Demopolis Singers offer history of Demopolis in White Bluffs Pageant

For 200 years the people who have called Demopolis home have looked over the white bluffs of the Tombigbee River.

To celebrate the history of the city, the Demopolis Singers will present a spring concert of narration, music and photographs highlighting different eras its past.

The White Bluffs Pageant will be held Sunday, April 30, at 2 p.m. and Monday, May 1, at 7 p.m. in the First Baptist Church. There is no admission to the concert, which was made possible through a donation by the Alabama Power Greene County Steam Plant.

Directed by Ed Rush, the pageant will touch on events in Demopolis history, from the first Native Americans who lived along the river, to the French exiles who tried to start a vine and olive colony, the German Jews who settled in the rough frontier town, slavery and the Civil War, the Rooster Auction, the Depression, World War II, Civil Rights and the 21st Century.

Narrators dressed in period costumes will introduce each section, and the Singers, soloists and musicians will perform songs honoring the era.

As the pageant unfolds, photos of Demopolis and its people will be displayed in a photo montage prepared by Tim Hall. Janelle Baker is the accompanist for the Singers. Other musicians will join her for instrumental compositions.

Narrators dressed in the garb of the time include Bill Baker, Christopher Hoven, Sandra Booen, Jan McDonald, Jaclyn Figeroa, Brian Tripp, Lee Jordan, Tommy Carr, Ann Taylor Wood and Alex Williams. Soloists are Tristan Mullens and McDonald.