Great Excitement! Bells in Orleans!

[Laura Dickerson <lauradi erols com>]

   I just had a long phone conversation with a woman at the Church of 
the Transfiguration in Orleans, MA. The bells have arrived from 
Whitechapel and are awaiting customs clearance
through Boston harbor.  The tower is just being finished this week.  The 
bellhanger will arrive on August 3rd.  Before he comes, the bells will 
be in the atrium of their building and will be
blessed in a service on August 2nd.  They have 30 people signed up 
hoping to become ringers and she got my email address from the Old North 
site to find out about how to get someone to teach all those people.   
At least some of them will be able to come to Boston for initial 
instruction.  Two of their members lived in England for a while and she 
thinks they may have had handling lessons at some point, but she was 
unsure.  About half of the people on the list are members of their hand 
bell choir, some of whom would like to learn changeringing on handbells 
in the meantime, possibly with hopes to ring for the blessing service.  
I asked whether they had done anything about sound control in the new 
tower, and she doesn't know, but will try to find out.
   It seems to me that the ideal thing would be for us in the Boston 
area to have some sort of intro course for them here and then figure out 
who can go down there for follow-up lessons once the bells
are in, but I didn't say that or promise much.     I told her I'd get 
back to her tomorrow.  Suggestions?  Offers of help or advice?
Laura Dickerson