cori connorsAward-winning singer/songwriter Cori Connors in concert

There’s nothing like a hometown Christmas – a Christmas when you were together with family, when the high school choir set the mood for the season with its concerts, and when you saw and waved to your neighbors as they scurried among the downtown shops seeking treasures for their loved ones.

A hometown Christmas is a bit harder to find these days – strip malls and canned holiday music that starts around Halloween have seen to that, but they still do happen. In this case, we’ll listen in on a few numbers from a hometown Christmas concert by Utah singer-songwriter Cori Connors, herself one of just two recipients of this year’s Governor’s Mansion Artist Awards for artistic contributions to the state and her community.

We’ll hear a Christmas story or two, a tribute to a real-life hometown hero, a song about the reason for the season, and finally, a sing-along “Silent Night” with all the people crammed into the Farmington Arts Center to celebrate the season. I hope you’ll sing along.

Here’s to a hometown Christmas – this week on The Cricket and Seagull!  

governors mansion awardUtah singer/songwriter Cori Connors receiving the 2012 Governor’s Mansion Artist Award. Shown here with her husband dave and Governor and Mrs. Gary Herbert.