Volume 2 - Issue 24
December 18, 2009 - january 1, 2010
Sleeping Beauty
COMING EVENTS
First Christian Church Celebrates
140 Years
december 19 Williams Firemens Ball december 20 Santa to visit Arbuckle
F
st. stephens episcopal church christmas program trinity united methodist church christmas pageant december 24 Santa to visit Williams Christmas Services Please See Page 10
We thank you for another great year of succes! From our family to yours, Merry Christmas from the staff at the
Williams Pioneer Review
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Opinion ............................... 4 News Back Then................ 5 Community Breifs...........10 Classifieds..........................10 Home & Garden...............11
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A few lucky Daisy Scouts made the trip to Chico to attend the ballet Sleeping Beauty. (Staff Photo)
staff report
or 140 years the little white Church on Jay Street has opened its doors welcoming local residents into the fold. It is currently the oldest Church building that has been in continuous use in Colusa County. Recently parishioners and visitors came together in celebration of the very special anniversary. The Church formed in 1855 and held its services at the Colusa County Courthouse, and was originally called Christ’s Church. Work on the structure began in August 1868 and the skilled craftsmanship of brick mason M. B. Farris is evidenced by the arched entrance, windows and louvered vents, making it a truly unique work of art. Continued on Page 2
Winter Concert Rocks Stormy Night By Tami Coder
I
t may have been damp and chilly outside, but inside the Williams High School gym it was warm, dry, and filled with good cheer. On Wednesday, December 9th, band and choral leader and teacher Corey Dearborn, and the Williams Unified music department, presented “Sea Songs”, a concert filled with traditional and not-so-traditional sea faring music. The concert opened with the Williams Jr. High band playing Calypso Clarinets, an “island” themed piece that featured a young but talented clarinet section. Home on the Range followed, a selection that sounds simple, but is actually a difficult piece to play. After the band finished with the state song of Kansas, the group launched into Thendara Overture, by far the most difficult piece of the junior high program. Filled with many note runs and leaps, the young band handled it with skill and enthusiasm. For its finale, the junior high musicians finished with Kaleidoscope. “This was a piece that we adopted into our music library, after the sight reading session from last year’s CMEA Festival,” Mr. Dearborn explained. Next on the program was a presentation from the Williams High/ Jr. High Women’s Choir. But first, there was a surprise performance by two multi-talented sisters, WHS freshman Rebecca White, and junior Lisa White. Playing acoustic guitar, Lisa sang a hauntingly beautiful love song she wrote herself, entitled “Mistakes”. Backing up Lisa was her sister Rebecca on the electric guitar. The choir began with a Spanish carol called A La Nanita Nana, followed by a difficult Sacred Motet in three parts, entitled For the Beauty of the Earth. Next, the girls belted out gospel favorite, Ain’t That Good News. Finally, the choir headed back to the theme of the evening by singing Drunken Sailor, transitioning
(Photo by Tami Coder) the song over to the High School Concert band. “The choir is only in its second year since I have been here in Williams, and the girls are doing a great job!” enthused Dearborn. After a rousing version of the Drunken Sailor, the concert band followed with British Eight, a marching song published in 1944, celebrating a triumphant sweep by the British army across North Africa in 1942. The next song was one of the most popular performances of the evening, as the high school musicians rocked the gym with a medley of songs from the blockbuster Disney movie, The Little Mermaid. Finally, the concert band finished their portion of the program with Sea Songs, the inspiration for the title of this year’s winter concert. “This four minute work is based on the sea songs ‘Princess Royal‘, ‘Admiral Benbow‘, and ‘Portsmouth’,” Mr. Dearborn explained. “This march was originally arranged for brass and military bands in 1923, but was expanded to a full orchestra in 1942. The kids do it proud.” To complete the evening, the Yellowjacket Jazz Band took the stage. This dedicated group of musicians, ranging in age from
11 to 18, and 7th grade through 12th, meets for class at 7:30 am every day, or “0”period. Their hard work was easy to recognize as they awed the crowd with Coltrane classic Blue Train. During this piece, four different musicians performed high energy, crowd pleasing solos: Lisa White on alto saxophone, John Rivera on trumpet, Sandra Cruz on tenor saxophone, and Rylee Coder on trombone. To keep with the holiday spirit, the jazz band then performed Greensleeves, featuring a duet between Jessi Coder on trumpet, and Danica Sanders on alto sax. Next came the song Jazz to the World, a holiday tune based on Joy to the World but with a definite jazz flavor. Finishing up the concert, the jazz band performed long time favorite Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. As the concert came to a close and the musicians took their bows, the crowd stood and cheered. It was a dark and stormy night, but for just a little while, the light and warmth from the faces and hearts of these young musicians brought us all out of the cold, and filled us up with goodness and light.