This Week's Program was . .
March 11, 2025
Our guests today were the Decibells, a community handbell ensemble located in Lake County. They played their tone chimes which were recently donated to them from a church. The tone chimes allows them to perform in the community. They also hope to purchase a used set of bells in the near future.
There are 15 ringers in the Decibells and 4 joined us today. Martha (the director), Chris, Vivian, and Debbie were the ringers today. While performing they also gave the history and some information about the handbells and the Decibells. Handbells were invented somewhere between 1696 and 1724 but were not brought to American until 1902. There are 2 kinds of bells, the traditional chapel bells and tone chimes. The Decibells would like to purchase a set of used bells, I believe Martha said about 63 bells would be included, from small bells to large bells. The number of bells depends on the number of octaves they want. She said new bells can only be purchased at 2 places both in Pennsylvania. The Decibells were formed in the spring of 2022.
They practice about 2 hours a week to perfect their bell ringing. Each ringer uses their full concentration to play a song. You can see the concentration on the ringers face in the photo album section of this website and in the couple of pictures posted in this story. The ladies played Danny Boy, Home on the Range, Amazing Grace, Till We Meet Again, and they performed a special Happy Birthday for Sue Ellis (Past President).
Martha told us that Blair Ridge Park in Thompson has bells that you can ring if you'd like to take a hike there. If you are interested in their free concerts visit their site http://www.decibells.org/
The 4 ringers were Martha, Debbie, Chris, and Vivian.
Look at the concentration on their faces as they play a song on the tone chimes for us. Our next meeting is March 18, 2025, in the barn at that Lake County History Center. We will listen to the 4 Way Speeches.
