The Cape Girardeau Area Handbell Festival will be held at Jackson Middle School, 1651 West Independence, Jackson, on Saturday, May 2.

This will be a celebration of handbell music and will involve 11 individual hand bell choirs from the Cape Girardeau and Jackson areas. The event will start with rehearsal of all bell groups for mass pieces from 2:30-5:30 p.m. and conclude with a concert at 7:30 p.m.

Individual performances from each participating choir will be included in the evening concert. Four bell pieces will be done as a group, with all bell choirs ringing together, which exceeds 100 ringers.

The event was conceived and organized by Ray Waring, director of hand bells at Grace United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau. The mass choir clinician and conductor will be Jonathan Stewart, director of music at Centenary United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau.

All are invited to this large scale event. A free will offering will be taken to offset festival expenses.