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Feb/March 2006 InCider Press Page 7 |
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Men of A Chord, spent most of the day Tuesday in Clay Center delivering about 15 valentines, after working all of Monday afternoon in Manhattan. Time was of the essence, as we had to be back in Manhattan for a short window delivery in early afternoon. As luck would have it, our first Clay Center delivery was from Bill Lewis to his wife, Evelyn, at the Tasty Pastry, during her daily morning coffee time. (I’ve always wanted to stop in there and sample the homemade treats, but that wasn’t meant to be that morning!) It seems that Evelyn was at this same location about four years ago when a quartet arrived, and she was all set to be serenaded to, but they walked by and sang to someone else. Well, Bill has been planning how to get himself out of that hot water for several years, but he pulled it off this year, as she was pleasantly surprised. It also provided a perfect photo opt for our great presenter, Harvey Kiser, and even though Ned Valentine missed hearing his singing valentine from his staff at the newspaper office, we made front page spread with the photo of Bill, Evelyn and the quartet, plus a nice story about our upcoming concert in Clay Center and the spring show. Thanks Harvey and Ned! Much thanks also goes to Bill Lewis for being our tour guide in Clay Center. We’re sure Bill saved us a good hour or two as our navigator around town. A special moment for all of us was to find Betty Sharp at work and sing for her. There were hugs and tears as she gratefully accepted our gesture. (For new members, Betty is the widow of long-time member, Ray Sharp, and a devoted Barbershop fan.) Our absent recipient story isn’t quite as dramatic as Willie’s Boys, but we did deliver songs to two different teachers who were home ill, by singing into the telephone. We hope that brought a bit of cheer into their dreary day. Chaz noted that J. Lester really knows his way around the area, even finding a home out in the country near Clay Center. They also delivered a valentine to Carlos in the Post Office at Ft. Riley. After the presentation, Chaz told Carlos that he thought he had sang to him before, and Carlos admitted that was probably true. I think this is a nice affirmation from folks when we get repeat requests. Doc Klingler explained the perils of song selection when delivering a singing valentine to a man from another man. At another stop, after singing a valentine song and happy birthday to an attractive office manager, she was so overcome with emotion that she planted a big kiss on George Dickerhoof, and Doc got really excited because he was standing next to George, but all he got was a little hug! The Charades started Sunday night by performing a full show at a Sweetheart banquet in Council Grove, then were to sing for Harold Brown’s wife at their church in Wilsey. As they entered the church foyer, they could hear Harold giving the benediction, so as soon as it was over, Gene opened the door to the sanctuary; Harold saw them, and immediately told everyone to sit down and the singing valentine was dutifully delivered to Elizabeth, much to the delight of the rest of the congregation. They logged over 300 miles Monday and Tuesday. At a care Home in Wamego at lunch time, one of the residents kept looking at Gene Wiley, and she recognized him as her former boss when they worked together at K-State, so they had a nice reunion. Manhattan Music Machine got an early start at the radio station at 7am Tuesday morning and did a great job promoting the activity on the air. Pete reported they delivered a record 44 appearances, all within the Manhattan area. Jim Lindquist was named the MMM hero, fighting off a cold and bloody nose, but putting out that great baritone line. Pete noted that they sometimes sing so badly that they move people to tears, and that happened several times. I think all the quartets can relate to that. It is interesting observing the reaction from obviously very embarrassed to very touched in the heart. TNSW–when you can’t think of a quartet name, you use the initials of the members. John Schlender mentioned two of the best groups to sing to are school classrooms and a group of GI’s. They sang to a group of 200 soldiers at Ft. Riley, and in 5 different grade schools. Plans for 2007 are already underway. Bob is upping the rose order to 200! He is also soliciting any ideas from members or helpers that will make the process run smoother. For example, this year, the order form was changed to allow a $5 fee for advance notice of delivery. How do you feel about increasing the fee for the second song to $10 and to offer a digital photo option? Let Bob know your thoughts on these, or any other ideas you may have. Thanks to members and spouses who were involved to make this production happen. It certainly takes the help of the whole Chapter to make something of this magnitude operate effectively and efficiently. We offer our own valentine sentiments especially to Bob and Telva for all the extra work they do to ensure the success of the Little Apple Singing Valentine project. Steve Fisher, VP for Music and Performance |
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Continued from page 11 There are many ways that all chorus members can help make our show successful. Learn the music, learn the choreography, and smile and have fun while singing. Our show committee chairs are needing your support and assistance to accomplish their responsibilities. Please say yes if you can help or volunteer your assistance. It costs a lot of money to conduct a successful show and we rely on proceeds from the show to fund our activities as a chorus. All members need to be involved in selling ads for the program and selling tickets to the show. Jim Lindquist Co Show Chairman |