Engaging New Corridors Of Recreation and Education
Morris Arboretum trip!
ENCORE operates in conjunction with the Pastoral Care Ministries. This ministry at COHS is designed to provide adults with opportunities for community through recreation, education and spiritual exploration.” The group meets at various venues in neighboring communities. The group is currently being coordinated by Louise Beebe and Maryanne Swartz.
All adults at Holy Spirit are invited to join ENCORE friends at several outings planned in the next few months. ENCORE stands for Engaging New Corridors Of Recreation and Education, so we try to plan a variety of events, including entertainment, art, music, social gatherings and visits to historical places in the area. We are always open to suggestions.
All adults (parishioners, friends, family, guests) are invited to join us for our upcoming ENCORE activities. New folks are always welcome and carpooling can be arranged.
Please let either Maryanne Swartz or Louise Beebe , know if you can join us for an event(s) and/or lunch
Events for 2025
Saturday and Sunday May 17 and 18
3 p.m. Valley Choral Society Spring Concerts
If you love the music of Broadway and classic movies, we recommend you attend the local Valley Choral Society’s Spring concert titled “Stage and Screen Spectacular: Music of Broadway & the Big Screen.”
The VCS will be presenting two shows, one at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 17, at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 81 Main St., Pennsburg, and the second at 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 18, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 19 S. Fifth St., Perkasie.
Accompanied by a full orchestra, the choir will be presenting music from classic shows such as “The Sound of Music,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Wicked,” “Hairspray,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “Beauty and the Beast.” Several of our Holy Spirit Choir members will be singing with the group.
Both are freewill offering performances. This is sure to be a popular program, so let’s get there early for seating
Saturday, June 21
Lunch and Stained Glass Exhibit at Michener Museum in Doylestown, “Super/Natural”
11:30 AM: Lunch at Panera Bread in Doylestown
1:00 PM: Visit to New Stained Glass Dome Exhibit, "Super/Natural," at Michener Museum in Doylestown
Come with us to explore a new immersive exhibit at the Michener Museum in Doylestown featuring an eight-foot-tall walk-in stained-glass dome. We’ll visit the museum at 1p.m. on Saturday, June 21, to view the unique work, titled “Super/Natural,” by Philadelphia glass artist Judith Schaechter.
According to the museum, the dome explores the idea of biophilia, the human tendency to connect with nature. The dome, which is reminiscent of a church, is designed for the viewer to walk into, and the 65 glass panels are filled with imagined insects, flora, plants and birds. The exhibition also contains nine additional stained-glass pieces by Schaechter that complement the dome.
The museum is also currently hosting two additional special exhibits, “Yesterday’s Dreams Are Real: Collecting Black Art and the Legacy of Lewis Tanner Moore,” which features sixty-five artworks by artists of color,“ and “Lisa Naples: Grounded in Gold,” which offers a group of abstract and animal sculptures by ceramic artist Lisa Naples.
The museum, located at 138 Pine Street in Doylestown, has free docent led tours from 1 to 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays. The Super/Natural exhibit is available until 3 p.m. and the museum is open until 5 p.m.
It is handicapped accessible, with all galleries and public spaces being wheelchair accessible and all floors accessible by elevator. Parking for vehicles with a disability permit is available in a designated area on South Pine Street.
Admission to the museum is $15 for adults and $13 for seniors. Tickets can be purchased in person or online at https://www.michenerartmuseum.org.
Prior to the museum visit we can meet for lunch at 11:30 a.m. at Panera Bread, 73 Old Dublin Pike, Doylestown (in the Mercer Square Weis Shopping Center. The restaurant is handicapped accessible. For menu, see https//www.panerabread.com. Please let Maryanne or Louise know if you are able to join us for lunch and/or the museum.
Saturday July 19
Lunch and Tour of Historic Pennypacker Mills in Schwenksville
1:00 PM: Lunch at Moccia's Train Stop Restaurant, Schwenksville
2:30 PM: Tour of Historic Pennypacker Mills in Schwenksville, including Performance of Civil War Music by Celtic Artist Charlie Zahm
We can tour the 40th Anniversary exhibit at the historic Pennypacker Mills in Schwenksville and also enjoy a free outdoor concert there by popular Celtic and Civil War musician Charlie Zahm on Saturday, July 19.
We’ll meet at 2:30 p.m. at the fully furnished Edwardian Pennypacker Mills mansion, which is open for tours of its new 40th anniversary exhibit until 4 p.m., when Charlie Zahm will present the outdoor porch Civil War music performance. The events are free, but a suggested donation for the mansion tour is $2 per person.
Charlie Zahm promises to bring history alive through the music of the Civil War period. His presentation tells the story of the 69th New York State Militia’s Irish Brigade. It is suggested you bring a chair or blanket to sit during the performance. Zahm is a popular soloist and guitarist at Celtic music festivals, Civil War re-enactments and Early American music events throughout the East. For more information, see https://charliezahm.com.
The exhibit, “Pennypacker Mills Through the Ages,” celebrates 40 years of serving the public with tours, nature walks, workshops and programs since it was dedicated as a historic site on May 31, 1985 by the County of Montgomery. It features photos, artifacts and timelines of previous owners and the county’s restoration of the property. The Colonial Revival mansion, which was built around 1720, is furnished with antiques collected and documented by former Pennsylvania Governor Samuel W. Pennypacker reflecting his interests in early Pennsylvania history, German and Dutch settlers, Native Americans, the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.
The exhibit is located on the second floor, which is not handicapped accessible. However, the first floor of the mansion is handicapped accessible and is equipped with wheelchair-friendly restroom facilities. For more information on Pennypacker, visit https://www.montgomerycountypa.gov/PennypackerMills.
Prior to visiting the Pennypacker site we can meet for lunch at 1 p.m. at Moccia’s Train Stop Restaurant, 1004 Gravel Pike (Route 29) in Schwenksville. The restaurant is handicapped accessible. Please let Maryanne or Louise know if you can join us for lunch and/or any of the events.
Adults and friends are always invited to join us on all of our Encore outings.
If you have any suggestions for local events or places you would like to visit, please let us know.
For more information, contact Louise (louise.ann.beebe@gmail.com) or Maryanne (maryanne93@msn.com).