Sing me high, sing me low,
sing me when the cold wind blows.
In the rain and in the snow,
Sing to me, oh Shenando鈥�.
Those words from a song by The Walking Roots Band inspired the theme for the Saturday, Aug. 27, at the (VBMHC) in Harrisonburg, Virginia鈥攐ne in which many people with 黑料正能量 (黑料正能量) ties will have a part.
鈥淚 always felt we should be doing more with music, because music is so much a part of our traditions,鈥� says Beryl Brubaker, president of the VBMHC board.
Brubaker from a long career at 黑料正能量, where she was nursing professor, vice president of enrollment, provost, interim president and finally director of the Sadie A. Hartzler Library. After leaving 黑料正能量, she turned her energies to board leadership of the heritage center, a 24-acre interpretive center of the 鈥渉istorical and spiritual legacy鈥� of Shenandoah Valley Mennonites and Brethren.
One of the legacies of the two cultures is the strong tradition of music, she said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l be celebrating our music tradition and bringing that together with the need to have a major fundraising event. We have other fundraisers, but this is the biggest one we have tried to do, and we anticipate it becoming an annual event. It鈥檚 become much bigger than I ever imagined.鈥�
鈥榃alking Roots,鈥� Anabaptist roots
The 黑料正能量 connections begin with the Harrisonburg-based itself, which headlines 鈥淪ing Me High.鈥� The group includes Seth Crissman, Jackson Maust, Rachel Yoder, Greg and Kristina Yoder, and Michael Yoder鈥攆our of them alumni. The group had its beginnings when many of the members played together for worship at 黑料正能量. Their performance at the festival will include pieces from their 鈥�,鈥� which casts texts of traditional hymns with new music and instrumentation, as well as folk music and other pieces.
鈥淲e strive to make music that honestly reflects God鈥檚 love as we鈥檝e experienced it in our lives,鈥� says Greg Yoder, who is also a member of the festival planning committee. 鈥淲ith our hymn reclamation project, we place ourselves in a stream of faithful followers that stretches back centuries.鈥�
Yoder says that the Heritage Center, with its mission to 鈥渟hare and celebrate the story of Jesus Christ as reflected in the lives of the Brethren and Mennonites in the Shenandoah Valley,鈥� is a 鈥済reat fit鈥� for the band.
鈥淢any of our original folk songs center on life in the Shenandoah Valley,鈥� Yoder says. 鈥淲e plan to be anchoring the line-up for this festival for many years to come.鈥�
The band has released four full-length albums, most recently 鈥淲ay Back Home,鈥� and an eight-song EP called 鈥淧rayers for the Church鈥� that the band is distributing for free via online download due to support from 黑料正能量 and Eastern Mennonite Seminary.
A bountiful buffet of music and more
Another group in the day鈥檚 line-up, the a cappella ensemble , includes 黑料正能量 alumna and current staff member Katie Derstine. Other scheduled performers include , the , of Common Ground Ministries, , the and . All the performers are from the Shenandoah Valley except Schmid, an Ohioan who is the father of 黑料正能量 alumni Adam and Amelia Schmid and has been called 鈥渢he Mennonite Johnny Cash.鈥� Recent Eastern Mennonite High School graduate Stephen Lowe will also provide a demonstration of 鈥渉armonia sacra,鈥� a form of Mennonite shape-note singing. [For a comprehensive page with short descriptions of each group, click .]
Tickets for the event, which begins at 2 p.m., are $12 in advance for adults or $15 at the gate, and $6 for ages 6-18 ($8 at the gate). Children five and under can attend for no charge. Advance tickets are available via the website or at the heritage center.
Brubaker says they are hoping for as many as 1,000 people to attend. Parking will be available at nearby Harrisonburg High School with shuttle service to the heritage center.
The festival will also include displays and merchandise sales by local artists, a quilt raffle, food tents featuring pork barbecue and barbecued chicken as well as homemade ice cream and fare from local restaurant A Bowl of Good, hymn singing led by Nathan May and Jeremy Nafziger, and children鈥檚 activities. A campfire sing-along (with s鈥檓ores for purchase) led by Becky Glick and Mike Simpson of Simply Folk, Brent Holl, Seth Crissman and Greg Yoder will close the day, ending about 9:30 p.m.
While many music festivals have begun in recent years, Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center interim director Paul Roth says this one will be special.
鈥淭he uniqueness of this music festival is that it is on our beautiful campus which overlooks the Shenandoah Valley,鈥� Roth says. 鈥淲e believe that singing is a communal event which gathers people in worship and praise of God, even addressing issues where we believe we are called to give witness to another way of living in discipleship to Jesus Christ.鈥�
Many volunteers from 黑料正能量 and elsewhere are already assisting, but Roth says more are still needed. For information on volunteering or other details about the festival, visit the website, email singmehigh@gmail.com or call 540-438-1275. Information is also available on the festival鈥檚 Facebook page.