Continuing the tradition of more than a quarter century, A Hometown Christmas Concert will return to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Franklin on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 6 p.m. Arrive early for best seating. Guest organist Al Fedak will perform a prelude of original Christmas selections beginning at 5:45 p.m.
This prelude will be played on the newly-installed John Gale Marklove pipe organ. His Opus 151 has 6 ranks, 2 divisions, 1 manual, 6 stops, and 11 registers. This historic organ was gifted to St. Paul’s by the Episcopal Diocese of Syracuse and came from St. George’s Episcopal Church in Chadwicks, which closed in 2021. It was designed and built by this renowned Utica craftsman in 1889 and was installed in St. George’s in 1891. While Marklove built over 250 pipe organs, this is one of only 20 that survive.
The Catskill Brass and Fedak will play a variety of sacred and secular music of their own arrangement for the Christmas season. Carleton Clay and Ben Aldridge co-direct this concert.
During intermission, talk with old friends, meet new friends, or admire the architecture. St. Paul’s was designed by Richard Upjohn of New York City in the Gothic Revival style and completed in 1867. It is on the National Registry of Historic Places, as is the rest of the village.
Concert will conclude with the traditional sing-along of Christmas carols.
A Hometown Christmas is presented as a gift to the community by Tom Morgan and Erna Morgan McReynolds and the Catskill Conservancy. Admission is free, but donations towards St. Paul’s restoration fund would be gratefully accepted.
St. Paul’s is on State Highway 357, at the corner of Main and Institute streets. Parking will be available along Main, Institute, and Center streets and off Center Street in the school parking lot, which is behind the playground.
Dining on Main Street will be available at The Tulip and the Rose Cafe and Seminera’s Pizza until 8 p.m.
After dark, the village features lighted displays of homes along Main and Center streets and 55 lit trees lining Main Street courtesy of Franklin Rotary.
