The second week of The Congregational Church UCC Concerts For A Cause features The Wineskins, an acoustic folk band from Oxford, MI, to raise money for Adventures in Learning. Adventures was founded by Manhasset’s Congregational Church in 1968 in response to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4 of that year.
Some 50 years after its founding, Adventures in Learning serves children from kindergarten through the sixth grade and continues its mission as “…an after-school educational and enrichment program dedicated to improving the lives of Long Island children in need of after-school care and instruction. Housed in the Hagedorn Community Center at the Manhasset/Great Neck EOC, Adventures provides a warm and caring environment where children develop homework skills while benefiting from computer instruction, literary and math programs, and cultural activities.” For more information, visit www.adventures-in-learning.org.
Raising funds for Adventures in Learning, The Wineskins are touring in support of their new album, “Shut Me Up Sundance,” a quote from the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Their June 8 concert at The Congregational Church will be The Wineskins’ first concert in New York. On June 9, they are playing their second Long Island show in Huntington.
Who are The Wineskins? The lyricist and lead singer, W. Keith Moore, has been friends with Congregational minister, Jimmy Only, for more than 35 years. They played in a band together in college with Jimmy on drums. (Rumor has it he might do some drumming with The Wineskins). Meeting in Nashville, TN, several decades ago, Keith Moore and Jeff Gordon formed The Wineskins with Moore writing the lyrics and Gordon writing the tunes. They are touring with two acoustic guitars, and the newest Wineskin, Greg Johnson, on upright bass and Celtic harp. For more information visit www.thewineskinsmusic.com.
The Friday, June 8, concert is the second in a series of three “Concerts For A Cause” sponsored by The Congregational Church. The third concert, scheduled for Friday, June 15, features local Manhasset favorite, Raffi Froundjian, with proceeds to benefit the Katie Oppo Research Fund (for ovarian cancer).
Tickets for The Wineskins’ concert are $25 and can be purchased using a credit card online at www.eventbrite.com. Tickets can also be purchased at the door (cash/check). The Congregational Church (UCC) is located at 1845 Northern Blvd. in Manhasset (directly across the street from the Apple Store).
For more information, call Rev. Jimmy Only or Rev. Lori Burgess at 516-627-4911 or visit www.uccmanhasset.org.
