How The Grinch Stole Culture

by Aaron Rowan

Tucked among the residential streets of West Modesto stands the Clinton Chapel A.M.E Zion Church. From the exterior, the modest wooden church seems largely unchanged from when it was originally built. Located at 1024 4th Street for over 120 years, the Clinton Chapel has withstood the test of time, a significant feat in a Downtown which has lost many early structures. While there are other old churches of various denominations still standing throughout the city, the 14-pew Clinton Chapel is the oldest original church building in Modesto.

First mention of Modesto’s A.M.E. Zion Church in early newspapers was on March 3, 1902 in the Daily Evening News, when it was announced plans were underway to gauge local interest in establishing a branch of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. It was Reverend A.J. Woodward, from Oakland, who was sent by the 1902 A.M.E. Conference to lead the organizing efforts in Modesto, which were fruitful as a new branch was successfully organized under the name Trinity A.M.E. Zion Church by the end of March 1902.

By April 1902, the newly organized congregation had begun fundraising, seeking $300 to purchase the “Carman property” on 4th Street between J and K Streets. The property looks to have been successfully purchased Reverend Woodward’s congregation by the end of May 1902, at which point the structure was expanded to better accommodate services for the new A.M.E. Zion Church members. On October 22, 1902, the new church was formally dedicated by Reverend Bishop George Wylie Clinton (1859-1921), an influential and prominent member of the Church who travelled to Modesto from Charlotte, North Carolina for the dedication. In honor of the esteemed bishop, the church was renamed the Clinton A.M.E. Church during the ceremony.

From that point onward, you could say the rest was history for the Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church. The Modesto Bee in 2004 rightly referred to the Clinton Chapel as a “survivor,” and the church continues to stand proudly in the same place it has for well over a century. Sunday Services are offered starting at 10:45AM, and call (209) 846-9235 for more information.

So there I was, ready to write a paragraph about my music-presenter colleague John Griswold and his Red Tie Arts winter concerts, one of the freshest and most engaging concert series in Modesto. Grandmaster Griswold co-hosted with me one of the finest nights of live music I’ve ever done. It’s been an honor to enjoy years of mutual support with him, and I was anxious for the return of his world music lineup after a couple years hiatus. We were about to enjoy Celtic rock, Portuguese fado, and other invigorating styles. Well, not so fast. The morning I sat down to compose this month’s column, I read the news that someone decided it would be a thrill to burgle all of RTA’s production equipment from its storage area, leaving the series dead in the water for now. If I caught the culprit trying to fence the gear, I would fence them all over town. As in making them ‘ride the rail,’ a punishment in early America that I’d fully endorse reviving.

This hideous heist is not the only act of sabotage against one of Modesto’s most gifted live music curators. Internal politics and financial issues recently led to the demotion of the host & programmer of another of my favorite local series. The renamed and retooled series is now a mere shadow of its former glory. I’m reminded of David Mamet’s insight about commerce versus creativity: “The artist is, in effect, a sort of gangster. He hitches up his trousers and goes into the unguarded bank of the unconscious in an attempt to steal the gold of inspiration. The producer is like the getaway driver who sells the getaway car and waits outside the bank grinning about what a great deal he’s made.” I can promise you this: I shall never let politics or profit poison the creative mission behind Modesto Unplugged. My series carries on with the qualities I value most: original songwriting, fresh and unique styles, and intimate listening spaces in which to savor them.

My world-music series SONGLINES continues this month with Two Crows For Comfort, an award-winning Canadian Americana duo. Don’t miss their glorious rootsy harmonies on Friday, 2/3 at 7:30 pm. $10 admission. In March, we’ll have a Young Artist showcase starring Philomena Iorns, leading her own program for the first time. Philomena has been part of the last couple of annual collaboration concerts I host with Opera Modesto. Here she’ll be joined by some friends for a selection of traditional songs from Scotland and the British Isles. In April, our guest is dynamic harpist Amelia Romano, one of the coolest instrumentalists I’ve ever worked with, giving a recital of Latin American pieces and original compositions. All of these evenings can be enjoyed at The Dragonfly Art For Life, 1210 J St. Come by this cool art studio for some of the freshest sounds downtown Modesto has to offer.

Intimate performances. Infinite playlist. MODESTO UNPLUGGED. www.modestounplugged.com.