Celebrating once again

LAKE SARAH BAPTIST SINGERS, from left, Sue Nelson, Penny Peterson, and Matt Knakmuhs sing “Love at the Five-and-Dime” at Sunday’s Celebration in Song event at Tracy Lutheran Church. Playing bass in the background is Gale Otto; Tom Morin also accompanied the group on guitar. Please see Page 12 for more images from Sunday’s event. Photos / Per Peterson

Celebration in Song returned to Tracy Lutheran Church on Sunday

By Per Peterson

GRACE HANSON, a senior at Tracy Area High School, sang a solo version of “It is Well” at Sunday’s Celebration in Song.

Nothing was going to stop Grace Hanson from performing at Sunday’s celebration in song. not even a car accident.

Hansen, a senior songbird at Tracy Area High School, rolled her car on County Road 11, en route from Marshall to the Tracy Lutheran Church. Luckily, Stacy Schuh and her son Alex happened to be driving by; they picked her up and brought her to town, where Hansen would later do what she loves the most: entertain.

“There was like a sheet of snow in one area, and when I went on it … somehow I ended up in the ditch,” Hansen said. “I rolled, and my mirror broke. My driver’s side tire, the wheel was tipped out of my car, like, perpendicular to my car.”

Thanks to her determination — and, of course, the Schuhs — Hanson was able to not only make it to the church on time, but join in the celebration. She sang a solo called “It is Well,” as the penultimate song of the annual event. To her, missing Celebration in Song wasn’t an option.

“I like dedicating my life to things that I really think are important,” she said. “Choir and chamber choir and singing with the community has always been something that’s super important to me. When I got out of my car, I was like, ‘OK, I don’t have any scratches, nothing is broken’ — I felt fine and knew I was going to get to sing. This is something I committed to and wanted to do. I was able to walk around, so I knew I was going to be able to get there.”

See this week’s Headlight Herald for more on this article.