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By Paul Chasko

You needn't have gone any further than Chess Park in Monongahela to enjoy some fine Christian music performances, rub elbows with some great folks from the Valley, and enjoy some great food.

The Chess Park Gazebo makes an attractive feature for any event.

 "Praise and Worship in the Park" is now an annual event in Monongahela's Chess Park and this was the 10th year in the series and was sponsored, once again, by the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Monongahela.

This is a summer event enjoyed by Christians and non-Christians, young and old, from the upper Mon Valley and beyond. The celebration started Friday August 8th, continued Saturday, August 9th, and culminated with an outdoor open Sunday service on August 10th.

On Saturday, there were booths featuring a variety of great foods, crafts and games prepared and featured by local church groups. For the kids, there was face painting, a climbing wall and a variety of other events.

The main feature during the afternoon and evening were performances by a number of Christian bands and vocal groups – some fairly well-known. The groups, in order of appearance, were: From The Top; Shepherd's Voice; First Baptist Church Praise Band; First Christian Church Praise Band; Journey By Grace Praise Band; and Noel McLeary. A portable stage and professional sound system had been set up with the audience seated under a large canopy – it looked to be able to accommodate an audience of about 200.

The final group performance featured a talented Noel McLeary.

The food was prepared by many local church groups and offered for sale as church fundraisers. The variety of food available was amazing from the usual staples - hot dogs, hamburgers, hoagies, fries and pizza and soft drinks – to the, not so common - funnel fries, deep fried Twinkies and Oreos. A real favorite looked to be the peach shortcake with ice cream.

Click on "Gallery" to see more photos of this event by Paul Chasko

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