Flower Festival 2007 May 4, 2007

Dr. Peter Raven . . . Javier Mendoza . . . Paul Winter’s Missa Gaia . . . . Amid an array of gorgeous flowers, there’s a blossoming of special events and activities at Flower Festival 2007. So mark your calendars for May 4, 5 and 6! Sponsored by the Diocese of Missouri, Missouri Botanical Garden and Christ Church Cathedral, this annual communitywide event celebrates nature’s abundance and our responsibility as stewards of the planet.

FRIDAY
Flower Festival kicks off Friday evening at 7 p.m. with an Art & Soul Café event featuring Paul Winter’s Missa Gaia (Earth Mass) and Dr. Ursula Goodenough, professor of biology at Washington University in St. Louis and author of The Sacred Depths of Nature. Dr. Goodenough will speak on "Your Place in the Family of Things," accompanied by singer Jessica Goodenough and guitarist Hillary Early. Another highlight of the evening is the performance of excerpts from Paul Winter’s Missa Gaia by the Webster University Chorale, Kathryn Bowers, conductor; and Dan Rubright. General admission is $10 for adults and $7 for students (with ID). For reservations and information, call 314-255-1636.

SATURDAY
After Dr. Peter Raven, president of Missouri Botanical Garden, speaks at the 11 a.m. Worship Service, the Street Fair begins at 12:30 p.m., rain or shine. (We move indoors in inclement weather!) Amid the food, arts and crafts, and family fun activities, there will be a performance by noted musician Javier Mendoza and dazzling acrobatics by the Everyday Circus troupe. At 7:30 that evening, the renowned Collegium Vocale performs in concert. Except for food and goods sold by vendors, all Saturday events are free.

SUNDAY
The last day of Flower Festival begins with Sunday’s regular schedule of worship services at 8, 9, 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. Dr. Peter Raven of Missouri Botanical Garden joins us again as guest speaker at both the 9 and 11:15 a.m. services. At 10:15 a.m., Dr. Raven will speak at our special forum on the environmental impacts of climate change. (Sunday also features a 2:30 p.m. concert by “The Original Boneheads,” otherwise known as the St. Louis Trombone Quartet.) At 5 p.m., Flower Festival concludes with an Evensong for Eastertide service featuring music by the First Congregational Church, St. Louis, and by the Cathedral Choir, under the direction of organist and choirmaster William Partridge.

Official Website: http://www.christchurchcathedral.us