CLIFTON FORGE — The Announcers will hold their 50th anniversary gospel concert Saturday, Sept. 5, at the Lone Star Advent Christian Church Outdoor Pavilion and grounds, located five miles east of Clifton Forge on Nicelytown Road.
The program begins at 7 p.m. Some seating will be available, and attendees may bring a lawn chair.
The Announcers had to cancel their 32nd annual Easter Eve Concert at the theater due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
This newly scheduled event has the Announcers returning to the church where it all began in September of 1970. There will be plenty of parking and indoor restroom facilities on-site.
This event is free and open to the public, and is hosted by the William Nicely family in memory of Nancy Nicely and by the Announcers in memory of Bill Tiffany.
In case of bad weather, the gospel sing will move into the church’s large Family Life Center. Also, the group is returning to the recording studio late August to begin another recording project with a release anticipated in early 2021.
The annual Nicelytown picnic, usually held on Labor Day weekend, has been cancelled for 2020 due to the pandemic.
The Announcers gospel group was organized in September of 1970. The group performs mainly on weekends and with an average of 30 appearances yearly.
They have sung for a great number of benefits through the years.
The group has never charged a fee to travel or sing anywhere they have been. They have traveled throughout Virginia and performed in West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee.
The Announcers have made 26 different recordings throughout the 50 years they have been together singing gospel music. Although the faces have changed to a small degree over the years, the message remains the same.
The current group of five singers has remained the same for over 25 years. Members include Dale Muterspaugh, Ryan Muterspaugh, Alan?Dale Craft, William Nicely and Larry McCallister.
The Announcers are a male southern gospel group and use soundtracks as the source of musical background. Songs include familiar hymns as well as songs made popular by professional groups.
Group members live in the Alleghany Highlands of Virginia where they have lived and worked their entire lives.
The Announcers make no claim of being professionals when it comes to music or singing.
It is only for the glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ that they perform with a desire that someone who hears the message in song will accept Him as Lord and Savior.
There can and should be no other purpose.
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The Announcers will hold their 50th anniversary gospel concert Saturday, Sept. 5, at the Lone Star Advent Christian Church Outdoor Pavilion, located on Nicelytown Road. The program, which begins at 7 p.m., is free and open to the public. Members of the Announcers include, front row from left: Ryan Muterspaugh, Alan Dale Craft. Back row: William Nicely, Larry McCallister, Dale Muterspaugh. This year’s concert, scheduled at the church where the Announcers started in 1970, is hosted by the William Nicely family in memory of Nancy Nicely and by the Announcers in memory of Bill Tiffany. Some seating will be available, and attendees may bring a lawn chair. (Photo Courtesy The Announcers)
The Virginian Review has been serving Covington, Clifton Forge, Alleghany County and Bath County since 1914.
