An annual event this year becomes a gift to the town as part of the 250th celebration. The Choir Festival, sponsored by the Shepherdstown Ministerial Association, will be held Sunday, Jan. 29 at 4 p.m. at St. Agnes Catholic Church.

Choirs will perform from various churches around the area. Among those performing are choirs from St. Agnes Catholic Church, Christ Reformed Church, the Presbyterian Church, the Parish Pipers of Shepherdstown Lutheran Parish and the New Street United Methodist Church choir, as well as the Baha’i faith community of Jefferson County.

A variety of tunes will be performed during the free concert. Attendees may look forward to the St. Agnes Church choir, under the direction of Rob McClimons, who also serves as the director of the festival, performing “Spirit of the Living God” and “Glory to God.” Sarah Soltow will direct the Parish Pipers in their selections of “I Want Jesus to Walk With Me” and “You Are My Strength.”

Georgiann Toole will lead the Presbyterian church choir in two songs, “Show Me Your Ways, O Lord” and “Keep Your Lamps,” while New Street UMC’s choir will perform “Look Who’s Just Checked In” and “When the Saints Go Marching In,” under the direction of Nancy Cleaver.

A treat at this year’s festival will be the performance of “Amazing Grace” by Katherine Hutson and her husband, Robert Gregory Shaw. Members of the Baha’i faith community of the county, the duo will perform the haunting tune in both Cherokee and English. Mary Ann Morgan will direct the choir of Christ Reformed Church in their selections, the titles of which were not available at press time.

In addition to the choirs, Nancy Whalen, a member of the SMA, explained that there will be a dramatic reading from the sermons and speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The readings will be performed by St. Agnes Parish member Joe Yates.

The event is one of many that will honor Shepherdstown’s 250th anniversary this year. The kickoff to the year-long celebration was held in December and will be marked with a variety of events throughout the coming year.

The Choir Festival continues to be an anticipated yearly event. Following the festival, refreshments will be served.