Like any church who has celebrated an anniversary, Saugeen Wesley United Church (125 years) and St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (165 years) have plenty to feel good about. To commemorate their years of service, the two churches have joined forces and planned a concert series for this season called “Sweetgrass and Thistles”, through which they hope to not only build bridges with neighbouring congregations but also explore their own roots through a blend of Aboriginal, Folk and Celtic music.

Kicking off the concert series will be Our Shotgun Wedding on Saturday, April 16 at 7 p.m. at Saugeen Wesley United Church, Highway 21, Saugeen First Nation. Described by Summerfolk Artistic Director, James Keelaghan as a duo with “infectious energy, clever, well written songs and a ton of charisma,” Our Shotgun Wedding will team up with Reverend Randy Benson of Catgut’s Old Time Mountain Review, who will bring old time fiddle and banjo tunes of central West Virginia.

The series will continue on Saturday, April 30 at 7 p.m. at Wesley United with Hot Black Coffee featuring Kelly Babcock and Rebecca Johnson, followed by an afternoon concert on May 15 starting at 2:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 47 Albert Street North, Southampton, featuring Reverend Benson’s Catgut’s Old Time Mountain Review, the Ritchie family and Sheila Robson, a young Cape Croker performer.

On June 5, the Kincardine Scottish Fiddle Orchestra will take the stage at Saugeen Wesley at 2:30 p.m. for a lively afternoon of Celtic music.

And last but not least on July 10 from 2 to 4 p.m. the not-to-miss act of the season, all the way from Nashville, Tennessee, Arvel Bird, a traditional Celtic Native fiddler will play everything from original Native American tunes to Celtic rock.

As two of the oldest churches in the area, Saugeen Wesley United and St. Andrew’s Presbyterian want their anniversaries to be about more than pure nostalgia, they want to use their celebrations as a starting point for the future and a new understanding of how they can work together to reach out to their community and build a better tomorrow, together.