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'Cave Sing' on Dec. 2 Continues Mammoth Cave Annual Tradition

Mammoth Cave National Park
Cave Sing at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky.

On Dec. 2 Mammoth Cave National Park continues its unique musical tradition that’s been held the first Sunday in December since 1980. The public is invited to kick off the holiday season with the “Cave Sing.”

The Lindsey Wilson College Singers filled the interior of Mammoth Cave with their version of the spiritual “Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning” in 2014. This year, a new group of voices from the school will perform at the annual Cave Sing.

The Dec. 2 event kicks off at 1 p.m. in the Lodge at Mammoth Cave, which is adjacent to the visitors center, with former cave guide Janet Bass Smith on the piano, along with her son, saxophonist Randall Smith, playing a medley of holiday selections. 

At 2 p.m. visitors will leave the visitors center and walk as a group the to the entrance of the cave.  Participants should be prepared to walk up and down a steep hill and climb 160 steps. Park officials advise participants to dress in warm layers and comfortable shoes or boots. Even though the cave air stays at a constant 54 degrees Fahrenheit, wind chills in the entrance are much cooler.

Participants will walk into the cave’s large chamber called Rafinesque Hall to enjoy the a cappella music of the Lindsey Wilson College Singers.

At 3:30 visitors can walk back to the Lodge for refreshments and a visit from Santa. There is no charge and the event is open to the public.

Rhonda Miller began as reporter and host for All Things Considered on WKU Public Radio in 2015. She has worked as Gulf Coast reporter for Mississippi Public Broadcasting, where she won Associated Press, Edward R. Murrow and Green Eyeshade awards for stories on dead sea turtles, health and legal issues arising from the 2010 BP oil spill and homeless veterans.