Vesper service to kick off county fair
WAYNESBURG – The sound of bagpipes will echo over the Greene County Fairgrounds Sunday evening during the annual vesper service marking the start of the Greene County Fair.
Bradley Wilson, who plays the pipes with the James Randolph Pipe Band at Waynesburg University, will be a part of the musical portion of the 5:30 p.m. worship service.
A few other members of the band, which performs a traditional style of bagpipe music, also possibly might be in attendance for the service, Wilson said Wednesday.
“I’m hoping a few others will be there,” Wilson said. However, the band is formed by students, professors and alumni and it being summer most, as usual, “have dispersed to the four corners of the Earth,” he said.
The band was formed about three years ago and includes five members who play the pipes, “or who are learning to play the pipes,” and three or four drummers, said Wilson, who graduated from Waynesburg University two years ago.
The group plays in a traditional style, does jigs, reels and strathspeys and a number of other tunes suited to the bagpipe, he said.
The band is named in honor of James “Fuzzy” Randolph, curator of the university’s Paul R. Stewart Museum and professor emeritus of music.
“He was very much the inspiration,” Wilson said. “He was part of the original Waynesburg College Kiltie Band back in the 1960s.”
Randolph also is known for giving impromptu bagpipe performances on campus when classes are in session. Wilson said he was still not sure what music he will be playing for the vesper service, although he believed it would probably include “Amazing Grace” and “Faith of Our Fathers.”
Adding to the service’s musical program will be Nelson Fox on keyboards, an organist for a number of local churches and who has participated in the service in the past. Roland Daniels will be the song leader, and Rick Headlee will be the soloist.
Wilson’s grandfather, the Rev. Donald Wilson, will lead the service. It was Donald Wilson who helped revive the tradition of a worship service at the fair several years ago.
A native of Greene County, Donald Wilson returned to the area about nine years ago and was disappointed the tradition of a worship service at the fair had been discontinued. He said he talked to Greene County Commissioner Archie Trader and fair manager Larry Marshall about reviving the service and was welcomed to get the ball rolling.
A worship service has been part of the fair for the last four years.
“Sometimes it’s a struggle,” he said. “Sometimes 30 people show up and sometime only five to 10 people,” he said. “But I think if we can keep it going long enough and get other people interested, it will grow.”
Everyone is welcome to attend the nondenominational service, which will be held in the dome building next to the rabbit exhibit.
“In keeping with the theme of the county fair this year, ‘Harvest the Fun,’ this service will emphasize the joy in harvest of the blessings of our Lord,” Wilson said.