People\, get ready! The Travelin&rsquo\; Shoes Gospel Choir is comin&rsquo\; to town!

This rockin&rsquo\; regional community choir will perform in concert on April 11th\, at 7:00 PM at St. Bridgets Catholic Church\, 211 East Division Street\, River Falls\, WI. \;A free-will offering will be collected during the concert\, with 100% of the proceeds going to benefit the work of Our Neighbors&rsquo\; Place Homeless Shelter Fund

The Travelin&rsquo\; Shoes began back in January\, 2006\, with a handful of members who all shared a love for singing\, and a desire to be of service to others.

Four years later\, the all-volunteer choir has grown to over 70 singers who hail from a dozen communities within a 40-mile radius of Lake Pepin. \; Group members come from diverse faith backgrounds\, but all agree to &ldquo\;park their differences at the door\,&rdquo\; says director Dave Zahn. He adds that the Shoes (as they often call themselves) have gradually grown to be a close-knit community of good friends.

What brings the Shoes together for weekly rehearsals and frequent concerts is their common passion for the traditional "\;roots"\; gospel music of the African-American church. \; This historic\, moving and irresistible music has had a major influence on nearly every genre of American music. \;

Whether full of joyous celebration or yearning for freedom\, these are powerful\, soul-filled songs\, and the Travelin&rsquo\; Shoes share them with contagious enthusiasm. The most straight-laced audiences find it difficult to just sit still and listen for long&mdash\;soon their toes are tapping\, and eventually they find themselves on their feet\, clapping and singing along.

Besides bringing their audiences an exhilarating good time\, the Travelin&rsquo\; Shoes Gospel Choir&rsquo\;s mission is to help raise funds to address the needs of food and shelter for the less fortunate residents of the communities where they perform. \; To date\, the group has helped raise over $76\,000 for area food shelves and crisis shelters. \; In 2009 the Travelin&rsquo\; Shoes raised money for food pantries in Pepin\, Ellsworth\, Prescott\, and Menomonie WI\; and in Plainview\, Red Wing\, and Lake City\, MN. \; The choir also raised funds for Kids Count in Red Wing and Grace Place in Hudson\, WI.

For more information about the Travelin&rsquo\; Shoes Gospel Choir\, visit \; \;www.travelinshoes.org.

Or contact: \; Dave Zahn at 715-442-4011\, or Judy Krohn at 448-2291.

Funds are being raised to purchase a building to house and protect families short term. Our Neighbors&rsquo\; Place provides support services to families and individuals of Pierce and St. Croix Counties to help people move toward independence as services are offered to assist with basic needs\, safety and access to information.

Visit: ourneighborsplace.org. \; or contact us at ourneighborsplace@gmail.com

The Day Center\, 136 N. Riverwalk\, River Falls\, \;(715)-426-9000 \;