One of the most interesting things about living in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, is that you live close to a lot of American history. In fact, here in Oaks we are right on the edge of Valley Forge National Historical Park. That means we’re just minutes from where George Washington spent the winter of 1776 and that we have a lot of deer that visit from the park.
It also means that the area has many events that don’t happen in other parts of the country. Sure, other places have a summer concert series, but how many of them have a summer carillon concert series?
We do!
Just about two miles from 422 Spacemall Storage, down Pawlings Road to PA-23 (Valley Forge Road), you’ll find Washington Memorial Chapel and the Washington Memorial Nation Carillon.
So what’s a carillon?
A carillon is a set of bells in tower players with something sort of resembling a piano keyboard. The same word can be used to refer to songs played on that instrument.
Every Wednesday night from July 5 to August 30, the National Park Service brings in some of the best carillon players in the world for free concerts at Valley Forge. Concert goers are encouraged to bring a blanket and sit out on the grass near the memorial chapel and enjoy the tunes which often tend toward religious and patriotic melodies, but sometimes feature more modern tunes played in a very old-fashioned manner.
The chapel cabin shop is open for refreshments, but attendees are welcome to bring their own and enjoy the music and the sounds of nature in the park. Concerts happen rain or shine.