Germantown MLK Day volunteers treated to a concert at Cliveden

Volunteers who helped clean Germantown’s Business Corridor on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service were treated to a concert at Cliveden featuring the Serena Sol Brown and the Sol Unlimited Orchestra.

The event was held after volunteers with various churches and schools near Cliveden, located at 6401 Germantown Ave., spent some time cleaning the streets and curbs, starting near the Sneaker Villa at Germantown and Chelten avenues.

“What we wanted to do is provide people the opportunity to come and get something to eat and relax and enjoy live music after service projects,” said Erica Chase, Cliveden’s spokeswoman.

An appreciative crowd

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Concert attendee Dick Cox said it provided the perfect multicultural atmosphere.

“It’s good for them to have a venue and to be with each other because if my eyes don’t deceive me, it’s black and white and that is really what mankind and womankind is all about,” said Cox.

Of Cliveden’s history, he added, “It’s not always been a good place for African Americans to think about their history because they were slaves here.”

Nate Thomas, who volunteered as a sound engineer, called the event a “free tree of life,” but rued the Inauguration Day timing to a certain extent.

“We all know that this is a very important day for the country,” he said. “I feel sorry for the people who are at the inauguration [in Washington D.C.] because if they would have known about this day, they would have had a heck of a treat.”

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