Welcome to September!!
As I search around the many church websites of the North Shore area, I see that the Sunday after the Labor Day weekend is named Rally Day, First Festival or some unique name noting that church services are returning to a state of so-called normal!
Choirs are beginning for the Fall Season! Worship services are now beginning to return to being inside sanctuaries instead of open-air outdoor meetings in a natural environment! The summer season obviously is over as well as all of the many seminars, AGO regional conventions and special learning sessions and institutes sponsored by the various religious institutions and colleges/universities – although I do see that there will be a few church music conferences scheduled during the next few months. Hence, everyone will still have some very special opportunities for some learning experiences in the near future time period!
Actually it is really exciting to see on Facebook the many postings by Organists and Choirmasters showcasing choir rehearsal rooms set up with chairs arranged and ready for their first rehearsals, piles of new and current anthems on tables ready for a first read through, choir room music shelving showing music folders all in place waiting for returning and new choir members!! The new choir season is here and ready for work on the music for the coming season of services and special events!
So bottom line welcome to a new Season for the North Shore Chapter AGO – the program committee has been working on a series of new and interesting programs and especially including some very useful learning sessions! Such is the first event on September 24th that will be a “Welcome to New Chapter Members” and will feature Dr. Phillip Kloeckner recreating his workshop that he presented at the Great Lakes Regional Convention in June on AGO Certification and centering on hymn transposition and hymn improvisation with unique introductions. All are welcome to attend on September 24th at 3:00pm at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Park Ridge. See you there!
September – is from the word Septem meaning seven. In the old Roman calendar of Romulus of approximately 750 BC, September was the seventh of 10 months and actually had 29 days until Emperor Julius added one more day.
The ancient Roman observances included the following:
- Ludi Romani – 9/12 to 9/14
- Epulum Jovis – 9/13
- Ludi Triumphales – 9/18 – 9/22
- Septi Montium
- September was the Harvest Month in Charlemagnes calendar
- September was normally called Herbstmonat – the harvest month or barley month
- Interestingly in 1752 the British Empire finally adopted the Gregorian calendar
- September of course is always known for the Autumnal Equinox
Birthstone for the month is the sapphire while the flowers for the month are the aster, morning glory and the forget-me-not
Some very interesting September observances:
- Amerindian Heritage Month
- Better Breakfast Month
- Leukemia Awareness Month
- Food Safety Education Month
- Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month
- Pain Awareness Month
- Vegetable Month
- Natural Yoga Month
- Pizza Month
Other Special Days of the Month:
- Labor Day
- International Day of Peace
- Patriot Day
- Autumnal Equinox
- Grandparents Day
- Yom Kippur
- Rosh Hashanah
- Johnny Appleseed Day
- Constitution Day
- Michaelmass Day
September Folklore:
Heavy September rains bring drought
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges
Married in September golden glow, smooth and serene your life will go
If the storms of September clear off rains, the storms of the following winter will be warm
Fair on September first, fair for the month