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[Back to index of September 2007 articles] Cathedral Day Will Mark 100th Anniversary By Lucy Chumbley Preparations are under way for a spectacular centennial celebration at Washington National Cathedral on the weekend of Sept. 29-30. Cathedral Day, which officially starts the centennial year, will mark this milestone anniversary from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 29 with events and activities that will showcase the building and its history, said Susan Abbott, Cathedral Day coordinator. The following day, Sept. 30, an 11:15 a.m. Festival Worship Service will feature music from the Cathedral Choirs and dancers from the Omega Dance Company. Bishop John Bryson Chane will preside and Cathedral Dean Samuel T. Lloyd III will preach at this celebratory service. Concelebrants will be Bishop Nathan D. Baxter, former dean of the Cathedral, as well as others who have served the Cathedral and the Diocese of Washington; Bishop Jane Holmes Dixon, Bishop Theodore Eastman, Bishop Ronald H. Haines, Bishop Barbara C. Harris and the Very Reverend Charles A. Perry. In addition to these festivities, reunions of cathedral volunteers, choristers, friends, staff and others will be taking place throughout the weekend, Abbott said. And at 5 p.m. Sept. 30, after Evensong, the first of a special series of celebrity organ concerts – a performance by Eric W. Suter – will take place. One hundred years ago, on Sept. 29, 1907, the U.S. Marine Band played as the foundation stone was set in place. This Sept. 29, on Cathedral Day, it will strike up again. In addition to the 130-person Marine Band, the Cathedral Day musical offerings will include jazz from the St. Alban’s Jazz Ensemble, Gospel/Bluegrass from Dead Men’s Hollow, madrigals from the Washington Revels and Scottish pipes and drums from the St. Andrew’s Society. The World Children’s Choir will perform a selection of hymns and uplifting songs, there will be an organ demonstration at 1 p.m. and at 4:30 p.m. a Choral Centennial Worship Service will feature the Cathedral choirs. To acknowledge President Theodore Roosevelt’s role in the 1907 ceremonies, which he attended with his family, a professional Roosevelt impersonator will greet visitors, and also will take part in a reenactment of that day’s proceedings, Abbott said. The reenactment – which is slated to take place at noon in the newly renovated All Hallows Amphitheater – is being scripted and performed by the St. Mark’s Players, a community theater group based at St. Mark’s, Capitol Hill. St. Mark’s was represented 100 years ago by its choir, Abbot said, as were St. John’s, Georgetown, St. John’s, Lafayette Square and St. Paul’s, K Street. “The idea of the reenactment was, how we differentiate between this and every other Open House?” she said. “This is different.” Demonstrations and talks about cathedral crafts – from stone carvers, blacksmiths, iron mongers and stained glass experts – will be offered throughout the day. There also will be flower arranging and needlepoint displays and demonstrations, as well as a chance for people to try their hand at some of these skills. Binoculars will be available so some of the Cathedral’s loftier residents, Darth Vader and the other gargoyles, can be viewed. And docents will be stationed at points all around the building to speak about its architecture and history. Visitors will be able to peruse booths from the Museum Store and the Cathedral Greenhouse, and will be able to learn more about the Diocese of Washington and various local civic organizations and ministries at other stands. No celebration is complete without food and drink, and the selection will be larger than usual this year, Abbott said. Vendors will include Armand’s Chicago Pizzeria, Rocklands Barbecue, Five Guys Burger and Fries and Starbucks, in addition to stands selling soft ice cream and oriental and Hispanic food. Cathedral Day activities for children will include special tours, a train, a tower climb, clowns, a carousel and a moon bounce in the shape of a giant birthday cake. And, because Cathedral Day is really a giant birthday bash this year, Abbott said, the opening ceremony will include cake(s) for all to share. She has invited D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty to cut the cake. For more information about this or other centennial events, visit www.cathedral.org/cathedral/centennial. [Back to index of September 2007 articles]
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