Welsh Weekend

Experience a bit of living history at the 88th Welsh Weekend in Fond du Lac on Saturday April 30th and Sunday May 1.^st  On Sunday   attend the  State Gymanfa Ganu  at 2:30pm at the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul, 51 Division Street. in Fond du Lac. This is a Welsh/English Hymn Sing sung in beautiful traditional-Welsh four-part harmony sung mostly in English. The Hymn Sing will be directed by Rev. Tom White-North Fond du Lac with Steve Jensen from Milwaukee on the pipe organ.  The Gyamfa Ganu  will also include special numbers performed by area musicians and a lovely Welsh Te Bach (tea and other great refreshments)  with tea lovingly prepared by sisters-Ann Lemmenes and Marilyn Schrader served on their collection of china cups and saucers.  There will be other activities on Saturday including a guided tour of the historic Cathedral Church of Saint Paul, lunch, informal singing, green house shopping plus other activities at the LaClare Family Creamery & Goat Farm.  Following dinner- at 7:30PM, the group will attend The South Shore Spring Concert “Let Music Live” at the FDL H.S. Performing Arts Center.

(history)

It was after an evening Hymn Sing on Sunday Evening, November 13, 1933, in the Welsh Presbyterian church in Racine that it was decided to form the Wisconsin Gymanfu Ganu.  The first hymn sing was in Milwaukee on Sunday afternoon,  September 23, 1934. They felt that the Singing of the beautiful hymns was singing praises to the Lord and helped them turn their thoughts from the tragedies and depression day struggles.  It was decided to have the Gymanfa Ganu on the first Sunday in May.  It remains the same date for the annual Wisconsin Gymanfa Ganu, now known as the Welsh Gyamanfa Ganu  Association of Wisconsin, Inc.  It is held at a different location in Wisconsin each year.  The only time the Gymanfa Ganu was cancelled was  in 2020  and 2021 when the Welsh weekend in Fond du Lac was cancelled due to the pandemic and was rescheduled now.  People from various ethnic backgrounds and church affiliations enjoy participating in the singing.  Wales has a strong and distinctive link with music, even to the point that the country is referred to as the ‘The Land of Song.’ The historic communication and revitalizing traditions of the Gymanfa Ganu have spread throughout the world.  Come and experience a bit of that living history.