Windham Hill United Church of Christ presents Family Fun Night concert

By Lorraine Glowczak

Bringing families together for joy and spiritual growth are two of the several missions of Windham Hill United Church of Christ (Windham Hill UCC). Located at 140 Windham Center Road, the church has offered a variety of events for the community to participate and enjoy. They are now kicking things up a bit with their first outdoor concert, an event to delight the whole family.

The Windham Hill UCC's Family Fun Night will
be held at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20 and will
feature Anna and Dave Patterson of High Spirits.
The husband-wife musical duo from Cape
Elizabeth have performed across the state at
many venues including the '207' television
series on News Center Maine. The cost of the
event is $10 per family. COURTESY PHOTO  

The Family Fun Night concert will take place at 6 p.m. Friday Aug. 20 and will feature Anna and Dave Patterson of High Spirits. The husband-wife musical duo from Cape Elizabeth have performed across the state at many venues including the 207 television series on News Center Maine. The cost of the event is $10 per family.

Windham Hill UCC member and one of the event organizers, Paula Smithson, said that she had initially planned this concert two years ago.

“I had seen High Spirits perform in 2019 at a 90^th birthday party I attended and really liked their eclectic style of music,” Smithson said. “Since I enjoyed their performance, my husband and I decided to see them perform again at the Snow Squall [a restaurant] in South Portland. It was there that I got the idea that it would be exciting to have Anna and Dave perform in Windham at our church – that it would be a good way to bring families together for a church family fun night.”

Smithson reached out to two other Windham Hill UCC members, Joyce Greenacre and Terri Moore and shared her idea. Both were on board and quickly prepared for this family inspired concert with High Spirits in 2020. But we all know too well why the event has been delayed to 2021.

The purpose of the event is three-fold and Greenacre explains it best.

“I hope people will see our church as being active in the community and want to encourage families to come and have a great time,” she said. “It is also important to us to introduce the new minister, Rev. Sharon Rankin. This fun evening might be a first step for some to see who we are as a church, what we do and the importance we play within the community.”

Windham Hill UCC has historical significance to Windham as it was the founding church for the town. In New England, during the 17^th and 18^th centuries, the law mandated that states enforce religious devotion. A town could not be fully established and official without first having a church congregation launched with area members attending. Windham Hill UCC was that church for Windham.

In their effort to remain a part of the town’s history, the event organizers said that a portion of the proceeds will go toward building repairs. But perhaps more importantly, a portion of the earnings will also go toward the many non-profit organizations they support.

They include the following:

Windham Backpack Program

Windham Food Pantry

Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing (of which they are one of six founding members)

Habitat for Humanity

Blessing Bags for the Homeless

H.O.M.E. Mission in Orland

It is without question that family fun is an important part of building bonds and experiences that last for a lifetime. Anna Patterson explains how music plays a role in building authentic family and community connections

“Music has such tremendous power to unite people and convey emotions that are essential to the human experience,” she said. “Our greatest hope for this concert is that people will simply enjoy themselves and that the songs we sing will bring as much joy to others as they have brought to us. We play a sampling of music that spans many years and many genres, and we always love when people can sing along or dance.”

According to their website, the sounds of High Spirits is founded in American music from Motown to Nashville. They perform cover versions of their favorite songs for weddings, proposals, graduations as well as retirement, and birthday parties. Their musical style is a bit pop, a bit folk, a bit Motown, and a bit alternative country. They have performed songs made popular by Amy Winehouse, Leon Bridges, Norah Jones, Prince, Whitney Houston, Bob Dylan, Ryan Adams, and are always working on new arrangements of songs by artists they discover.

Whether you attend for the concert spiritual growth or fun or both, the most important thing Smithson hopes for those who attend the Family Fun Night Concert by High Spirits is simple and true.

“I really just hope people have fun – as a community and as a family,” Smithson said. “If there is more gained from it – all the better.”

If the weather drives the concert indoors, the community is asked to wear masks.

For more information about the concert, contact Paula Smithson at 207-310-8031. <