Local residents are not only invited, they will be urged to join a sing-along of traditional Christmas favorites.

Called “Christmas Story,” the concert will feature the Fort Dodge Choral Society and Jive for Five!, a brass quintet.

“I think that Christmas is a time of great beauty,” said Bruce Perry, conductor of the Fort Dodge Choral Society. “It is a time when music really touches at our heart strings.”

He said the concert will be the “closest thing to a traditional gathering around the Christmas tree and hearing familiar carols.”

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
Bruce Perry of Fort Dodge plays the piano and conducts the Fort Dodge Choral Society and the Jive for Five Bass during rehearsal at First United Methodist Church on Monday.

The event will start at 2:15 p.m. with a reception. At 2:30 p.m. there will be a sing-along of traditional Christmas carols. The performance by the Fort Dodge Choral Society and Jive for Five! will begin at 3 p.m.

The reception, sing-along and concert will all be at First United Methodist Church at the corner of First Avenue North and 10th Street.

Admission is $12 or by season membership. All students will be admitted free.

Perry said the concert will begin with an a capella song “The glory of the Father.”

Jive for Five! and organist Jeanette Hinkeldey, of Aurelia, will accompany the choir on the majority of the songs. The brass quintet will also play three songs on its own.

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
Leslie Reetz of Fort Dodge sings with the Fort Dodge Choral Society and the Jive for Five Bass during rehearsal at First United Methodist Church on Monday.

The choral society has 35 singers.

Jive for Five! consists of Tim Miller and Dave Swaroff on trumpet, Kathy Yoakam on horn, Dan Cassady on trombone and Paul Bloomquist on tuba.

With a vast array of Christmas music to chose from, Perry said he had a time-consuming task picking songs for the upcoming show. He said he picked songs written for choir and brass. He added that he tried to find a balance between traditional favorites and less familiar tunes.

If You Go

What: “Christmas Story,” a concert by the Fort Dodge Choral Society and Jive for Five!

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
Roberta Bochtler of Fort Dodge sings with the Fort Dodge Choral Society and the Jive for Five Bass during rehearsal at First United Methodist Church on Monday.

When: Sunday, with reception at 2:15 p.m., sing-along at 2:30 p.m. and concert at 3 p.m.

Where: First United Methodist Church, First Avenue North and 10th Street

Admission: Choral Society season membership or $12; students admitted free

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla
The Fort Dodge Choral Society rehearse their Christmas Concert at the First United Methodist Church.