Blue Point Congregational Church ‘loves its Austin’
Blue Point Congregational Church ‘loves its Austin’
Performance this weekend to mark organ’s 50th birthday
By Lucas Knowles
Editor
The Austin pipe organ that sits in the Blue Point Congregational Church still looks like new and its true age does not show. This weekend, the church will have a celebration to mark the organ’s 50th birthday with a concert by Portland municipal organist Ray Cornils. When plans were being made to expand the Blue Point Church in 1953, the F.H. Snow Canning Company said it would donate an organ “as soon as the church was ready for it.” Susan Snow, daughter of Harold Snow, said her father took a trip to the Austin organ factory in Hartford, Conn. in 1954 to see the instruments for himself and choose one for the church. She said he chose the Austin that has sat in the church for 50 years because of its design and its tone and that her father, who was the organist and choir director at the church for more than 40 years, was also the architect of the church expansion. That meant, as she said, “the church was designed around the organ.” “The organ was conceived before the church was conceived,” Susan said. “(The organ) was so important to people.” Susan said she remembers as a young girl that the entire town came together to build the new church. “Everybody, regardless of their affiliation, worked on this church…it brought the community together,” Susan said. “There was no general contractor who worked on this project…even workers from the factory worked on their breaks here.” Susan remembered that her father, during his time as organist and choir director at Blue Point Congregational Church, was at the church to play for every wedding, wedding rehearsal, funeral and service. She said he remembers that the people who installed the organ were in town for more than three weeks in the spring of 1957 and that the individual pipes were wrapped in special packages for shipping. Nancy Landsman, the musical director at the church, said when she plays the Austin, its soul comes out. “It is just such a real instrument…its soul is so real to me,” Landsman said. “It is the master of all instruments…I feel like I have this magnificent control because the sound of an entire orchestra comes from these pipes.” Landsman has been a church organist for about 35 years, stopping in New Jersey, Vermont and Maine along the way. The first service the organ was used at took place on Sept. 8, 1957. Up until that time, the church had used an electronic organ. The formal dedication of the organ was on Oct. 28, 1957 and featured a public concert. During the “We Love our Austin” campaign, the church has raised money through such events as a public hymn sing and a choir cabaret, selling “benefactor buttons,” organizing raffles and having a bottle drive. Landsman said the money raised will go toward the upkeep of the organ. The “birthday party” with Cornils will take place on Sunday, Oct. 15 at 3 p.m. Tickets at the door will be $10. The Blue Point Congregational Church UCC is located at 236 Pine Point Road in Scarborough. For more information, go to www.bluepointchurch.org.
Performance this weekend to mark organ’s 50th birthday
By Lucas Knowles
Editor
The Austin pipe organ that sits in the Blue Point Congregational Church still looks like new and its true age does not show. This weekend, the church will have a celebration to mark the organ’s 50th birthday with a concert by Portland municipal organist Ray Cornils. When plans were being made to expand the Blue Point Church in 1953, the F.H. Snow Canning Company said it would donate an organ “as soon as the church was ready for it.” Susan Snow, daughter of Harold Snow, said her father took a trip to the Austin organ factory in Hartford, Conn. in 1954 to see the instruments for himself and choose one for the church. She said he chose the Austin that has sat in the church for 50 years because of its design and its tone and that her father, who was the organist and choir director at the church for more than 40 years, was also the architect of the church expansion. That meant, as she said, “the church was designed around the organ.” “The organ was conceived before the church was conceived,” Susan said. “(The organ) was so important to people.” Susan said she remembers as a young girl that the entire town came together to build the new church. “Everybody, regardless of their affiliation, worked on this church…it brought the community together,” Susan said. “There was no general contractor who worked on this project…even workers from the factory worked on their breaks here.” Susan remembered that her father, during his time as organist and choir director at Blue Point Congregational Church, was at the church to play for every wedding, wedding rehearsal, funeral and service. She said he remembers that the people who installed the organ were in town for more than three weeks in the spring of 1957 and that the individual pipes were wrapped in special packages for shipping. Nancy Landsman, the musical director at the church, said when she plays the Austin, its soul comes out. “It is just such a real instrument…its soul is so real to me,” Landsman said. “It is the master of all instruments…I feel like I have this magnificent control because the sound of an entire orchestra comes from these pipes.” Landsman has been a church organist for about 35 years, stopping in New Jersey, Vermont and Maine along the way. The first service the organ was used at took place on Sept. 8, 1957. Up until that time, the church had used an electronic organ. The formal dedication of the organ was on Oct. 28, 1957 and featured a public concert. During the “We Love our Austin” campaign, the church has raised money through such events as a public hymn sing and a choir cabaret, selling “benefactor buttons,” organizing raffles and having a bottle drive. Landsman said the money raised will go toward the upkeep of the organ. The “birthday party” with Cornils will take place on Sunday, Oct. 15 at 3 p.m. Tickets at the door will be $10. The Blue Point Congregational Church UCC is located at 236 Pine Point Road in Scarborough. For more information, go to www.bluepointchurch.org.
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