Arts, Dining & Entertainment

Historic church service part of East Poultney Day

Saturday, Aug. 13 at 4 p. m.—EAST POULTNEY—St. John’s Church will hold its final summer service on Saturday, Aug. 13 at 4 p.m. The antique church, built in 1831, has remained unchanged in the almost 200 years since then. It has no electricity, no running water, no heat, but a great deal of charm. Worshippers, historians and the curious may sit in gated pews under globed kerosene lamps to hear a Vermont-made, bellows-operated organ still rich in sound Rev. John Miller of St. Luke’s church in Fair Haven, Vt., will conduct the Episcopal service, to which all are invited. James Cassarino, professor of music at Green Mountain College, will bring the organ to life, assisted by a young person pumping to force air through the bellows and into the pipes.
Aug. 13 is also East Poultney Day, when on the center green this village opens three museums, holds historical talks and activities, and vendors ring the green. The day is capped by the 4 p.m. service at St. John’s where visitors experience much of what the early inhabitants did. It can provide a time for thoughtful reflection on the sound values these early folk left us. After the service a roast beef dinner will be served from 5 to 7 p.m. at the 1805 Baptist church on the green.

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