Shaker Meetinghouse and Francis Bliss Memorial Singing

[Sara Sandberg]

Less than a month away, one of the very best singings anywhere will be held here in Maine at Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village,707 Shaker Rd, New Gloucester, ME.

This singing celebrates the birthday and honors the memory of our dear friend, Francis Bliss, who passed away on March 16, 2016. This is an opportunity for strangers, acquaintances and relatives to sing together for an afternoon in a great space.

Please join us and Chair Robert Stoddard on Saturday May 31, from 1-4:30 to sing in the historic Shaker Meetinghouse at Sabbathday Lake in New Gloucester, Maine (about 1/2 hour north of Portland). The shapenote singing is a free, participatory event, not a performance. No experience is necessary, and beginners are warmly welcomed. We will sing from the Sacred Harp, 1991 Denson edition. Books will be available for loan or purchase. There will be a break, but no food is allowed inside the meetinghouse. In the event of rain, we will sing in the Winter Chapel inside the brick Dwelling house.

There will be a potluck after the Saturday singing, so please bring a dish to share. Please pack foods to keep them hot or cold as needed and mark dishes and serving utensils with your name. Please have foods ready to serve because the Shaker kitchen is not available. 

After dinner, we will head north on Rt 26 to the Poland Spring Inn, where we will sing from the Cooper Book and a preview of Nikos Pappas' new song book of Maine tunes from 6ish to 8ish in the rotunda of the Maine State Building, http://www.polandspringps.org/maine_state_building.html

On Sunday, June 1, you are welcome to join the Shaker community in worship at 10am in the Winter Chapel in the Brick Dwelling House. Shaker worship is filled with testimony and song.

Sunday afternoon from 1pm to 3pm we will sing at the historic Excelsior Grange #5 at 446 Harris Hill Road in Poland, just minutes from the Poland Spring Inn and Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village.

Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village is the only active Shaker Community and they have offered us this great opportunity to sing in a wonderful building. This is a space that was built for singing. Some have even called it the "Holy Grail" of singing spaces. If you would like to make a day of it, you can bring a picnic lunch and enjoy it on the grounds or come earlier to take a museum tour or visit their gift shop. For more info about the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village check out their website: www.maineshakers.com The first tour of the day starts at 10:30am and lasts approximately 75 minutes. Reservations are recommended.

A discount is available for Singers interested in staying at the Poland Spring Inn. This is not available for online reservations. Please call the office at (207)998-4351 and mention "Shaker" for special rates.