A Message From Kelley
Welcome to the CAHF 2019! It is finally here. Seventeen handbell choirs are on their way for the 32 Annual Central Alabama Handbell Festival. Friday will be very busy. The CAHF Design Team and helpers are spending the morning setting up tables, registration and taking care of all those last minute details. Greig Ashurst, our Clinician, will join this very faithful group for lunch at the Bright Star for great food and even better fellowship.
Jeffers Handbell Supply, Inc. arrives after lunch. It’s always a treat to see what musical things they bring. Then it’s time to greet all the Handbell Choirs as they arrive. What fun it is to renew old friendships and make new ones!
At 4:00 pm Greig Ashurst will lead a workshop on mallet techniques. Directors and interested ringers are eager for this workshop to begin and are looking forward to developing their skills with mallets.
More setting up for latecomers. Then it’s time for us to begin. A short, fun get acquainted time helps us to meet some of the 160 plus ringers and directors. Then it’s the time everyone has waited for so long–the Opening Bell and the first rehearsal.
Rehearsals–5 of them–take up most of our time together. That’s as it should be. After all, we are here to work on 6 awesome pieces of music and to bring these pieces to life. About the time our energy and attention is dying, a hospitality break jumps in to save the day. Oh, the food! Every handbell choir brings delicious goodies. Lots of fun goes on in the Hospitality Room.
Saturday we will hear from Sybil Watson, the Handbell Musicians of America Area 6 Alabama State Chair. Bells in the Big Easy is the Area 6 Handbell Festival coming June 13-15 in New Orleans. Then 2 more rehearsals, a lunch break, and a final rehearsal finish our work. The Closing Concert is at 3:00 p.m. and the result of our hard work will be ready for all those gathered to hear.
The Closing Bell ends CAHF 2019. All that will be left to do is to pack up the bells, load all things handbells in the waiting vehicles and to return home. But what memories we will take home with us–of friendships made, of new skills developed, of all the things Greig helped us learn, of the sounds of 17 Handbell Choirs ringing together and especially of the music that we made.
See you at the Central Alabama Handbell Festival 2019!
Happy Ringing,
Kelley
