Bangor Church to Hold Chimes Concert Sunday During Food Drive

The Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor will hold a bell/chimes concert on Sunday, while collecting food for those in need.

How do you spice up a food drive? Well, when you have one of only 6 genuine tower bell instruments in the state of Maine, you hold a chimes concert. The chimes at the church on Park Street in Bangor are also the only manually-played chimes in Bangor, and have been there since they were installed in 1919.

On Sunday, the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor will hold a 30-minute Ringing Bells and Feeding Souls concert from the tower at noon, with John Arimond playing the 11-bell, Meneely 'C Chime' instrument. The concert is part of the Second Sunday community food drive, a monthly event that ended up netting over 400 pounds of food in May, all of which was donated to the Ecumenical Food Pantry in Bangor. There are a lot of people in need right now, and so organizers are hoping for another great turnout.

Donation bins will be set up in front of the church on Park street, and organizers invite anyone who's comfortable to stand outside to listen or set up chairs on the lawn. But they also ask that everyone observe social distancing and wear face coverings, or listen from the comfort of their vehicles.

For folks who want to donate, but don't want to get out of their car, bins will be placed on the sidewalk by the church from noon to 1, so folks can drive by and make a contribution of non-perishable food items.