Church bells to ring more in Fontanelle

Church bells have a place in history as being a joyous sound. In Fontanelle, the bell at Emmanuel Lutheran Church has tolled on the hour and half-hour for decades. It’s a sound locals have come to know, expect and love.

Sometime soon, the sound of bells will be heard more often in the community as the church takes advantage of newer technology.

According to church council member George Feazell, who met with the Fontanelle City Council to gain their permission for the expansion of bell-playing in town, there is a real bell in the bell tower that marks the time, in addition to speakers that once carried bell music to the community. The technology used to play that music has become obsolete and it has not been played for quite awhile.

The church recently obtained a more digital way to play music and signed on with a new company, which provided them with a catalog of 7,500 recordings of hymns being played by bells. Feazell told the newspaper there are many versions of many hymns, utilizing different sounding bells.

The city council authorized the church to play the bell music more, so now they will work to choose hymns that will be played. Along with Feazell, Rhonda Boehm has given much time to this project. The church’s goal is to play music at the conclusion of weddings and funerals, as well as at their Call to Worship times on Sunday mornings. Patriotic songs that are in the system may be played on holidays like Memorial Day, Veterans Day or Fourth of July.

The mechanism that makes the bell ring at certain times came from a grandfather clock and was first designed by Oscar Gross in the 1920s. His grandson, Kirk Bigelow, since updated it in more recent times, with help from his brother, Paul Bigelow. Gross died 45 years before Kirk Bigelow was born.

In the shorter term, Feazell hopes the digital system is up and ready to go this Christmas so Emmanuel can play Christmas carols through the system.

“Our mission statement is to come to the cross and honor God’s word, so if this invites people to come to the cross, that would certainly be my hope,” Feazell told the newspaper. “If that’s our vision and that’s what we’re attempting to do, we try to keep that in mind [in all we do].”

In other action, the council:

• Heard a presentation from the NV Champions 4-H Club about completing the handicap accessible area at the city park

• Passed a resolution for the urban renewal report for fiscal year 2024

• Allowed a building permit for 519 3rd Street and a burn variance for 511 6th Street that was asked for was not approved due to the burn ban

• Discussed changes to burn variance forms

• Allowed a liquor license for 16 Oaks

• Discussed a possible alternative plan for the city brush dump site, GMU contract changes, the 3rd Street bridge, electronic meeting options and sidewalk liability