INNKEEPER Richard Graham, of the Carrington Inn in Bungendore, has come up with a seasonal entertainment to mark Christmas and the pagan summer solstice.

“Carols at the Carrington” will take place under the stars in the refurbished gardens of the inn, and is billed by Graham as “a fun and classy Christmas program of music, carols and poetry”.

With a grand piano centre stage, musical entrepreneur and pianist Carl Rafferty will conduct his Opera by Candlelight Singers in a mix of traditional and modern holiday fare, including a few sing-alongs.

Graham says he’s been deep in research about the inn’s origins and found, serendipitously, that while the first Christmas music can be traced to fourth century Rome, carols as we know them today only gained popularity in the latter half of the 19th century, just when the inn was established in 1885 as a hotel and coaching station, by William Daniel Winter.

“We intend ‘Carols at the Carrington’ to become an annual occurrence in our village for both locals and visitors wanting that small-town feeling, if only for an evening,” he says.

“Holiday music gives us such a buzz, and makes us feel happy inside, regardless of our age.”

Proceeds from the program will be donated to the Abbeyfield House Bungendore project and the Salvation Army.

“Carols at the Carrington”, the Carrington Inn, 21 Malbon Street, Bungendore, from 6pm, Wednesday, December 21. Admission by pre-booking only to eventbrite.com.au or thecarringtoninn.com.au

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