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OUR BELL WILL RING AGAIN!
BELL TOWER UPDATE August 20, 2007
The internal structural work is complete, including a new ladder system
leading up to the bell. The restoration crew found even more structural
damage than originally anticipated, but all is well now. A big thank you to
Charlie Moran for his endless hours of supervision of the project.
We are now waiting to hear from the State of Connecticut to continue
progress on the outside tower and to finally hear the bell toll once again.
We have been approved for a Restoration Grant for the outside of the tower
which includes all the brick work, louvers, roof and the "clapper" (aka bell
ringer mechanism). Another big thank you to Betsy Fox and Charlie Waggoner
for the Grant writing.
We are not allowed to begin any work (or send out for bids) until we are
notified from the State as to how much the Grant money will be. They have
until the end of October to contact us. It is worth the wait because the
Grant could be up to $60,000.
So..........we continue to wait.
In the meantime, there is still time to have your name engraved on the Bell
Tower Plaque. Please contact Norm Maconi or Mary Ellen Morgan if you would
like further details.
The bell tower committee is planning on having a lively reception to
celebrate the bell ringing for the first time. We anticipate the reception
to be sometime in Spring 2008. Please let Holly Schmitz know if you would like to help
with the planning of this wonderful event.
View photos
The Bell Tower Restoration began this spring
"Let the Bell Ring Fling"
September 30, 2006: This event raised $8,500 for the restoration. Many parishioners supported the event by donating live and silent auction items and theme baskets.
Cash donations from the Cheshire Community and our Parishioners is $19,000 to date.
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History of our Bell
As many of you may know, we have a committee to use gifted funds and to raise additional money to have the bell tower repaired. The bell hasn't been rung for 15 years and we miss its tolling on special occasions as well as for Sunday services.
Our bell has hung in this bell tower for 125 years, donated by a group of parishioners in 1881. Before this bell, there was another bell dating to at least 1814. For over one hundred and ninety years a bell has tolled for St. Peter's and the town of Cheshire. The bell remains solid and capable of ringing out again, but time has taken its toll of the old beams that make up the support structure of the tower. We are contracting to have the tower repaired to be able to support the three ton bell.
We are planning many events all through the year to help raise funds and to get out the awareness of this historic treasure. "The Bell Heads", as the committee of 12 is so named, are working at three approaches that form the sub-committees; Community Awareness/Marketing, Commemorative Items, and Service Organizations. If you have any great ideas and wish to share them with the group or just have an interest in this historic project, please approach any member. We will have a float in the Memorial Day Parade and are planning a grand Auction and Dinner Dance on September 30'h. Mark that date now and plan to join your friends in fun.
Many thanks go to John and Evie Michaud for getting the ball rolling and to Holly Schmitz for so ably chairing the committee meetings twice a month. Let's get out the news that OUR BELL WILL RING AGAIN!
Catherine Mattheis
Bringing the sound back to the church bell
(Cheshire-WTNH, Sept. 22, 2006 5:25 PM) _ For whom does the bell toll in Cheshire? For no one. The bell at St. Peter's Episcopal Church was silenced 15 years ago, but the congregation is now trying to fix that.
by News Channel 8's Matt Scott
"It is an important thing to have a bell ringing, to remind people that a Christian church is at worship," says Reverend Sandy Stayner.
The bell was silenced back in 1991 to save it and the church. The two ton bell is 125 years old and the fear was that every time the bell was rung, it slid a bit to the left. The fear was the bell would drop through the floor, and the bell tower would collapse onto the church.
"The last time it rang there was this loud crash," says Holly Schmitz, bell tower renovation chairwoman. "The old rector was here, he came flying down the ladders and said I don't think it's safe to ring it anymore."
"So foreseeably, if that bell had fallen, this whole thing could have gone?"
"That bell would have gone all the way down," says parishioner Norman Maconi. "Once it got started it wasn't going to stop."
Fasteners were put in place to stop it from moving and the bell was silenced.
"It became obvious that we had to care for the structure, the steeple," Rev. Stayner said.
Now the church is on a mission. Money raised will safely fix the bell, no more swinging. The bell will now be struck with a clapper and one day soon the sounds of silence in this bell tower will once again toll for thee and the church.
"It's a sign of the new life that is here at St. Peter's, a sign that we are engaged with one another, with God, and with the world," Rev. Stayner said.
To help raise money, the church will hold a gala September 30th called "Let The Bell Ring." All proceeds go to the restoration project. For more information contact the church at http://www.stpeterscheshire.org/ or call (203) 272-4041.
ST. PETER’S FIRST ANNUAL MEMORIAL DAY FLOAT
May 2006
On a very wet and soggy April day, a dedicated group gathered to work on the Memorial Day Float, which is being created to bring community awareness for the restoration of the bell tower and to “Let the Bell Ring”. The float is truly a team effort, and as it is being constructed, various parishioners are using their God given talents.
See photos here
John Clarke designed the bell itself, which is a to-scale version of St. Peter’s bell. Created from plywood, the design feature 8 - 3 foot tall “spines” which are held together by a center supports. The design was handed off to Jim Chapman, who used his carpentry skills to construct the 3 foot tall by 4 foot round plywood bell. Jim also added a yoke to John’s design, which will allow the bell to be easily suspended upon the float, while remaining true to the St. Peter’s bell design.
During the time of this initial construction, another important piece for the float design was brought to the Clarke garage, as Frank Darius delivered their trailer for use as the base for the float. The Darius’ must have known that the trailer would one day be used for a St. Peters float, as the plywood flooring is painted Episcopal red and provides a great base for the float design!
With the trailer in place and the interior structure of the bell complete, the next step was to cover the bell with chicken wire and paper mache - which occurred on a very rainy Sunday afternoon. Dan Ciaburri and John Clarke covered the structures with chicken wire, while Tracy, Jamie and Jacob Andrews, Wendy Ciaburri and Cathy Trussell ripped up newspapers for the paper mache. Janice and Jackie Hager mixed up huge batches of paper mache paste and after a great rainy day cookout (got to keep the group energized!) the messy job of covering the bell began.
To allow total access to the bell, it was hung from the garage roof over the trailer. With the added help of Veronika Wagner and Renee Clarke, the group swarmed over the bell, slapping on the first layer of paper mache. This layer needs to dry and other layers added to the structure, before the paint is applied. To see the progression of our work, pictures of the entire messy event will be posted in the parish hall!
Other items for the float have been located. Ever the bargain hunter, Janice Hager has found an inexpensive way to create the covering for the sides of the float, called the skirt. Wendy Ciaburri has located the St. Peter’s banner which will be displayed in front of the float. Great minds are designing the structure to hold the bell, and hopefully a motor will be attached so that the bell will swing! The parishioners of St. Peters are one talented group of individuals!
There is still work to be done on the float, and time to participate in the Memorial Day Parade. Please contact Kim Clarke if you are interested in joining our work team!
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