Poetry and Music returns to St. John’s

“It’s a Dickens Christmas, Y’all,” one of the most anticipated events of the year in downtown Tuscumbia, is coming up this weekend.

Among the festivities is the annual “Poetry and Music” program at the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church built in 1852.

The event features poems read by community leaders and music of the season.

“Poetry and Music” starts at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13. The church is located at 300 N Dickson St.

Tommy Quinn will entertain with holiday music, playing carols on the church’s original 1880s Packard pump organ and providing vocals alongside soloist Julie Slosser.

Mayor and Mrs. T.W. Billings will add their voices to the program.

Additionally, community leaders will read Christmas-themed poems.

There is no charge for admission, but donations will be taken that go toward the upkeep of the church.

“‘Poetry and Music’ has been a key feature of ‘It’s a Dickens Christmas, Y’all’ since 2014, with many festival goers citing it as a major reason for their annual return,” said Ninon Parker, who oversees the event. “It is very inspiring, with poems running the gamut from very serious and poignant to extremely humorous, and it’s fun to see all the people from various positions bring their poems to life.”

Parker said the event was the brainchild of Ronald Rand, a longtime actor who formerly lived in The Shoals.

She said he was walking by the church one day and had the idea for the event at the venue in order to highlight the historic site and help bring about some awareness and funds for its upkeep.

“He planned and designed the program for many years,” Parker said. “After he moved, the program was picked up by us.”

St. John’s is the earliest example of Carpenter’s Gothic architecture in Alabama, and the site is preserved in its original state.