Hebron Crossroads 7-21
By Jeff Gill

Tanglewood is the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, set in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. In a huge open air concert setting, the Shed, for around a century music has floated through the trees led by Seiji Ozawa, Arthur Fiedler, and John Williams.

Other major orchestras around the country have developed similar venues, places like Wolf Trap and Ravinia, which have developed reputations of their own for fine music and picnicking that rivals Buckeye tailgating – just with wine usually replacing beer as the beverage of choice.

Could Dawes Arboretum become the next symphonic outdoor tradition? If last Sunday night with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra was any indication, it certainly is possible. A well-organized logistical plan by our own Dawes staff augmented by many local volunteers worked in harmony with the CSO as the parking, the pre-show children’s activities, and the warm July hillside blended into a harmonious evening of music, singing, and relaxation.

Albert-George Schram, the conductor, was a high energy interpreter of classics, pops, and plain old folk tunes, not only explaining the selections and their relationship to the evening theme of "Nature Rocks!" but he also sang along lustily with everything from "America the Beautiful" to "Old McDonald."

"Grand Canyon Suite" may be a well-worn concert favorite, but the CSO converted the northwest corner of the arboretum to a little bit of the Southwest, leaving a few of the concert-goers wistful for a red rock landscape; as they played their "Stars and Stripes Forever" finale, the red rubber ball in the haze to the west left an Arizonan glow across the horizon behind the white peaks of the Arboretum Amphitheater.
Your correspondent hopes that this first appearance of the Columbus Symphony at Dawes is the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship between the orchestra and southern Licking County!

The United Methodist Church of Hebron and Hebron Christian Church are jointly offering a Vacation Bible School next weekend on Friday evening and through Saturday. At 6:30 pm July 26 registration and opening activities for children aged K through 5th grade will take place on East Main Street at Hebron UMC, ending at 8:30 pm. Saturday July 27 the program opening at 10 am will begin in the Methodist sanctuary, and activities around the theme "Rainforest Adventure" will continue through lunch to 2 pm.

A family night program with pizza and movies for adult and youth tastes will start at 4 pm in the basement of Hebron Christian at 4 pm, wrapping up with a sundae bar around 7 pm. The older youth guides for VBS will celebrate their work on Sunday with a pool plunge at 4 pm.

Pal Printing is open for business as many of you have found out by using their services next door to the Duke Station in downtown Hebron. They are celebrating a "Grand Opening" on July 23, and if you have printing or copying needs, they are the place to visit. We still have a month to the Buckeye Outdoors big day, and they’re already open for business as well. The golden arches are up at 100 Integrity Drive (who knew we had an Integrity Drive?), and our Kroger is already looking bigger and nicer than the Pataskala store. . . but who’s comparing? Still, two-thirds of America’s economic energy is in small businesses like PAL Printing, so stop by and make their official opening grand!

Jeff Gill is pastor of Hebron Christian Church and recently returned from directing church camp, so pardon the hoarse voice; if you’d like to whisper some community news to him, call 928-4066 or e-mail disciple@voyager.net.