Middle Octorara Presbyterian Church, 1199 Valley Road, Quarryville, will host an Advent service on Sunday, Dec. 4, at 3 p.m. The yearly event will include several festive Scottish traditions, performances from members of the congregation and local musicians and holiday treats.

"Even though (the service) has a heavy Scottish and Celtic theme, we want to promote the Christmas season through Advent," said Daniel Henry, vice president of the Octorara Covenanter Presbyterian Foundation.

Pastor John Barlow will give an opening prayer at the beginning of the service, and Henry will give a welcome to attendees. Musical acts will follow Henry's welcome, such as performances from local accordionist Shirley Girvin and the Solanco High School jazz band. "I love the community integration of the service," said Henry. "A lot of local families and kids usually come out to see the jazz band."

Donald and Becki Henderson will sing traditional Gaelic Christmas songs, and Donald, who is on the board of the Octorara Covenanter Presbyterian Foundation, will read the Christmas story in the Braid Scots dialect. Richard Keene, another member of the foundation, will sing "O Holy Night," and bagpiper Ruth Fisher will perform during the service as well. Fisher also serves as a judge for the yearly bagpiping competition at the Covenanter Scottish Highlands Festival in Quarryville. After the service, refreshments and holiday treats will be available in the social hall.

Before the service, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., the school room museum on the property will be open to the public. Volunteers will be present at the museum to tell stories from the church's history and several schools that used operate in the area. The museum also contains artifacts and memorabilia from the county's earlier days.

"We're pleased to be able to maintain and restore the museum and the old church," said Henry. "We hope people come to learn more about our history and have a chance to hear traditional Scottish music and learn about the culture." The Octorara Covenanter Presbyterian Foundation raised over $13,000 at the Highlands Festival in September and hopes to add restrooms to the historic Middle Octorara Church building to allow for services to be held there. In the meantime, the church will host events and services in the newer building.