OBU to Present 77th Hanging of the Green Dec. 6

November 25, 2014

OBU will present its 77th annual Hanging of the Green Christmas program Saturday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m. in Raley Chapel's Potter Auditorium. The community is invited to attend the celebration, titled "The Many Moods of Christmas."

The first OBU Hanging of the Green ceremony was held in WMU Memorial Hall in 1937. After the singing of carols, representatives from all dormitories lit candles of goodwill from the candle in WMU and carried the light to their own houses. In 1945, the ceremony moved to the newly completed Brittain Hall, in 1957 to the University Auditorium and, in 1961, to John Wesley Raley Chapel.

To begin the program, University Ringers will perform, followed by "Sing we now of Christmas" during the procession of choirs, featuring organist Susan Ballweg, class of '77. OBU President David W. Whitlock will welcome the audience and lead a time of prayer, and the choirs will perform "Gloria," from Messa di Gloria, and "Angels, From the Realms of Glory."

The recognition of outstanding seniors will follow. Traditionally, 20 outstanding seniors are nominated and selected by faculty as honorees for the evening. These students embody the OBU ideals and represent a wide variety of majors, disciplines and hometowns.

Honorees include Meghann Boehm, McLoud, Oklahoma; Caleb Clary, Ada, Oklahoma; Abbie Click, Tulsa, Oklahoma; Raquel Dudzevich, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Elizabeth Ellis, Tulsa, Oklahoma; Hannah (Helker) Fields, Edmond, Oklahoma; Kimes Gilbert, Moore, Oklahoma; Katie Giza, Oklahoma City; Allissa Harshberger, Meade, Kansas; and Cale Jackson, Goldsby, Oklahoma.

Also honored will be Chance Johnson, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; Danielle Lambert, Plano, Texas; Andrew Nelson, Kearney, Nebraska; Callie Neumeier, Fort Smith, Arkansas; Jonathan Polasek, Pampa, Texas; Kevin Robertson, Arapaho, Oklahoma; Kelsey Rothaus, Bethany, Oklahoma; Bryan Shuler, Red Oak, Texas; Matthew Smith, Shawnee, Oklahoma; Dillon Stallings, Oklahoma City; Laura Tessendorf, Topeka, Kansas; and Seth Wright, Oklahoma City.

After the recognition, the hanging of the green will commence, while the choirs perform "The Many Moods of Christmas," arranged by Robert Shaw and Robert Russell Bennett. The compilation consists of three suites and includes many beloved Christmas carols, including, "Good Christian Men, Rejoice," "Silent Night," "O Come, All Ye Faithful," "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing," "Angels We Have Heard on High," "The First Nowell," "O Little Town of Bethlehem," and "Deck the Halls."

The performance will conclude with a Christmas hymn titled, "All is Well," followed by a postlude of "Go Tell it on the Mountain," performed by Ballweg.