MIDDLEBURY — A community gathering to remember and celebrate the life of the folk singer and freedom fighter Pete Seeger will be held Saturday, Feb. 1, at 2 p.m. at the Champlain Valley Unitarian Universalist Society. Seeger died Monday night in New York City at the age of 94.
The celebration will feature music and anecdotes from Rik Palieri, a longtime friend of Seeger’s and fellow folk musician. Ron Slabaugh, a Seeger admirer who has organized concerts celebrating Seeger’s birthday for the past four years, will also participate. An ad-hoc community chorus led by Jessica Allen, the choir director at the Congregational Church of Middlebury, will sing “My Life Goes On in Endless Song,” a Quaker hymn that was a favorite of Seeger’s. (People wishing to join the choir should come to CVUUS a half hour before the service.)
The Rev. Barnaby Feder of C.V.U.U.S. will offer a brief homily on the lessons for all of us in Seeger’s non-violent work for peace, human rights and environmental causes. And time will be set aside for those attending the service to share their own stories of Seeger’s impact on their lives. Anyone with questions is invited to contact the Feder at [email protected] or 388-8080.