The Scene

Adam Brooks Webber to perform original music Oct. 18-19 at Open Prairie UCC in Princeton

2 concerts to be presented

Adam Brooks Webber will perform a concert of his original music Friday, Oct. 18, and Saturday, Oct. 19, in the sanctuary of the Open Prairie United Church of Christ, 25 E. Marion St., Princeton.

Adam Brooks Webber will perform a concert of his original music Friday, Oct. 18, and Saturday, Oct. 19, in the sanctuary of the Open Prairie United Church of Christ, 25 E. Marion St., Princeton.

Two concerts will be given: one at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18, and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19. Admission will be free, and refreshments will be available at intermission. A free-will offering will be accepted for the support of the host church.

Webber sings a unique range of songs, usually accompanying himself at the piano. His humorous songs, in the style of Tom Lehrer, are sometimes bawdy and irreverent; other songs draw on stories from the Christian tradition, and communicate an unconventional but serious spirituality. Online, he appears as The Merry Mystic; examples of his music can be found on his musical video blog at themerrymystic.com.

Webber is a 1980 graduate of Princeton High School and has degrees from Dartmouth College, Cornell University and the Earlham School of Religion. In a former career, he was a professor of computer science. He is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and has been the pastor of the Open Prairie church since 2017. He holds a seventh degree black belt in Karatedo Doshinkan, and has published seven books, a variety of articles, and two CDs of original music.

Derek Barichello

Derek Barichello

Derek Barichello is the news editor for The Times in Ottawa and NewsTribune in La Salle, part of Shaw Local News Network, covering La Salle, Bureau and Putnam counties. He covers local and breaking news in the areas of government, education, business and crime and courts, among others.