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Volume 15 • Issue 4 • Back to Bells 2022
Well the time has flown by, and this is my last newsletter article as Chair of Area 11. My first year was strange to say the least with the pandemic being in full swing, and none of our traditional events happening. The world around us certainly was different! Then we hit it BIG with our Camp last summer and flourished with all our events this year, capped off with our fabulous festival last month!
I’d like to thank all of our board members for their time and talents toward making our festival successful. Our clinician- Ellie Hodder was amazing and led all our ringers to be better musicians. Our performers and instructors were fabulous and can’t thank you enough. The Double Tree – Tempe were wonderful hosts and their convention center facility was perfect! Special HUGE thanks goes to our Event Planner-Mary Moffett for making this festival go so smoothly and her bell wrangler: Libbie Randals. There are so many others that volunteered and lent us bells. We would never be able to do this festival without EVERYONE!
Thanks to our retiring board members! YOU make this board so much fun and fabulous, and we will certainly miss your expertise and charm.
*Sara Nybo: Secretary-Treasurer 2 years
*Lorrie Hart: Chair-Elect, Chair, & Past-Chair 6 years
*Janet Lake: Secretary-Treasurer 6 years & Mountain Sub-Area Chair 2 years
It has been my honor and pleasure to work besides all these ladies and can’t thank them enough for their dedication to Area 11! I will continue on this board as Past-Chair and will focus on Camp 2023 in Granby, CO on June 11-15.
Thank you for support for our board and may our artform always flourish!
Love & Hugs, Anne Kleve
Area 11 Bulletin Board
Malmark Chimes for Sale - Arizona
6 Octave Malmark Chimes for Sale in Tucson, AZ – Contact Margi Zearly for more information
Schulmerich Bells for Sale - Utah
3-octave set of Schulmerich bells in great condition with cases, library of music, and additional accessories available for sale in Centerville, Utah – Contact Peggy Saunders for more information.
Dreams Can Come True – Paige Erickson
Wouldn’t it be great if there were a handbell program in every school, every community and every church? Everywhere there are musicians, there could also be handbells.
It’s a nice dream, isn’t it? Well, let’s stop dreaming and make it happen. Area 11 has several of our 3 octave sets of chimes ready to lend out. Who could apply for this grant? Teachers, music leaders, church choirs, high school choirs, elementary music teachers, Montessori groups, community choirs are all eligible, as long as they live in our area, which includes Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming and Arizona. So if you know someone that hasn’t yet tried handbells or handchimes and you think they might be interested, please share this link with them, and let them know it’s NOT too late. We still have sets to place before the school year starts. Let’s share our love of handbells with the world!
Handchime Grant Program
Area 11 Chime Chair
More Events in Area 11
September 10, 2022 – Utah Fall Tune Up
Area 11 invites you to a workshop for all ages of ringers.
Registration Now Open!
Fall Tune Up Event Page
September 24, 2022 – Ringers Roundup
Would you like to host or teach at this year’s Ringers Roundup?
Contact Nancy Roberts-Small to volunteer.
Area 11 Events Page
Handbells are for Everyone!
– LeAnna Wilmore
Area 11 Festival in Tempe, Arizona was a timely reminder of what playing handbells can do and be for all.
Watching the Copper Lite ringers, some of whom were so new to ringing that they were just learning how to grasp the handle, touched my heart with their smiles. It was so much fun to watch all the choirs perform, but especially the newest ringers.
It brought back memories of my first time hearing a bell choir and being so amazed and delighted at the music produced by a group of musicians ringing 2 or 3 bells each. It also brought back the thrills of the first year ringers in my high school bell choirs. One student with only band experience said to me, “Once you get your foot in bell choir, you can’t get it out.” How true it is. How engaging this ringing is.
It does not matter what age we begin, there is magic in making music with handbells. Handbells bring everyone together and allows them to be part of this wonderful experience.
Looking forward to seeing you all again in Salt Lake City for our festival in 2024.
LeAnna Willmore, Chair-Elect, Area 11
News from National
International Symposium
Happening this week! Experience the 20th International Handbell Symposium Closing Massed Ringing Concert in person if you live in or around Nashville or on the YouTube live stream. The concert, featuring more than 400 ringers and nine conductors from around the world happens Saturday, August 6, at 3:00 pm CDT.
LIVE STREAM: We hope you will share the opportunity to watch and listen to this performance with all your friends, family, and fellow handbell lovers.
You can go to our YouTube channel now and set a notification at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66rslIWNQzE.
Upcoming Board Meetings
August 6th – 9am MST
September 9-11 in Utah
Newsletter Archive
Click here to see any of our previous newsletters from 2012-2021.
Articles for Newsletter
Want to share an exciting experience or tips and tricks with our handbell community?
Deadline to add articles for the newsletter is the 25th of the previous month. Articles may be submitted to the Communications Chair in .doc format and with an picture of the author in .jpg format.