UPDATES on Great West Window Renovation

July 29   We’ve made great progress this month on the restoration of the West window of First Presbyterian Church, Edmonton. All of the panels have been carefully dismantled, each piece of glass cleaned, catalogued and stored. New structural drawings (cutlines) are being produced to include lap-leads in the European style to spread the weight and stress on the windows more evenly. Once the glass had been cleaned we could see the non uniform movement that took place during the original... glass production. The original lime green glass is a semi-antique, this means that it has been hand made and then machine rolled which produced its surface texture. We sent samples to the largest distributors on the East and West coasts of N. America, who between them cover most of the manufacturers in Europe as well as those closer to home. Once a close match had been identified we traveled into the US to see the glass and compare directly to the original. The colour match and refraction of light for both the lime green and amber border is very close to the original. Uroboros art glass is a beautiful hand cast and machine rolled glass that is made in small runs at the Portland facility in Oregon. Here is an interesting link to a YouTube video showing the process of making the glass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKmx3qwJJ6k

June 24  We’ve had the West Window from First Presbyterian Church in our studio for a few weeks now. We’ve been going through the messy first restoration stage which is comprised of several steps: The windows are examined for condition of glass, lead came, solder joints and tie placement for saddle bars. Rubbings are then taken of each individual panel to record shape, width of lead came and the individual position of each piece of glass. After concluding the windows suitability, they are then placed into a ‘bath’ of water and Ph neutral cleaner to loosen dirt, and soften the ‘cement’ to aid removal of the lead came from the glass. The windows are carefully dismantled, and each individual piece of glass cleaned and placed on the rubbing to the exact location in the panel it was removed from. A record of placement is made, and the glass removed to storage. In some sections of the window there is evidence of damage and replacement of whole areas, necessitating sourcing a glass that will match the original as closely as possible. Samples have been sent to the largest suppliers on the East and West Coast of N. America who stock glass from the largest makers of mouth blown in Germany and France, as well as all of the American manufacturers. The next stage will be creating new structural drawings - watch this space!

May 26  The Great West Window at First Presbyterian Church, Edmonton, has been successfully removed! Here are a few photos from John's two and a half week adventure getting them out. This week back in our studio we'll be starting to dismantle the windows completely and begin the process of rebuilding them.

May 6 Rod Kurtz' story about the First Presbyterian Church Windows, featuring John, will be broadcast this afternoon at 510PM (4:10 for us in Vancouver) on CBC Radio One Edmonton. The broadcast may be heard at 93.9FM, or online at www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton

May 2 John set off this morning on his exciting adventure to Edmonton to remove and then return with the Great West Window at First Presbyterian Church. It’s about a 13 - 14 hour drive, but he’ll be stopping in Valemount this evening, which is very near to Mount Robson the tallest mountain in the Canadian Rockies - should be some good views. It will take about two weeks to remove the window and replace it with acrylic as temporary glazing during the restoration period. He’s also, according to the media liaison for the church, going to be filmed and interviewed at various point by Global television, CBC Radio, The Edmonton Journal and Heritage Canada - all that should keep him pretty busy!

Improvised Music Concert (July 22 @ 8:00pm)

Join us for a concert of music improvisations, a first meeting for this combination of Canadian improvisers.  This music will only be performed once and is your chance to be part of a unique experience! 

Performers are: 

• Lina Allemano - trumpet
• Mark Segger - drums
• Allison Balcetis - saxophone
• Scott Smallwood - electronics.

We hope you to see you on Wednesday July 22nd at 8:00 p.m. in Newcombe Room, First Presbyterian Church.  Tickets are $10 at the door.

CONCERT - Then & Now

The concert will feature the World Premiere of Longlac Tableaux by Zachary Wadsworth for organ an piano and played by Duo Majoya, Marie Giesbrecht (organ) and Joachim Segger (piano).  The work of other composers such Denis Bedard, Barrie Cabena, and Joe Utterback will also form part of the program.

This concert will take place on Friday, Sept 25 at First Presbyterian Church.  Tickets are $25 (regular) and $20 (seniors and students).   Tickets may be obtained from Ken Munro at ken.munro@shaw.ca or 780-421-1865.

All proceeds from this concert will be deposited in Mary Giesbrecht Memorial Music Fund of First Presbyterian Church.  This fund was established this year to promote and support the music program at First Presbyterian Church.

 

2015 Historic Festival & Doors Open Edmonton (July 5 -12)

OBITUARY for Loris Cathcart (1911- 1915)

On June 19, 2015 Loris Cathcart passed away peacefully at the age of 104 - An unforgettable person beloved by all who knew her.

She will be sadly missed by her children Stella (Bill), Andrew (Maria), Gaye (Gary), son-in-law Andrew, 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband Eric and her daughters Jennifer and Erica "Lambie".
 

Funeral service will be held on Monday, June 29, 2015 at 12:30 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 10025-105 Street interment and reception will follow at Westlawn Memorial Gardens 10132-163 St. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Salvation Army or Hope Mission.

See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/edmontonjournal/obituary.aspx?n=loris-cathcart&pid=175148240#sthash.WazLszJ4.dpuf

OBITUARY for Agnes Eileen Beissel (1916 - 2015)

Agnes Eileen Beissel  Oct 30,1916 - June 5, 2015  It is with heavy hearts that the family of Agnes Beissel announce the loss of their dear Mum, Granny and Great-Gran. She is survived by her son Don (Eileen), daughters Daryle and Denise; Grandchildren Sean (Heidi), Matt (Dilila), Cathy and Ryan; great-grandchildren Keilyn, Michael, Hanna, Ethan, Josie, Connor and Emma, cousin Charlie, her faithful companion Bella, numerous nieces and nephews, sisters-in-law Kay and Marie and many lifelong friends. She was predeceased by her husband Arnold and her son Dave. A celebration of her life was held on June 12, 2015 at First Presbyterian Church, 10025-105 St. Edmonton. A Private family interment was held following the service. In lieu of flowers, donations are requested in her memory to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or to the Palliative care unit at the Royal Alex Hospital. See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/edmontonjournal/obituary.aspx?pid=175049130#sthash.6ukMBtDY.dpuf

World Refugee Day - June 20

World Refugee Day - June 20

CONCERT by Duo Majoya (Sept 25 @ 7:30 pm)

Community Dinner (June 27)

We are grateful to everyone involved in the community dinners at First Church.  Without the support of our volunteers and donors these dinners would not happen. With their help we are proud to say that the dinners are now a sustainable event.

The next community dinner will be June 27 and then the volunteers will be taking a well-deserved break in July and August.

Please contact Ross Lepard at rlepard@telus.net or by phone at 780.469.8169 if you can help.

Schedule of Community Dinners
Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
July	Aug	Sept
Oct	Nov	Dec