Staying Home, Staying Safe, Missing Singing with all of you!

BREAKING NEWS: The 2020 "Shape Note Gathering has been cancelled due to pandemic.

FROM: Charley Sandage

We must regretfully announce that the Covid-19 situation compels us to cancel the 2020 Shapenote Gathering set for July 9,10, and 11at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Arkansas.  Please circle your 2021 calendar for July 8,9, and 10 and join us then.  We will be adding sessions for beginning shapenote singers and offering documentation for continuing education credit for in-service teachers.  For the non-singers in your family, the crafts village and  old-time music at the Ozark Folk Center, nearby Blanchard Spring Caverns, fishing and boating on the White River, and the legendary music on the town square can more than fill their time while you join Gaylon Powell, Dan Brittain, and the rest of us for learning and singing in the "hollow square."

Charley added, "Please circle your 2021 calendar for July 8,9, and 10 and join us then. We will be adding sessions for beginning shape note singers and offering documentation for continuing education credit for in-service teachers.  For the non-singers in your family, the crafts village and old-time music at the Ozark Folk Center, nearby Blanchard Spring Caverns, fishing and boating on the White River, and the legendary music on the town square can more than fill their time while you join Gaylon Powell, Dan Brittain, and the rest of us for learning and singing in the "hollow square."

I'm sure all the Shiloh Singers would add our appreciation to Charley and the planning committee, the Arkansas Folk Center Staff, and everyone in Mountain View who worked to get all the moving parts necessary to hold a successful singing in place. That's also true of other singings on the Spring and Summer Arkansas Sacred Harp singing schedule. But while disappointed by the spread of a pandemic, we need to keep all our singers and keep our larger family of singers safe. I'm sure that we would all agree that our singers are more important than any individual singing.

...and we'll all sing on!

More "Breaking News" and updates when we get them. Hope to sing with you soon!

Update: Three Singings in May

First Singing: Our yearly Northwest Arkansas Sacred Harp Singing Convention will be Saturday, May 5, 2018 from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm in the St. John's Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 707 W. Central Ave., Harrison AR. We'll be having a pot-luck lunch, so bring your favorite prize-winning hot dish, cold dish, snack, or dessert to share.  I'm told refrigeration and microwave heating will be available.  For more information, please see the map and flyer below.  There's a rumor about an informal jam following the singing, so those interested in playing or listening might want to bring an instrument, a pair of spoons, or just plan to hang around for a bit after 3.






















NWA Sacred Harp Singing Convention 2018 Flyer


Second Singing: As we discussed at our last meeting, we will have our regular 2nd Sunday singing at the Shiloh Museum on May 13th 2018 from 1:30-4:00. As usual, those interested can also join a group of singers at AQ Chicken in Springdale at noon for lunch before the singing.


Update:
Third Singing: B.R. has been in touch with folks from the singing in Washington, AR, and has confirmed that they will be having a singing on May 19th 2018 from 10:00 am-3:00 pm at the Washington United Methodist Church in Washington, AR. Here is a link to more information and an interactive map: Washington AR Singing

Four singings in Arkansas in May with links to updates...

Sometimes life gets in the way of all our own plans and best intentions. This month's Shiloh Singers news update will be more interactive than usual and we'll use links to more information about opportunities to sing:

Northwest Arkansas Sacred Harp Singing Convention - Saturday, May 6, 2017 - 9:30 A.M. until 3:00 P.M. in the St. John's Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 707 W. Central Ave., Harrison, AR. A pot-luck lunch will be served so bring your prize-winning hot dish, cold dish, dessert to share. Microwave heating and refrigeration available.

• Flyer with printed directions in PDF format
• Easy to follow map to St. John's in downtown Harrison
• Google List of Harrison motels and hotels with Friday night rates and map if you still need a room. (Add your check in & out dates and number of guests)

This singing has always been one of the highlights of each year for the Shiloh Singers. It doesn't seem to matter what the weather is - and this year the forecast is "sunny" - there always seems to be strong singers in each section to help new singers and enough food to feed all those present while everyone gets to visit with friends during the noon meal. Visitors are always welcome and loaner books are available. Hope we'll see you there.

Regular May Sacred Harp Singing - Sunday afternoon, May 14, 2017 - 1:30 until 4:00 P.M. in the General Store on the grounds of the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History at 118 W. Johnson Avenue, Springdale, AR. We usually hang a large sign on the store's front porch to make it even easier to find us. Again, loaner books are available for visitors who want to sing or just tap their foot. Sacred Harp singing simply celebrates and preserves a way of singing that was enjoyed by pioneer church members who didn't have pianos or organs. We have a lot of fun.

While we try to keep a short calendar on the Shiloh Singers home page, we also use a special page to include more details and contact information about regional singing events in Arkansas and surrounding states. We've recently updated the page for two singings in Central and Southern Arkansas.

Old Washington UMC

The Saturday, May 20th Historic Washington (AR) United Methodist Church Singing has grown each year with singers from East Texas and all around Arkansas. Somehow, singing in a historic church with wooden floors and a high ceiling and moving the church pews to form the square seating arrangement for singing, produces a sound that's hard to reproduce in modern buildings.

The 132nd annual "Old Folks Singing" in the Tull Community uses the Christian Harmony book in the morning and the Cokesbury Hymnal in the afternoon with dinner on the ground between the two sessions. The singing started as a "thank you" to everyone in the Tull Community for helping rebuild the Ebenezer United Methodist Church after a fire and everyone enjoyed the singing, dinner and fellowship so much they've repeated the event every year for 132 consecutive years. Yes, they're having a good time!

• Link to 2017 Regional Events webpage.

One more thing... The Sacred Harp Publishing Co. produces a newsletter several times a year. The April issue covers "Never Published Writing on Sacred Harp Singing" and highlights the life and writing of Raymond C. Hamrick. A serious work for those who wish to learn more about Sacred Harp singing. Once on the website, you can look at previous issues, subscribe, translate the text or even set up an RSS feed.

• Link to PDF copy of the Sacred Harp Pub. Co. Newsletter, Vol. 5, No. 2, April 2017

Hope to see you at Harrison and some of the other singings in the region. Sing on!!