Praise In The Park to be held on Sunday, June 21

"Praise In The Park," an inspirational evening of live outdoor praise and worship music at Hyde Park, 1 Hyde Park Road in downtown Stafford Springs, will be held on Sunday, June 21 at 6 pm. The event is free and open to the public. Participants are encouraged to bring blankets, folding chairs and umbrellas. The venue is within walking distance of several local restaurants on Main Street.

Leading the music will be Dave Pettigrew from Ridgefield, New Jersey. Pettigrew is a popular composer, singer, keyboardist and recording artist who has performed across the United States, including Connecticut, for over 20 years. Past local gigs have included JesusFest and Jacob's Well Christian Coffeehouse in Vernon and the WIHS 104.9 FM Christian Radio Amphitheater in Middletown.

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Hyde Park is a pleasant venue for outdoor concerts, with a covered stage facing a grassy hill. According to published accounts, Hyde Park includes 150 acres nestled in the downtown area on the south side of Middle River. In 1897, Stafford native Isaac Perkins Hyde, owner of Hyde Manufacturing in Southbridge, Massachusetts, bequeathed funds to the town of Stafford to purchase land for a public park. Named Hyde Park, the park was to be maintained in perpetuity for the residents of Stafford. In 1911, the trustees of the fund chose the estate of Julius Converse, owner of the Mineral Springs Manufacturing Company, the Springs House, and the Mineral Springs to establish Hyde Park.

Today, Hyde Park features tennis courts, baseball fields, a playscape and a two-mile loop hiking trail on the hill behind the amphitheater and the former Earl M. Witt School, which is slated for redevelopment.

Praise In The Park is being hosted by Dave Galotto, Owner of Galotto Realty in Stafford Springs. A grassroots group of local Christians from many area churches is helping Galotto with this event. For details, please visit www.DavePettigrew.net.