Ariel Foundation Park, 10 Pittsburgh Avenue, Mount Vernon, OH
The free 30-minute concerts will be comprised of Scottish tunes and marches as well as some familiar hymns. Those who attend may want to bring their own folding chair or blanket. Concert dates are June 7, 14, 21 and 28, and July 5, 12, 19 and 26. Bagpipe music at sunset will once again fill the lakeside air in Ariel-Foundation Park this summer. A piper will be playing at the red bridge on Center Lake at 8:30 p.m. Sunday evenings in June and July.
Social distancing guidelines should be followed by attendees. Family/friend groups should be kept to 10 people or less with a distance of at least six feet between. There is plenty of room around the lakes to listen to the music, from the parking lots, the sunset swings, grassy areas, and small pavilions. People should avoid congregating in the large pavilions. The music should be able to be heard all around the lake. In case of rain, one of the picnic pavilions will be used and fewer people will be able to be accommodated.
A rotating schedule will be shared by three Knox county pipers: Ginny Cameron, Mark Hedge and Gary McCutcheon. These three pipers have often performed together at civic ceremonies in Knox County and by request.
Ginny Cameron, retired from teaching vocal and choral music at Mount Vernon Nazarene University, loves Scottish music and piping and sharing with the community in this lovely setting.
Mark Hedge was raised in Yorkshire, in the north of England, played descant recorder from a young age and sang in the church choir of Rotherham Minster. He taught himself guitar in high school and emigrated to Ohio 20 years ago. Hedge took up bagpipes at the suggestion of one of his daughters about 8 years ago, who would like them played at her wedding.
Gary McCutcheon has long been a figure of musical activity in Mount Vernon. He and his wife Carol were band instructors in the Mount Vernon City schools until their retirement. McCutcheon serves on the Board of the Ohio School for Scottish Arts and works with placement and supervision of student teachers with Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
Located in Mount Vernon, Ohio, Ariel-Foundation Park is a stunning 250-acre example of adaptive reuse, created on the former site of a glass-making factory. It offers architectural ruins, lakes, observation tower, walking trails, steel sculptures, a museum, and connections to both the Kokosing Gap Trail and the Heart of Ohio Trail. For more information, visit www.arielfoundationpark.org or follow the park on Facebook.
