Sunday evening, September 14th, Back O’Town Cajun Band, featuring accordion, guitar, and fiddle, brought an hour and a half of high-energy dance music to the quiet lawn beside Christ Church Guilford in Algiers. 
Their music included classic Cajun 2-steps and waltzes, old-time country music, the blues, zydeco, swamp pop, jazz, New Orleans R&B and Mardi Gras standards.
Nearly three dozen friends and neighbors brought lawn chairs and blankets, enjoyed light refreshments and perfect weather, and even danced! The concert was free, with donations welcomed for the ongoing renovations at historic Christ Church. Many audience members peeked into the sanctuary and left charmed and enthusiastic that the church is being restored for another century of celebrations.
Pete Simoneaux, his wife and guitarist friend played and sang their jolly and mellow music until it began to get dark and dewy. In a much-appreciated and generous gesture, they donated their time and creative performance to Christ Church. 
Pete remarked that they were just delighted to play together for the first time in a year in such a beautiful setting for such an appreciative audience. They were also grateful for the beautiful, new tent that the Board of Directors recently purchased for this and future events. 
Thanks to friends and the dedication of many, the future of Christ Church Guilford looks good!
Christ Church was built in 1817, and was the first Episcopal Church in Vermont. Now cared for by the nonprofit Christ Church Guilford Society, Inc., the building has hosted the annual Friends of Music at Guilford Christmas programs, a concert by pianist Rudolf Serkin, chamber music with Sharon Robinson and Jaime Laredo, and many other programs. It is also a favorite wedding venue. The building is located on US Route 5 in Guilford’s Algiers Village, south of the Guilford Country Store.
Currently the church is closed to the public during renovations, and this outdoor concert series serves to keep the historic church in use and alive until sufficient funds have been raised to complete the work. Donations to the renovation may be made to Christ Church Guilford online or by check – thank you! 
Andy Burrows and
Valerie Abrahamsen