The completion of the full carillon at the top of the Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower is on track for mid-May.
County engineer Wade Weiss, who is serving as project manager at the request of the Bell Tower Community Foundation, reported to the county supervisors Monday that the newly-forged bells will arrive from Holland to the Verdin Company in Cincinnati this week. The bells that were taken down from the top of the tower last fall, and those that had been on display in the courthouse, are now ready for use with strikers.
The Foundation hopes to make an “event” of the bells’ arrival in Jefferson. To that end, Weiss suggests using a local company to bring the bells from Cincinnati.
Hanging the bells will take about three days, and Weiss is concerned about the safety of the bells if the trailer they’re sitting on is parked at the bell tower overnight. Using a local company would make it easier to move the bells indoors overnight.
Photos of each bell will be taken for the donors of the bells.
A dedication ceremony will be planned when the bells are in place. The Bell Tower Community Foundation plans to have short daily concerts weekdays at noon and longer concerts Saturdays and Sundays during the summer.
