A mariachi + more concert, a yule fest, a parade, some robots, and an artful Bible on display

Berea was a busy place this weekend!

Dec 09, 2024

The annual lighting of the tree during the Danish-American Yule Fest, Sunday, December 8, at the Russell Action Folk Center. Credit: Whitney McKnight

Dear Readers,

As publisher of The Edge, this weekend had me running. Maybe you were constantly on the move, too!

If you’re not interested in all these words, then feel free to scroll down to see all the photos of happenings in Berea this weekend. Otherwise, here’s a bit of context…

It started Friday evening with not being able to get a table at Night Jar in time for us to eat and find parking for the Berea College Christmas concert. Instead, my friend and I had enchiladas at El Rio Grande, then backtracked to the bar at Night Jar where we could find room to sit and sip a quick craft cocktail — so good!

Then we were on to the concert, which was moving, elegant, raucous, technically dazzling, and so much fun.

Saturday, while helping a friend with a computer issue at the library, small robotic vehicles suddenly were zooming around the place, so I just had to ask what was up. You can hear Dr. Jan Pearce explain in her own words below.

Once the sun went down on Saturday, the brightly lit floats, fire trucks, and other municipal vehicles entered in the Berea Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade, sailed down Jefferson Street, to the delight of children and their families lining the sidewalks.

Candy was tossed from all the floats, and someone mid-parade tossed me a sleeve of powdered donuts. Then an apple turnover. Then another sleeve of donuts. Is this a new Berea tradition?

Sunday, Union Church was graced yet again with glorious sounds, this time from Anita Lerche, a Danish singer who now lives with her family in Indianapolis. Lerche sang two of her own compositions, accompanied at the piano by Union Church Music Director, Bernardo Scarambone.

Also at Union was Berea College’s copy of the Saint John’s Bible, one of only 300 copies in the world. Rev. Kent Gilbert was the only one permitted by the College’s archivist to touch this oversized collectable. He did so, explaining the techniques used by the group of artists who illustrated this Benedictine-inspired version of the holy book, using early Christian era illumination and calligraphic techniques.

Sunday evening and still more to go! This year’s annual Danish-American Yule Fest was the thirty-second, held in the Russel Acton Folk Center. Traditional Danish holiday treats, live music, sing-alongs in Danish and English, circle dances, and songs led by Lerche, all leading up to the lighting of the Christmas tree by “Santa Lucia” and her attendants.

Here’s a little medley of some of these events that many of you either participated in or took in as a spectator. Now that the holiday season is in full-swing, Monday might seem like the day you catch your breath!

As you sip your coffee, or have your morning moment to yourself, I hope you enjoy these memories from the weekend. If you weren’t able to attend the festivities, my wish for you is that you may still find time for joy and cheer.

All photos are by me. Some are better than others.

Whitney
Publisher, The Edge

Berea College’s A Celebration of Christmas 2024

On Friday, Dec. 6 and Saturday, Dec. 7, Berea College Dept. of Music and the Willis D. Weatherford, Jr. Campus Christian Center presented a concert at Union Church, at 7:30pm. Performers were the College’s Folk-Roots Ensemble, Bel Canto Treble Singers, Concert Choir, Wind Ensemble, Black Music Ensemble, Mariachi Berea, Jazz Ensemble, and Bluegrass Music Ensemble.