Ring The Bell Festival Planned for Sunday

This year's musical celebration of spring at will encompass performances in a wide variety of styles, anchored by the joyful one-note pealing of the newly installed bell.

“Last year we had in anticipation of restoring the original steeple, which had been damaged by the Loma Prieta earthquake,” Dixon Methodist musical director Daniel Paulson explained.

This year, now that the steeple has been restored, Ring The Bell gives each person making a donation to the the opportunity of pulling the rope in the church foyer and hearing the bell ring across the rooftops of downtown Dixon.

The festivities kick off on the indoor Sanctuary Main Stage with a performance by the Dixon United Methodist Adult Choir, who will sing, with piano accompaniment, selections of sacred music. Also appearing on the Sanctuary Stage will be the West Valley Chorus, singing a capella barbershop style, and The Jazz Project made up of Dixon High students performing traditional style renditions of classic standards.

The acoustics of the sanctuary space, Paulson said, always enhance performances due to its size, wooden pews, plaster walls and high ceiling. Then the festival moves to the outdoor stage on a blocked-off block of North Jefferson Street in front of the church.

Featured performers will take advantage of a state-of-the-art sound system. Force of Habit, a Dixon rock band will play original songs in a variety of loud genres. Two members of Davis-based Moon Garden Project will play folk selections. Crush The Adversary, a thrash group, and Your Second Chance a self-described “Christian hardcore band” round out the outdoor stage performances.

Ring The Bell Festival concludes with indoor performances by members of the Davis bluegrass group Narrow Gauge (well-known regionally for bringing "a fresh, young, and energetic perspective to the music") and the Vocal Art Ensemble, a choral group whose members hail from Woodland, Davis and other Central Valley cities.

The event is scheduled for Sunday, May 1, 2-6 p.m., at Dixon United Methodist Church, 209 North Jefferson St.