Town Crier Vol. 1 Issue 2
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TYUDDMNPCA (The Yet Unnamed Dixie District Monthly Newsletter Promoting Chapter Activities) Volume 1, Issue 2 May 31, 2009 Inaugural issue of TYDDMNPCA by Steve Dorn The inaugural issue of TYDDMNPCA was published on April 30, 2009. I would like to personally thank the Main Street Harmonizers , the Gold “I did not receive Standard Chorus , Let’s Sing! and Thom Hine . I would not have had a publication if it they had not taken the time to share their stories. four stories or And speaking of stories, the Dixie District really stepped up and delivered. fourteen stories I did not receive four stories or fourteen stories but 21 stories! Thanks for all the sharing from our wonderful Dixie District groups. but 21 stories!” If you are a Dixie District chapter or quartet and have a story you would like to share with the District, please email them to me at ([email protected]). I can accept your stories and pictures in any format and size. Deadline for the June 30 issue is June 28. Also, this publication is in need of a name. Do you have a name to suggest? If so, please email me your suggestions. Inside this issue: Dixie District Email Distribution List by Don Lang Many of you have been using our DIX Yahoo groups for some time. They are a very powerful tool, but not without some difficulties. We appreciate your patience as we try to make them as effective as possi- ble. Alabama 2 Some of you have asked if there is some way to reduce the number of duplicated and extraneous mes- Chapters and sages! YES there is (I think I heard a collective sigh of relief) but we need your help. We are currently in Quartets a major effort to get “everyone” on their appropriate DIX Yahoo groups (please check the list below) then we can moderate the groups more carefully. We will not have to send messages to multiple groups in order to try to reach our intended audience. Instead, we can focus our messages more accurately. South Carolina 3-4 Chapters and We will use a variety of means to help identify who should be in which groups. Unfortunately, you may Quartets see some “extra” messages, as we take steps to get everyone identified, invited, and signed up for the appropriate groups. Please be patient. I am sure you will like the final result. Georgia 4-8 You do not need to wait for us to identify you as a candidate. Just let me know ([email protected]) Chapters and which group(s) you should be in and I will send you an invite. If you have questions, comments, or would like help, just sing out. Quartets DIX-Chapter-Presidents DIX-Chapter-Secretaries Tennessee 8 DIX-Chapter-Membership Chapters and DIX-Chapter-Mktg-PR Quartets DIX-Chapter-Program DIX-Chapter-Treasurers North Carolina 8-9 DIX-Chapter-Support-Reps Chapters and DIX-Dist-Members - for all DIX members DIX-Dist-Chorus-Compet - for chorus contacts, managers Quartets DIX-Dist-Quartet-Compet - for quartet contacts DIX-Chorus-Directors - for directors and assistants DIX-Dist-Net - a new group which is UN-MODERATED for those who may wish to use it DIX-Chapter-Contacts - for chapter designated contact(s) responsible for forwarding information from email messages to those people who do not use email Page 2 TYUDDMNPCA Southern Splendor Chorus from Athens, AL and Rocket City Chorus from Huntsville, AL by Gerald Roberts On January 24, the Southern Splendor Chorus from Athens, AL and the Rocket City Chorus from Huntsville, AL held a joint 2009 Installation Banquet at the Redstone Arsenal Officers and Civilian’s Club in Huntsville, AL. The guest speaker was Charlie Davenport , Director of Membership and Member Services, from the Barbershop Harmony Society. Approximately fifty people were in atten- dance. Bailiff Steve D’Ambrossio instructed Judge Colin Bagwell about the qualifications of the various candidates. Everyone said, “Bring on the Judge”, so Judge Bagwell made a ruling on who was qualified and who wasn’t and proceeded to instruct the new selectees as to their duties and privileges. Several quartets from each chapter sang two songs apiece and the two choruses also gave renditions. The evening was closed with a joint singing of the theme song, “Keep America Singing.” It was the first “It was the first time a joint installation banquet was held and it proved to be a wonderful experience! Everyone en- joyed meeting members of the other chorus, which was assisted by several singers being members of time a joint both choruses. installation On a sad note, Bob Stephens , the bass of Huntsville’s oldest quartet, the Singing Commodores , made his last appearance with the aid of his walker. Bob passed away in April after a long battle with banquet was held cancer. Bob taught music at Athens State College, sang in the Decatur Community Chorus, and was a wonderful deep bass and a real part of the Rocket City Chorus. Bob will be missed. and it proved to be a wonderful experience!” Rocket City Chorus from Huntsville, AL and Southern Splendor Chorus from Athens, AL by John Charlton Harmony was in the air in Athens, AL on Friday, May 15, 2009. On a rain filled Friday evening in the charming North Alabama city, harmony filled the air. Southern Splendor Chorus from Athens, AL and Rocket City Chorus from neighboring Huntsville, AL provided wonderful chords all night much to the listening enjoyment of the many fans in the audience. The chords ringing off the facade of build- ings across the street made the night come alive. “The chords In their second year, the city of Athens continued the tradition of highlighting the musical talent of North Alabama in their Singing on the Square, presented each third Friday of the month. For the ringing off the month of May, the two choruses came together to provide the rich sounds of a cappella music bar- bershop style. Throughout the event the choruses and the audience members had to dodge the rain- facade of drops that fell. Many in the audience scrambled for the shelter of the awnings of local businesses. Rocket City Chorus , under the direction of Larry Focht , started the evening with some wonder- buildings across ful tunes that carried the listeners across this wonderful country. Chapter quartets ( Audio Radi- ance , Rocketeers , and Sugar Pops ) filled the streets with their unique style of barbershop har- the street made mony presenting a song or two. Rocket City Chorus concluded their portion of the show with rousing audience participation in God Bless America. the night come Southern Splendor Chorus , under the direction of Dr. John Buttler , took to the streets next. alive.” They energized the crowd with many up tunes, while also providing some snuggling music with the ballads they perform from the heart. Dixie Junction and Natural Selection (John Buttler’s quar- tet from Birmingham) wowed the crowd with their wonderful chords that seemed to fill all the streets with harmony. North Alabama cities have many events throughout the year which feature local musical talent. All of these events are free of charge. These two choruses will perform together and separately at the Con- certs in the Park, Gazebo Concerts, Singing on the Square and even Riverwalks. You can look up some of the events by going to either www.RocketCityChorus.org or www.SouthernSplendorChorus.com and see what they have planned. Volume 1, Issue 2 Page 3 Main Street Harmonizers from Lexington, SC by Keith Phemister The Main Street Harmonizers from Lexington, SC performed in April for the International Festi- val in Columbia, SC at the State Fairgrounds. While the chorus sang, posters were displayed on the stage front that represented all of the countries where the Barbershop Harmony Society has an affili- ate. We also included a few countries where barbershop is sung, but an organization has not been “We wanted our established. We wanted our audience to understand the international aspects of our great hobby! This was our first year of involvement with the International Festival. We noticed they had a projec- audience to tor and a screen behind understand the the stage, so next year we international may try to have our aspects of our poster images great hobby!” projected on the screen for greater recognition! Palmetto Statesmen from Spartanburg, SC by Bill Myers “...the roster of With the recent induction of Bill Allison and Allan Hoyer , the roster of members in [the Pal- members has metto Statesman from Spartanburg, SC] has grown to FIFTY FIVE! That is the largest number since 1973. What makes our chapter grow is the recognition that most inductees were ASKED to join; grown to FIFTY they didn't necessarily seek us out. That means if we are going to continue to grow, it will require the efforts of all of us. So, please carry the "Come Sing with Us" cards in your wallet. Hand them to FIVE! That is the friends in your church choir, fraternal club, neighborhood, etc. Attrition is inevitable so it is vital that we continue to seek out and approach prospective members. largest number [Reprinted with permission from the May 1 issue of Spartunes.] since 1973.” Main Street Harmonizers from Lexington, SC by Randy Miller On April 20th, after a month or so preparing, Lexington County, SC chapter, held their first 2009 guest night. It was a magnificent event. First the Membership VP got his team together and worked on the planning of the event. They adver- tised it in newspapers, posters, radio and TV and in the bulletins of churches.