The Gymanfa on October 8 was held at the First Welsh Presbyterian Church in the Heights section of Wilkes Barre. The First Welsh Baptist Church is a bit further north in the middle of the same block.
The well tended monument in the foreground of the previous picture is of the memorial to the members of the local community who fell in World War II.
From the opposite side you can see that the Gymanfa was held on a beautiful fall day while Y Draig Goch proclaimed the event.
In the social room they display their Welsh heritage with an assortment of mementos.
The auditorium/sancturary of the church is another of those old buildings with excellent acoustics. They were built for preaching before the age of amplifiers. It is a pleasure to sing in such an acoustically live room.
There was a modest crowd present. The population is aging and has been moving away to find jobs for at least a half century.
The choir was in place for the Gmanfa and Elizabeth Shoemaker from Leesburg Virginia was invited to provide special music with her excellent voice and skill on the harp.
Elizabeth sang the Welsh National Anthem and two numbers between sets of hymns. She also played the offeratory on her harp. Her grandmother is a member of the congregation.
Jay Williams came from Utica New York and honored us by serving as the conductor.
This photo shows Elizabeth and her harp along with her Gmanfa Chairpeson Martha Borosky and Jay Williams.
A Te Bach followed the singing.
An honored guest was this young lady who celebrated her ninetieth birthday today.