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Community Christmas Choir set for 15th and final performance this weekend
RUSSELLVILLE — A holiday tradition that has grown to attract more than 1,500 people to a town of 350 each December will celebrate its 15th and final run this weekend.
The Community Christmas Choir will give its final set of three concerts on Friday, Dec. 3 through Sunday, Dec. 5.
This year’s concert, “The Journey of Christmas – Share the Story,” was created by Phil Barfoot and arranged and orchestrated by Cliff Duren.
Anticipated and well-attended, the Community Christmas Choir events are open to the public. Everyone is invited to experience the sights and sounds it has to offer.
The concerts will take place at the Russellville Community Center at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. Each performance will last approximately one hour.
“The Journey of Christmas – Share the Story” features a 125-member adult choir, children’s choir, multi-character drama team, soloists and various special effects.
Throughout its 15-year run, the Community Christmas Choir has been spearheaded by Jamie France, who has decided to step away from directing the choir, calling it “a difficult decision.”
“I wish I could do it another 20 (years). It’s so much fun,” France said. “I love the people and we get new people every year. It’s really is what makes small communities so awesome. It sets us apart.
“This is going to be bittersweet for me. It’s something I enjoy so much, but I have to assess the priorities in my life,” he added. “I have a son in high school and a daughter in elementary and I want to be able to spend more time with them.”
The Community Christmas Choir formed 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 15 years, the choir has grown in popularity and size to include choir members from at least 24 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.
France didn’t close the door to the possibility of the choir continuing under someone else’s direction, noting the financial support it has provided to the Russellville Community Center through the years.
“I hope they can replace it. Maybe somebody will pick up the baton and continue it,” France said.
He also said he would be open to providing guidance to someone else or even directing the choir again at some later date.
“Maybe after my son graduates high school and we get my daughter through, we may go back to it,” France said.
Dinner will be served by the Russellville Community Center prior to each performance. Salisbury steak is planned for Friday evening and beef and noodles on Saturday evening, both beginning at 6 p.m. Chicken and noodles will be served starting at noon Sunday.
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 donation will also be accepted for these goodies and all the proceeds will go to benefit the final expenses of the Community Christmas Choir.
Attending the event will also be a chance to provide for the less fortunate in local communities.
Non-perishable food items will be collected at the door and then distributed to food banks in Parke, Putnam and Montgomery counties. Attendees are encouraged to donate generously to the cause.