In 2026, families in Pickerington will have the opportunity to honor veterans with a concert on Nov. 14. Open to all ages and experience levels, the Pickerington Community Chorus has hosted its annual Veterans Day concert for five years.
While the tradition of the Veterans Day concert started in 2021, the chorus officially began in 2007 with a sponsorship from Pickerington’s Parks and Recreation Department.
As the organization grew over time, longtime member and current Director of the Community Chorus Cherie Stahlman-Knapp joined the chorus in 2015 as a singer. Occasionally, she subbed in as an accompanist.
Eight years later, she transitioned into the role of director, following in the footsteps of the chorus’ beloved former director, Lisa Robinson-Boyer.
“I’m trained as a math teacher, but I’ve always been a musician,” says Stahlman-Knapp. “I do a lot of the piano accompaniment in the area and I also play violin. But I’ve worked with choirs for a long time and I’ve learned a lot of vocal stuff, too, so I am trying my hand at choral directing, and I’m loving it.”
Arelis Hester
Singing across generations
As the director, Stahlman-Knapp took on the responsibility of coordinating two performances a year, one in the spring and one in the fall. Ahead of the dates, the chorus holds rehearsals for 12 weeks, which are open to everyone regardless of vocal experience.
Arelis Hester
Its core group typically ranges from 20 to 25 members, fluctuating due to work or their children’s school commitments.
“It’s typically retired people, and we’ve had parents in, especially active parents,” says Stahlman-Knapp. “They spend a lot of time hauling their kids to rehearsals or practices, and now they’re looking for something for themselves.”
The core group feels like family, and Stahlman-Knapp hopes to carry that sense of community forward to new generations.
Among those who have joined in recent years are Arelis Hester and her two sons, 16-year-old Zavier and 19-year-old Gavin.
Arelis Hester
Hester immigrated to Ohio from Puerto Rico and works as a supervisor of lab operations at Battelle. Her sons were homeschooled in a co-op, where they gained experience playing instruments and singing. When she learned about the chorus, Hester thought it would be a great opportunity for her sons.
“(In 2023), I found out about the Pickerington Community Chorus and wondered if they would be accepting of younger people in their group,” says Hester. “I was delighted to find out that they were so welcoming to my sons.”
For the last three years, Hester recalls both Zavier and Gavin having great experiences with the chorus and being accepted by the community. Additionally, they developed their skills with new and longer music than what was available with their homeschool choir.
While Zavier attends a program for Agriculture and Heavy Equipment at a career center and Gavin pursues a degree in health sciences at The Ohio State University, they still make it to choir practice and plan to sing in the Veteran’s Day concert in November.
Veterans Day concert
Arelis Hester
The Veterans Day concert is particularly special, as the Hester family has personal connections to the military. Hester’s brother served in Iraq, and Zavier and Gavin have both participated in Civil Air Patrol.
“I’m looking forward to the songs to celebrate,” says Hester. “To honor and to sing songs that talk about living for something greater than yourself. That is usually something that lifts me up and helps me think beyond myself. I love to see the audience… and to see how the music moves them as well.”
This year’s event also celebrates two important dates in American history.
“We’re going to celebrate… the 250th anniversary of the country,” says Stahlman-Knapp. “We’ll focus on that. And (it is) also the 25th anniversary of 9/11, so we’ll do a little segment that honors that as well.”
Similar to other years, the choir will be joined by Fairfield Elementary Music Club and American Legion Post 283, the latter of which will help with the flag ceremony. The concert will start and end by posting and retiring the flags.
Audiences can also witness a new tradition in collaboration with Mayor Lee Gray of the City of Pickerington. During a performance, the choir selects a veteran who is to be honored with a proclamation from the City. In November 2025, the choir selected Veteran Thomas Jones, who was then honored by Mayor Gray.
Among the music and tradition, Stahlman-Knapp emphasizes that the concert is a great way for the community to come together across generations.
“It’s good for them to see adults still performing, and it’s good for the adults to be reminded of where they started,” says Stahlman-Knapp.
“Involving the kids brings some energy, (and) I try to make the concerts fun and uplifting,” she adds. “You want to really feel better when you leave than when you came in. That’s what a musical performance should do for you.”
Grey Romohr is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
