Cobblestone Museum planning annual patriotic service on July 6

File photo by Tom Rivers: Flags fly around the Cobblestone School House in this photo from a previous year’s patriotic service celebrating July 4. This year’s service is July 6.

CHILDS – The Cobblestone Museum will celebrate Independence Day with their annual patriotic service, scheduled this year at 11 a.m. July 6 in the historic Cobblestone Church.

This will be the 53rd annual patriotic service, said Sue Bonafini, assistant director of the Cobblestone Museum.

She invites guests to attend the event, which will feature several local musicians, a demonstration by former Cobblestone Museum director and Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin and dramatic readings by the museum’s three summer interns.

Musical offerings will include local pianist Raymond Santoro, who will provide piano and organ solos and accompany some patriotic hymns to be sung by the guests attending.

Musician Susan Walders has prepared some flute solos and will help lead guests in several inspirational songs.

Next, local singer Maarit Vaga will also share her musical talent.

Phoebe Kirby, daughter of Justin and Adrienne Kirby and Lattin’s granddaughter, has prepared a guitar solo.

Next, Lattin will demonstrate an interesting item from his personal collection – a historic roller organ. This is a type of mechanical musical instrument, often referred to as a barrel organ or crank organ. These instruments were manufactured primarily from the late 1860s through the mid-1920s, similar in style to organ grinder instruments, Bonafini said.

Offerings from the museum’s three summer interns – Tess Anderson, Collin Capurso and Tom Secrest – include dramatic readings of several short quotes from more than a dozen famous Americans, such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Paine, Clarence Darrow and others.

Topping this all off will be the Museum’s collection of Staffordshire Early Americana plates, showing more than three dozen scenes from early American history.

A potluck picnic on the museum grounds will follow the service at noon. The museum will provide hot dogs and lemonade. Guests should bring their own lawn chair and a dish to pass. A free will offering is always welcome. The Kendall Lions Club is providing a tent for the lawn.