Welcome Back Weekend at Storrs Congregational Church, Aug. 26-27

Storrs Congregational Church—UCC continues its Week of Welcome tradition Aug. 26 to 27 with a full roster of events taking place on the church grounds at 2 North Eagleville Road in Storrs-Mansfield. The public is invited.

Proceeds will benefit the SCC food pantry, which serves residents in need in the greater Storrs-Mansfield area, and the Welcome Fund, with supports public accessibility at the church.

Tag-and-Bake Sale-1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday; 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Sunday

Just in time for back-to-school shopping, the annual Tag-and-Bake Sale traditionally features items such as sports equipment, small kitchen appliances, rugs, linens, kitchen goods, storage items, fabrics and crafts, office supplies, jewelry, books, gently used or newly donated UConn items and small to medium furniture: lamps, tables, chairs, outdoor garden, and patio items. The bake sale will feature a variety of homemade treats.

Sunday morning breakfast, service, refreshments

In addition to a second day of the tag-and-bake sale, Sunday’s offerings include a free breakfast for students beginning at 8:45am, a worship service at 10 a.m. in the meeting house, and free refreshments for all after the service.

Carillon concert--5 p.m. Sunday

The public is invited to settle in with their lawn chairs or blankets and a picnic to enjoy a Carillon concert on the church’s historic Austin Cornelius Denham Carillon (tower bells), an Eastern Connecticut cultural treasure. The concert is a rain-or-shine event with free admission. A playground is available on site. Video and livestream are available for those unable to attend in person.

The concert will showcase the musical talents of carillonneur Margaret Angelini, who heads the carillon guild at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Mass. Ms. Angelini and her students have performed throughout the United States and in Canada.

About the carillon: The historic Austin Cornelius Dunham Carillon (tower bells) is an Eastern Connecticut cultural treasure. The carillon is an historic instrument, one of very few carillons anywhere that are completely American made. It has 31 bells, played from a "clavier," or keyboard, high in the steeple. In 2011, as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the School of Fine Arts at the University of Connecticut, the instrument was refurbished with the addition of five newly cast bells increasing the range to three full octaves. After several years of near disuse, the Dunham Carillon now resounds every summer during SCC’s summer carillon concerts and can be heard occasionally during the academic year.

For information on SCC’s Week of Welcome events, visit the church website at www.storrscongchurch.org or call 860-429-9382.