The Harmony Handbells’ unique musical performances have been drawing crowds of local residents for years, but this past weekend brought things to a new level when more than 100 ringers from all over California and Southern Nevada converged on Boulder City for the 22nd annual Twelfth Night Handbell Festival.
Members from more than 10 choirs spent Friday and Saturday inside the Boulder City Recreation Center, training under the direction of internationally acclaimed conductor Timothy Waugh and preparing for a Saturday evening concert.
Though this was the first time the event was held in Boulder City, the festival has been a mainstay in the Las Vegas area since 1992, when it was put together by veteran ringer Janet Ty.
When Ty moved to Las Vegas, she brought with her the concept for the Twelfth Night Festival, an event she had put together in 1971 in New York and then carried into Bakersfield, California, through the 1980s.
“I started it because it’s a great chance for ringers from all over to get together and ring Christmas music,” Ty said. “Ever since I started it, there’s always been more than a hundred people, and it’s a beautiful way to remember the 12 days of Christmas.”
The 12 days of Christmas traditionally mark the time between Christ’s birth and the night of Epiphany, when the three kings arrived bearing their gifts.
Barbara Meinke, who has been directing the bell choir at Hope Lutheran Church in Temecula, California, for 22 years, has been playing the bells since she was in junior high school. She said she has been bringing her choirs to the festival for much of the past 15 years.
“It’s a great event because it’s close enough to be an easy drive for our group,” Meinke said.
“It’s like a team sport. Our choir gets to practice and play, but they also have to blend with all of these other groups and rely on each other.”
Though Ty was the impetus behind the event for its first 20 years, a few years ago she decided it was time to step away.
The event disappeared for a couple of years until one of her former group members, Alison Pruett, stepped up to bring the festival back.
“There are over a dozen choirs in the Las Vegas area, in addition to the groups that drive in from California,” said Pruett, who is a wildlife biologist when she isn’t ringing. “I decided that it was time to bring it back because this is something that can bring all of us together to share with each other, and everyone just loves it.”
Pruett moved the event to Boulder City this year because of the cost of renting a large venue in Las Vegas. Though she is still waiting for official responses from attendees to determine whether the event will return next year, Pruett is optimistic.
“We’ve received an amazing response from the community, better than anything we’ve seen in years,” she said. “People really love the venue and the beautiful town, how easy it is to walk around for food and everything.”
Contact reporter Hunter Terry at hterry@bouldercityreview.com or call 702-586-6711. Follow him on Twitter @HunterBCReview