Berne Swissfest, Minnesota, USA 

Berne Bell Ringers

Handbells were rung at Zwingli United Church of Christ in Berne , Minnesota for the first time on December 24, 1965 .  There have been choirs at the church for all of the 43 years. This is quite a remarkable achievement for a small country church. Zwingli Church was one of only two churches in the area to have handbells at that time.

The handbell choir is, of course, a choir playing for church services. However, it also presents concerts at the Berne Swissfest, a concert at Christmastime, and for church celebrations throughout the community.  Three concerts are scheduled for the Berne Swissfest, two on Saturday and one on Sunday.

Many young people have been a part of the handbell program. The choir now includes members that started playing handbells in their youth and now are continuing as adults. The present choir consists of ten members.

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Information:

updated: March, 20th 2008