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March 2008 InCider Press Page 3 |
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Like a well-oiled machine, Manhattan Chapter's $inging Valentine$ program came to town, busied itself occasionally during January and early February, then took center stage for Cupid's day on Thursday, the 14th of February. In review, we don't know how we could have done better. Of course, the secret to making this program run is the people involved, and we had plenty of volunteers to make most of the obligations we accepted. Only when the time or distance investment became too great for the benefit did we have to forego singing a love song for someone's sweetheart. Of the 134 orders we received we only declined two because of difficulty in scheduling, and two others were not possible because of sickness and un-availability. Now for people, we just couldn't have done it so well had not MIKE SEXTON made arrangements for the quartet lounge and party place. He always comes through as does CHUCK MARR, with setting up the arrangements for preparing the roses at the KSU Horticulture Building. The roses were especially nice this year and whole bunch of un-identified guys showed up to package the roses in about an hour. JOHN THOMASON handled our advertising for the first time this year, and under HARVEY KISER'S guidance, had our product well advertised on the radio and in area newspapers. Although we were a couple of quartets short of our normal cadre of quartets due to the flu bug and other complications, we did have 5 quartets out at one time, but at last count, think we had 9 or 10 different combinations of quartets making presentations during the season. Those combinations were the result of DON THOMSON'S efforts to make sure guys could handle their parts, regardless of the foursome they were in. Of course, J. LESTER HOOPER'S great presenter's schools had our presenter's and driver's skills honed to perfection. If we tried to name all the presenters here, we know we'd miss one or two, but nevertheless that cadre of well-dressed gentlemen presented our product and craft very well. Quality control was well-handled by dispatcher LOREN ALEXANDER, this year, who made sure each presenter was properly equipped to execute all the orders assigned to him. His efforts made tracking and follow-up very easy when necessary. Two other guys who made this year's venture a success are always-smiling FRED WACHSMUTH, lounge host and general handyman, and webmaster BART BARTHOLOMEW, whose efforts to make Pay Pal and |
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charge card payments work smoothly were truly sensational. We're transferring these processes to our show ticket sales as well, which is evidence of Bart's fantastic work. Again we won't name the 25-30 guys who sang in quartets by name here, but all our quartets, MEN OF A CHORD, LATE NIGHT EDITION, CHARADES, MANHATTAN MUSIC MACHINE, APPLE CORE TET, and MANHATTAN MELODIANS, and the various combinations of these foursomes, including substitutions as necessary, made the deliveries and impressed most everyone that witnessed their talent. They sang to a total audience estimated at over two thousand people during the day! And how could we possible take on the project without the help of our lady friends. Lounge Hostesses HELEN COOPER and JOAN THOMSON were again always ready to serve tired and hungry singers, drivers, and presenters with sustenance and smiles. Our efficient office staff of TELVA SWENSON, CAROLE HANSON, KAREN NANNINGA, and BETH MARINE, kept the phones and photocopiers busy during the day so that last minute orders and changes could be handled efficiently. And of course our ladies group that both changed their regular meeting time and made up 200 gift bags of Candy Kisses were a great boost to our efforts this year. Their handiwork saved us the expense and difficulty of finding pre-packaged kisses that seem so appropriate at this time of year. Thanks Ladies. The final tally is not complete at this writing, but it is pretty apparent that we netted over $3,200 for our efforts this year, which compares favorably with other years of this endeavor. Thanks to all who took part in a fun and worthwhile project! ♪ |
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$INGING VALENTINE$ WRAP-UP By Bob Swenson ( Mr. $inging Valentine) |
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The Charades sing to a pretty girl on Valentines day. They are Tom Fish, Leonard Purvis, Gene Wiley and Ken Garwick. |