Blair Drummond, Claude Pauptit, Douglas Profitt, Sydney Baglole, Allison and Janet Reeves, William

Arsenault, Roy Christinson, Elmer Hamilton are also well known in the musical world for their play in various bands.

CHRISTMAS CONCERTS From the late 1800s, it was the custom for teachers and their pupils to plan for an Annual Christmas

School Concert to entertain their family members and interested friends. These programmes consisted of recitations, drills, monologues, dialogues and Christmas songs accompanied by guitars. One of the smallest children always opened the concert with a welcome verse.

Before community halls were built, these concerts were held in the schools. Here there was very little to work with, but stages and curtains could be improvised. Usually guitars or mouth organs were heard in accompaniment as there were no pianos in the early schools.

Later, in the community halls, teachers and pupils had a better means of planning and conducting a good programme with a large stage and good seating space for larger audiences. Happy to say the whole community would turn out to watch the children perform. At the end of the entertainment, Santa always made an appearance and passed out gifts to all the children and teachers. This was the highlight for the children and pre—school children, attending with their parents. It was a happy way for children to learn to work together, to share, give, and receive with joy and love.

We cannot talk about the Christmas concerts without mentioning J.B. Lewis. He taught three generations of children in the Freetown area and gave generously of his time, love, and great musical talents, to the children under his supervision. The Freetown young people were enriched by this outstanding man. We remember

him with love and gratitude. Submitted by Hilda Reeves

Colby Lewis, Ray Lidstone and 1.3. Lewis providing some musical entertainment.

167