LUDLOW, Vt. — The community is invited to kick off the Christmas season with a festive night of holiday-themed SINGO, featuring live music by Ludlow musician Sammy Blanchette, on Sunday, Nov. 24, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the United Church of Ludlow.
“Christmas-Time SINGO” will be led by popular SINGO host Jane McGarry, and funds raised will be used to purchase disaster kits to be stored at the United Church, which has committed itself to becoming a community Disaster Hub.
SINGO is a musical variation of Bingo that uses songs instead of numbers to fill playing cards. It’s fun for all ages, everybody sings along, and winners get prizes in each of three rounds. McGarry runs SINGO Bingo games at Off the Rails, Black Line Tavern (Magic Mountain), and other New England venues. Blanchette, a.k.a. Sammy B, will perform the songs live on his guitar at this special event, mixing in some Christmas songs to add a holiday twist to a fun event that usually offers recorded music.
SINGO Cards at the fundraiser will cost $10 apiece, with every dollar raised going to the purchase of disaster kit materials. Learn more about SINGO at playsingo.com/. Sammy Blanchette is online at sammyblanchette.net/.
Over the years, the United Church has become a community gathering place in Ludlow, hosting concerts, events, dinners, game nights, and meetings of local nonprofit organizations, including Black River Good Neighbor Services’ Memory Café to support people with dementia. The first live SINGO event was held in May 2024 to raise funds for the restoration of the church’s historical bell. It was so successful that the church plans to hold several per year, with all proceeds going to identified charities.
The United Church has recently taken on the project of becoming a Disaster Hub for Ludlow, to create a vital support system in the event of future disasters. The church will be purchasing and storing disaster relief materials, which include clean-up tools, masks, hygiene and first aid kits, food, sump pumps, and drinking water. Learn more about the United Church of Christ’s Disaster Response Resources at ucc.org/disaster_index/disaster_resources/.
Anyone wishing to donate to the Disaster Kits project is invited to mail a check made out to “United Church of Ludlow” with the memo “Disaster Relief” to Bill Kneebone, Receiver of Offerings, at P.O. Box 12, Ludlow, VT 05149.
The United Church of Ludlow is a small, inclusive, vibrant United Church of Christ/United Methodist Church in Ludlow, Vermont. In January 2024, the congregation approved a mission that declares that it is “striving to live God’s message of inclusive love through Jesus Christ in our community, nation, and world.” Services are held on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m., in person or on Zoom. The pastor is Michelle Fountain. Learn more at unitedchurch.us.
The United Church is located at 48 Pleasant Street in Ludlow.
