CAMDEN — On Saturday, December 7, at 4 p.m., the fourteenth annual ‘Ringing in the Season’ holiday handbell concert was presented to a full capacity audience in the sanctuary of First Congregational Church of Camden.

This year’s program featured Choral Bells of the First Congregational Church of Camden; Penobscot Bay Ringers of Camden; Prescott Memorial School Choir Ensemble of Washington; handbell soloist, Debra Hall, of Rockport; and the Camden Hills Regional High School Chamber Singers.

In total, there were 54 musicians representing communities throughout Knox, Waldo, and Lincoln counties.

The free-will offering collected at the end of the performance is always given to a local charitable organization, according to Ringing in the Season, in a news release. This year, the donation was split equally between two local animal shelters: PAWS Animal Adoption Center of Camden and Pope Memorial Humane Society of Thomaston. Each organization received $804.34 as a result of the community donation.

Shelly Butler, executive director of PAWS, and Kasey Bielecki, community outreach and events coordinator for Pope, were on hand at the concert to express their thanks.

“We are honored to be the recipients of this joyous event,” said Butler and Bielecki. “Thank you to the ringers and singers for making such beautiful music, and thank you to the community for coming out to support the animals and to help celebrate Ringing in the Season.”