

“The groups involved are from the Verbena area, but it is certainly open to any and all,” Taylor said.

The event will feature the Verbena High School Band, Verbena United Methodist Church Choir and the Unity of Verbena Choir.

Taylor said the Unity of Verbena Choir was a group formed by women from five different small churches.

After each group performs, the event will end with a grand finale with both choirs singing together.

With this being the third and final year of the statewide celebration of statehood, the Alabama Bicentennial committee picked “Sharing Our Stories” as the theme for this year.

Taylor said “Celebrating in Song” will be the launch of Chestnut Creek Heritage Chapel’s oral history project.

“We are inviting people to spend time with us, come in (and) talk to us, record if they wish their own remembrances of this area, of their schools, churches and communities, interesting characters — then we are going to gather all of the stories and find a way to preserve them,” Taylor said.

She said the goal is “to preserve stories that are going to be lost” if efforts are not made to preserve them.

Food trucks from Chubbfathers and Dandy Concessions will be on-site at the conclusion of the singing for those who want to purchase lunch and eat at the picnic tables.

“You will have a variety of foods to choose from,” Taylor said.

Taylor also encouraged attendees to take time to look at the historic displays inside the chapel and spend time with other community members.

The Heritage Chapel’s annual plant sale will also be going on this day. Plants available include begonias and ferns.

Funds will go to future restoration and preservation of the chapel.

Chestnut Creek Heritage Chapel is located at 11975 County Road 24 in Verbena.