Wrightstown music

Music is the universal language, some say.

And so, what better way to build bridges to the broader community than with an evening of song?

Such was the thinking from the folks at Wrightstown Friends Meeting. That’s why they hosted a coffee shop-style acoustic music event on Sunday, May 19.

Open to all, the event featured an array of performers. They picked everything from bluegrass to Americana folk tunes, and belted out old-world Celtic ballads.

Jeff Cogshall, clerk of trustees at Wrightstown Friends Meeting, said part of the inspiration for the acoustic evening was to welcome any and all so as to build stronger relationships with the community.

“Quakers have a lot to offer, but we do a good job of hiding it,” Cogshall quipped. “We’re hoping this type of event enables greater connections.”

Michelle Hunter, clerk of outreach at Wrightstown Friends Meeting, played a lead role in organizing the acoustic evening. The idea is to make Wrightstown Friends Meeting a welcoming place for the community – and to expand that into spiritual exploration, she said.

“We really want to bring people in and let them know they’re welcome,” Hunter said.

This was the first time Wrightstown Friends Meeting hosted an acoustic performance evening. It likely won’t be the last: Hunter said similar events could recur on a monthly basis.

That would be fine with attendees and performers.

“It’s a nice event, and we felt it was important to come out and support our friends,” said musician Beth Mead, of Buckingham Friends Meeting, who performed as part of the Tookany Creek duo.

A Quaker presence in Wrightstown dates back to at least the late 1600s. A log meetinghouse was first built on the site of the current Wrightstown Friends Meeting building in the early 1700s, according to a history.