Looking Ahead…

Before I launch into my post, a quick introduction…I’m Shelly Pike, announcer and on-air operations “helper-outer.” A college internship back in 1996 at NCPR lead to some part-time announcing here that summer, and full-time work that fall… I’ve been with the station ever since. These days, I’m at the station part time and mostly work on behind-the-scenes sorts of tasks to support the on-air side of NCPR, so you won’t see me much. However, you can hear my voice a few mid-days a week, covering station breaks in On Point and Fresh Air.

But that’s beside the point…

Not to rush spring (or summer AND autumn, for that matter), but I received news today that makes me excited for the holiday season at the end of year. A college friend and fellow product of the North Country, Chris Kenney, will be returning to our area November 15-19 for an Arts Collaborative residency at St. Lawrence University. Hooray!

It all started on December 1st of last year, when he casually mentioned that later that day he’d be giving his annual public presentation/performance about the origins of holiday songs. I thought it sounded interesting and fun, and wished that I was closer to the city in Ohio where he is these days so that I could attend.

All of a sudden, the gears in my head started turning, and I found myself trying to convince him to return to the North Country to share this program with his friends and neighbors back home. As we corresponded over the next couple months, the project changed and grew…and now it’s official. He’s coming back to our alma mater, to share the history and significance of holiday songs, to give a program about the history of the chimes in Gunnison Memorial Chapel at SLU (followed by a hands-on workshop on how to play the chimes – how neat is that?!), and more.

The exact details will all be sorted out in the weeks to come (and I’ll make sure I share them here on All In, the Community Calendar, etc.  – and “8 O’Clock Hour” host Todd Moe will sit down with Chris on air in November), but in the meanwhile, I’m smiling and marveling how sometimes things just work out. What a joy when a little dream comes to life.

Tags: chimes, Gunnison Memorial Chapel, holiday, St. Lawrence University