A summer of music

The 2008 summer concerts at the Chapel of the Cross at Pioneer Town in Cedaredge will start June 5 and continue through Aug. 21.

Concerts will take place on Thursday evenings (except July 3) and two Sunday afternoons each month.

Admission to the concerts is by donation. Your support of the concerts by your presence and donations is most appreciated. Both are needed to continue the musical programs and to help maintain the chapel.

Concerts started Thursday with afternoon programs following lunch at the senior center to accommodate seniors. A move to 7 p.m. has allowed the program to grow and made concerts available to working individuals and families. Six Sunday concerts are also well attended.

Members of the Chapel of the Cross committee are responsible for planning events including additional concerts, services and weddings. The committee feels that the chapel should be used to help young people who are developing musical talents. Therefore, use of the chapel for piano, vocal, and instrumental recitals presented by local teachers is encouraged.
Currently the committee is comprised of Sonja Marstad, Vicki Thompson, Kathy Conlon, Carol Gamble, Marilyn McNeil, president Marilyn Rittwager and secretary/treasurer Vernette Mackley.

Committee members Nancy Dillon, Mittie MacAdams, Barbara Petersen, Cindy Sullivan and Norma Frost served faithfully for many years.

Christmas concerts, including “Dolce Voce,” “Kokopelli Bells,” and in 2007 “Handel’s Christmas Messiah” preformed by the North Fork Community Chorus and String Ensemble as well as other performances have proven to be very popular in past years. The committee will meet in the fall to plan another Christmas concert for 2008.

The Chapel of the Cross was dedicated in 1989, and was made possible by Don Petersen and his late wife Inez, who financed the acquisiton of the land and the construction of the chapel just west of Pioneer Town in Cedaredge.

Believing the Lord had blessed him with a good life, Peterson felt that building the chapel would be an expression of his gratitude.

The chapel has a unique design, with the south wall being constructed of clear glass. Those attending the concerts look out at yet another wall that bears a 40-foot cross and insets of the Ten Commandments and several Bible verses.