May 2025 Atlanta Sacred Harp Newsletter
John Plunkett
May 2025 Atlanta Sacred Harp Newsletter
The annual note singers meeting that traditionally meets on the 1st Sunday of May at Zion Baptist Church, 160 Lemon Street, Marietta, GA 30060 is tentatively rescheduled for Saturday, June 7th at 2pm. (Will hopefully have confirmation of this for the June ASH newsletter).
Pine Lake singing is rescheduled for Thursday, May 15th, 7pm-9pm
Please note the opportunity to present Sacred Harp/Shapenote to the public on Saturday, May 17th (ie-singers needed!!)
CAMP FASOLA Registration is open!! - June 30th - 4th - https://campfasola.org/
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May 1st - 1st Thursday -First Thursday, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Indoor singing from The Sacred Harp and The Eclectic Harmony. Emory Presbyterian Church, 1886 North Decatur Rd, Atlanta GA 30307. Park behind the church, off Westminster Way. Info: Jim Neal at jim_neal-at-bellsouth-dot-net
May 3rd Saturday, 118th Etowah Christian Harmony Spring Singing, Etowah Lions Club, 447 Etowah School Rd., Hendersonville, NC 28739, 10a-3p, DOG at noon, please bring a dish to share. We will sing from William Walker’s “The Christian Harmony” Copies of the most recent reprint of Walker’s 1873 edition will be available for loan and for sale.
Contact Diane at dogsongs at gmail dot com
May 3rd Saturday - 38th annual Huntsville Sacred Harp All Day Singing – 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m(Central). Burritt on the Mountain, 3101 Burritt Drive, Huntsville, AL 35801 Contact David Ivey, DavidIveyUSA at gmail dot com
May 10th - Saturday before the 2nd Sunday - The Pumpkintown Shape Note Singing (formerly the Furman University Singing) will be held on the Saturday before the second Sunday in May, from 10am until 3pm, at the Oolenoy Community House. We will sing from the Sacred Harp (1991) and the Christian Harmony (2010). Dinner-on-the-grounds at noon.
This is a two-room schoolhouse built in the late 19th century, now a site for traditional music performances and jams. (See their Facebook page for pictures: https://www.facebook.com/oolenoybluegrass/.) The address is 5301 Dacusville Hwy, Pickens, SC 29671. It is about 13 miles north of Easley, SC on SC Hwy 135, although those traveling from the north or west may want to access it from Scenic Hwy 11. (Check Google Maps for detailed directions.) PLEASE NOTE: The Oolenoy Community House (OCH) is located on SC Hwy 135, one-half mile from its northern terminus at SC Hwy 8. The bridge on Hwy 135 between Hwy 8 and the OCH is out. If you are driving on Hwy 135 from the south (from Easley), just ignore any “bridge out” or “road closed” signs, and proceed as usual to the OCH. If you are driving on Hwy 8, instead of turning onto Hwy 135 do the following: At the intersection of Hwy 8 and Hwy 288 in Pumpkintown, turn so that you pass in front of the Dollar General store. At 1.1 miles from the intersection, turn right on Miracle Hill Road. Follow that 1.1 miles to the OCH. The building has a refrigerator, oven, and microwave. We encourage everyone to be responsible for their own well-being and to be considerate of the other participants. Don’t come if you have Covid symptoms or if you think you may have been exposed recently. We will have hand sanitizer, anti-bacterial soap, and disposable food service gloves available for the safety of all singers and visitors. For more information, please contact Dave Farmer at davefarmer-at-charter-dot-net. You may also call me at (864) 676-9003 (home) or (864) 605-8236 (cell). Please join us May 10th in metropolitan Pumpkintown!
May 15th, 3rd Thursday, 7pm-9pm. NEW LOCAL SINGING OPPORTUNITY!! Come join us to sing a capella four part harmony from the Sacred Harp in Pine Lake, GA, at the Clubhouse on the third Thursday in May, 5/15/25! This will be a fun opportunity to try out singing in one of the lovely community buildings that Pine Lake has to offer. As a new resident of the neighborhood I'm excited to do something there that we can invite some of the local community to! Pine Lake is known for its love of arts, culture, and community-building.
We will sing from 7-9 with a break in the middle, and the option to sing for an extra half hour if we want. Bring a snack to share if you are inclined! The clubhouse has a kitchen facility you can use if needed. Please see important note below on finding the building using your GPS.
Details: Pine Lake Clubhouse, 462468 West Clubhouse Circle, Stone Mountain, GA 30083. NOTE: If you put "Pine Lake Clubhouse" into Google Maps it will bring up the wrong building. Please put the above address in your GPS to find the right building. Parking: There is a small parking lot at the clubhouse as well as street parking along the adjacent streets. Note that some streets nearby are one-way. Contact/Info: Sasha Hsuczyk - protectorofthesmall at gmail dot com. https://www.facebook.com/share/18yb3zxPru/
May 17th, Saturday, Sacred Harp Singing from 1:00pm 1:45pm. 1405 Park Ave SE, Atlanta GA 30315. Spring Sprang Sprunk is an all day outdoor celebration of spontaneous and improvised music. Attendees are encouraged to bring instruments and join in music making opportunities throughout the day. Street parking is available on Cassanova St. SE. The terrain in the yard is varied, but there is a flat path to access the event from Cassanova St. SE. Contact/info: Duffy at slduffy4 at gmail dot com with your song choices for the day if you would like to teach a song. I will print out handouts in advance for the crowd to follow along. The event goes from 12pm to 12am. Shape note singing will be from 1:00pm to 1:45pm.
May 18th , 3rd Sunday - Cane Creek Church, 3 1/2 miles east of Heflin AL on hwy 78. 9:30am (Central) with DOG at noon. Info: Glenda Collins - glendacollins0122 at yahoo dot com
May 31st, Saturday before the 1st Sunday. Please note that the annual singing at Holly Springs will again be SATURDAY ONLY this year. 10:00 am. DOG at noon, Holly Springs Primitive Baptist Church, near Bremen, GA. Take exit #11 from I-20, turn south on Hwy. 27, go just past the top of the hill, follow the road markings to make a U-turn, immediately turn right beside the BP service station, turn left on Holly Springs Road, go to the dead end and turn left into the churchyard. Info Philip Langley - charlie5186 -at- yahoo-dot-com
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Looking ahead to June:
Saturday, June 7th, Note Singing at Zion Baptist Church in Marietta. (tentative)
Raymond Hamrick Birthday/Memorial Georgian Harmony Singing, Saturday before the 2nd Sunday at the Community Center in Roberta, GA
Annual ‘June’ singing at the Alpharetta City Hall, 2nd Sunday.
Saturday before the 3rd Sunday, June 14th - Christian Harmony(+) singing at Blue Ridge Primitive Baptist Church in Chatsworth, GA
3rd Sunday - annual Sacred Harp singing at Hopewell Church near Roopville, GA.
5th Sunday and Saturday before - Union Sacred Harp Musical Convention at Sweetwater Chapel in Lawrenceville, GA (note different dates for this year vs. the normal formula).