Community Christmas Choir set for 14th year

RUSSELLVILLE -- The Community Christmas Choir will mark its 14th annual concert at the Russellville Community Center Dec. 4-6.

This year's concert is titled "The Heart of Christmas -- A Journey of Joy," created by Phil Barfoot, and arranged and orchestrated by Cliff Duren.

This event is open to the public and everyone is invited to experience the sights and sounds it has to offer. The free Community Christmas Choir concert will be performed at the Russellville Community Center at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4 and Saturday, Dec. 5 and at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 6. Each performance will last approximately one hour.

"The Heart of Christmas -- A Journey of Joy" features a 90-member adult choir, children's choir, multi-character drama team, soloists and various special effects.

Dinner will be served by the Russellville Community Center one hour prior to each performance. Salisbury steak is planned for Friday evening, beef and noodles on Saturday evening, with both served starting at 6 p.m.

Chicken and noodles is planned for Sunday and with serving starting at noon.

All are encouraged to come early for a hot meal and warm fellowship. A free-will offering will be collected for the meal and all the proceeds will go to benefit the Russellville Community Center.

Free Christmas bake sale items will also be available before, during and after each of the three performances. These holiday cookies and candies are donated by the volunteer members that make up the Community Christmas Choir. A free-will offering will also be accepted for these goodies and all the proceeds will go to benefit the 2016 Community Christmas Choir.

The Community Christmas Choir formed 14 years ago when three small churches, Browns Valley Christian, Freedom Baptist and Parkersburg Christian, decided to unite their small respective choirs into a single 35-member group.

Over the past 14 years, the choir has grown in popularity and size to include choir members from more than 22 area churches in northern Putnam, southern Montgomery and northeastern Parke counties.

In 2005, the choir's venue was moved to the Russellville Community Center, where last year more than 1,500 people attended the three-day event.

The Community Christmas Choir is again taking this opportunity to provide for those individuals in our communities who are less fortunate and will not have enough to eat this winter. Donated non-perishable food items will be collected at the door and then distributed to food banks in Putnam, Parke and Montgomery counties.