CHURDAN, Iowa, Sept. 7, 2016 — The Greene County Historical Society will hear stories, reflections and possibly songs from our local music heritage when the group meets this Friday, Sept. 9, at historic St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Cedar Township, about four miles west of here.
Noted musician Sheilah McGregor Pound, of Jefferson, will present the 1 p.m. program, which is free and open to the public, in the church sanctuary. It will follow a lunch in the church basement, which is $8 per person. Reservations are required for lunch and can be made through the historical society’s community contact persons or by calling program chairperson Ces Brunow at (515) 370-5531.
“We’ve always been a very musical and artistic community,” Pound said. “It seems like through the years, we’ve had an influx of very talented people.”
She began performing early in her life with her sisters and brothers in their “McGregor Family Band,” which her mother Monica McGregor directed and accompanied. “We played all over northwest Iowa,” Sheilah said, “and we also performed in the 4H Building at the Iowa State Fair the day President Gerald Ford visited there.”
As an adult, she was music director at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Jefferson for 15 years, and she has also been music director for a number of musical productions by the Greene County Community Players theatrical group. Last winter, she was co-founder and is still director of the new county chorus, called the “Greene County Singers.”
Pound is on the staff of the Greene County Chamber of Commerce. In addition, she has also recently opened a new business, “Interpretations Music Studio,” where she’ll teach vocal and piano lessons, on the second story of the building at 101 N. Chestnut Street in Jefferson, the same building that is home to All Ability Cycles.
In her program Friday, Pound plans to review the contributions of many notable musicians and teachers who’ve been part of the music scene in Greene County – Bill & Doris McGregor, Carson Griffith, Chuck Radke, Richard Carey, the Oatts family, Tanner Taylor and many others.
Might she sing some of the story, including some of the songs that would have been favorites of Greene Countians through the decades?
“Well, I’m open to that,” Pound said. “I’ll see what I can come up with by Friday.”
Notable for people considering attending the historical society gathering on Friday, historic St. Patrick’s Church now has a “lift” that will make it much easier for people with physical challenges to deal with the stairs in the building.
