February is Black History month and I wrote a blog, https://www.wayneliddy.com/blog/80035/february-is-black-history-month  at the first of the February about the great events taking place. I hope you attended the ones that are already over and will enjoy the last two.
February 22 6 P.M. at the WISH Centre on King St. Chatham is an evening of traditional music and culture. There will be a traditional soul food dinner served with dancing after. $40.00 on Eventbrite or at the Buxton Museum.
March 1 6 P.M. 6 P.M. Black Excellence Awards and Gala at the Retro Suites Hotel on Kings St. Chatham. Celebrate this month and all its history and lessons by attending this formal gala. Tickets are $100.00 on Evenbrite or at the Buxton Museum.
I want to comment on Last Saturday’s performance at Sat. at 7 at St. Andrew’s Church in Chatham. It was “ Stand By Me” A Century of Black Music and its Origin. My wife and I attended and it was spectacular evening. The stage was transformed into a sea of candles, the light were dimmed and performance began by candlelight.
Bryan and Shannon Price were the orators. They are well known in our area for their work, knowledge and facts about of that dark period in our history when slavery existed and the descendants of those unfortunate people who endured so much and fought so hard for their freedom. As we know many of those beautiful people settled here in Chatham-Kent. They narrated a story of a slave mother and her child, their journey to freedom and their descendents history. Ironically some connecting to this area and in particular St. Andrew United Church.
Denise Pelley and  Camryn Dudley  accompanied by Marque Smith on the piano wowed the audience with their heart rendering performances telling stories in song of other individual who lived, suffered and fought for their freedom during that time.
If you missed it, you really did!  St. Andrew’s United Church does a series, Saturday’s at 7 under the direction of their talented musical director, Devon Hansen. Their several choirs are wonderful and talented. Check it out and plan to attend.