14th Annual Rev Dr Martin Luther King, Jr Community Remembrance

high contrast image of Martin Luther King's face with event details
Please join Cache Community Connections for the 14th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Remembrance on Friday, January 12, 7pm at the LDS 1st & 2nd Ward Chapel (200 W 100 S, Logan).  It will be an inspirational evening of personal reflections on Dr. King’s legacy and music.
Participants include: Aaliyah Franco, Logan High School Senior; Isaiah Jones, USU Senior Director for DEI; Ernesto Lopez, Logan City Council; Cree Taylor, USU English Department & Special Assistant to the Dean for DEI; David Zook, Cache County Executive.
Plus the Cache Valley Interfaith Choir (Randy Wellbaum, Artistic Director), the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Friends Choir (Craig Mecham, Director), and Terry Jankowski, organist.

New Series: Origins of Cache Community Connections

In September of 2001, the entire nation was reeling from an unexplained attack on unsuspecting citizens. Anger quickly replaced surprise. Even though Logan and its neighboring communities in Cache Valley were known as quiet and peaceful, whisperings of the growing unrest seen in other parts of the country began to be heard here. Some began to look at others in our communities with concern and distrust because their speech, dress, and customs suggested a possible alliance with extremists.  Sensing the potential for conflict within our previously peaceful communities, then-Mayor Doug Thompson of Logan invited leaders from government, business, civic organizations, education, and faith communities to join in a discussion and plan a response.  Cache Community Connections (CCC) was born and given a mission to unify, educate, and inspire a community with growing diversity in background, experience, culture, religious beliefs, and aspirations.

 

We have interviewed some of those community leaders who were present during those initial conversations. Their insights and recollections are presented here as both a reminder of the conditions that existed at the time of CCC’s founding and as a compass directing us to future goals. Their vision is expressed in an early statement from CCC: “Cache Community Connections is composed of a group of interfaith religious and civic leaders. It extends an open-door invitation to the leaders representing all religions and denominations and civic groups in Cache Valley in the belief that spiritual leadership and unity are vital to our community’s well-being.”

9/11 We Remember event

All are welcome to this night of remembrance and music, sponsored by the Logan Tabernacle Interfaith Events Committee and CCC. Music will be provided by the American Festival Chorus with Craig Jessop, Music Director. Guest speakers include two of CCC’s founding members, former Logan mayor Doug Thompson and Said Ghabayen, former president of the Logan Islamic Center.

  • Sunday, September 11, 2022
  • 7:00PM
  • First Ward Church (89 S 200 W in Logan)

Juneteenth Commemoration

The CCC is excited to support the community Juneteenth events this year!

Commemorate the end of slavery in the United States by participating in solidarity- and unity-building events with Utah State University June 17-19, 2022.

Candlelight Vigil

Our friends at First Presbyterian Church have organized a vigil in remembrance of community members lost to COVID-19, and to recognize the affects of suicide on our community. There will be several brief speakers, a moment of silence to light candles, and resources available for those who would like them. Therapy animals will also be present.

11th Annual MLK Day Celebration

IN LIGHT OF INCREASING COVID-19 CASES IN CACHE VALLEY, THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED!

 

We’re excited to partner with the USU Black Student Union for this year’s celebration.

Friday, January 14, 2022
6:00pm (candlelight vigil follows the program)
Historic 4th Ward Meetinghouse
294 North 100 East in Logan

Program consists of speakers and musical performances.

Co-hosted by Cache Community Connections and Utah State University Black Student Union

Christmas Concert Series 2021!

Remember last holiday season, when we weren’t able to see each other in person for holiday concerts? That season ended, and we’re excited to offer a full schedule of in-person holiday music. As the Logan Tabernacle is currently under renovation, this year’s series will take place in the historic Fourth Ward Building at 294 N 100 E in Logan (near the Cache County Senior Citizen Center).

You can find the schedule below. All performances begin at 7pm and are free of charge. Happy holidays!

  • Tuesday, December 7: Ted Erekson, master storyteller
  • Wednesday, December 8: Lori Pulotu, singer/songwriter
  • Thursday, December 9: Musicality, women’s chorus
  • Friday, December 10: Lezlee Monroe and Tracine Parkinson, songs and stories
  • Saturday, December 11: Constance Jenson, vocal performance
  • Tuesday, December 14: Miho Everitt, pianist (with Jo Hays, flute and Jenni & Mike Whitely, piano & organ)
  • Wednesday, December 15: Logan High School String Quartets
  • Thursday, December 16: Craig Mecham, singer/songwriter/guitarist
  • Friday, December 17: Wood Live Music, guitars and fiddle
  • Saturday, December 18: Jacquelyn & Marc Abbot, soprano & baritone opera singers

Pure Water: An Interfaith Community Dialogue

Cache Community Connections and the USU Center for Community Engagement are partnering with the Bear River Heritage Area to host “Pure Water: An Interfaith Community Dialogue.” The Hyrum Museum is currently displaying the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit “H20 Today,” which explores the importance of water in the natural and cultural landscapes of our country, and this dialogue event supports the community outreach mission of the exhibit.

What role does water play in your religious or spiritual practice? What is the symbolism of water in your sacred texts or influential writings? How is water connected to the core-building experiences that have influenced who you are? All community members are invited to share their beliefs and experiences in this interfaith setting, with discussion from local representatives from various traditions and Religious Studies scholars.

Participants can expect to sit at round tables with discussion prompts and will be encouraged to rotate through the tables in order to speak with a variety of other community members. Mask-wearing is encouraged. After sharing in small groups, an invited speaker panel will discuss themes that came up in conversations and provide more insight into the importance of water in many religious and spiritual traditions.

  • Monday, October 25 at 6:00-7:00pm
  • Taggart Student Center Lounges (2nd floor) at Utah State University
  • Free admission, and guests who park in the Aggie Terrace or Big Blue Terrace will receive a free parking voucher (click here to download a PDF map with the terraces marked)

H2O Today is a traveling exhibition created by the Smithsonian Institution and brought to you by Utah Humanities and the Bear River Heritage Area. H2O Today and associated events are part of Think Water Utah, a statewide collaboration and conversation on the critical topic of water presented by Utah Humanities and its partners.

Quartet for the End of Time Performances

 

As we commemorate the events that led to CCC’s creation twenty years ago this month, we are excited to partner with professors from USU’s Caine College of the Arts in their performances of Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time. This quartet was written and premiered 80 years ago in January 1941 in a prisoner of war camp, and it is a powerful work that speaks eloquently about the experience of transcendent hope in the midst of incredible loss and injustice that seems to parallel the trials that many are going through currently.

Violinist Rebecca McFaul, cellist Heather Smith, clarinetist Nicholas Morrison, and pianist Cahill Smith will perform the work twice, free of charge. Masking is encouraged for audience members.

Connecting Neighbors: Michael Bingham

ADHD has become a common word in today’s society that was often overlooked or under diagnosed in the past. Michael Bingham relates well with the challenges ADHD brings as he too has this diverse ability, as he prefers to refer to it.

Michael is an artist, sculptor, educator and activist for people with special needs and the founder of Jump the Moon, a nonprofit organization. He has harnessed the creative power of his own ADHD to create art and opportunities that bring out the best in people as they discover their own artistic talents.

For so many, Michael has uncovered the artistic talents buried under mental or physical challenges and provides lessons in art for those who never could imagine they “had it in them!”

The building for Jump the Moon (that name is another interesting story!), was located on Main Street in downtown Logan until the building was sold. Michael had to pack up and move out. For now he says Jump the Moon is homeless, but that hasn’t stopped him. If anything, with his positive attitude he holds onto his dreams and shows an excitement in his voice about his vision for the future. He considers this bump in the road a new opportunity to re-evaluate how things were done in the past and how things can be done differently in the future.

To learn more about Jump the Moon, the progress in starting up again and finding out how you can help, visit their website at jumpthemoon.org or contact Michael by email at Michael@jumpthemoon.org