Shiloh Singers are singing on Sunday, April 14th...

I hope everyone who has finished and filed all their federal and state taxes can come sing with us on Sunday, April 14th. Since I still need to finish, this will of necessity be brief. 

First, the Shiloh Singers will be singing in the Shiloh Meeting Hall located one block north of the Shiloh Museum's barn on Sunday, April 14th, from 1:30 until 4:00 P.M. Those who were able to attend the Missouri State Sacred Harp Convention can use the break and the "discussion groups" that gather before the singing at AQ's Chicken House just before noon and the after singing "My throat needs ice cream" session at the Springdale Denny's over by the Interstate. We have a good time catching up on all the news with some of our friends that we've grown to care about and whose friendship means so much to us.

Second, the 4th Sunday West Fork Singing continues it's invitation to come sing in the West Fork's Library Meeting Hall. We've seen new faces and singers who live south of Fayetteville who find it easier to get to West Fork. Mix that with the dedicated Shiloh singers who want to extend our group and we have a good potential for growth. For those who are new singers, it's a excellent opportunity to practice and spend more time learning new songs from the red Denson book. The times are 1:30 until 3:30 P.M. on April 28th.

Third, on Saturday, May 4th, the Shiloh Singers from Oklahoma to the Mississippi have the chance to sing together at the Northwest Arkansas Sacred Harp Singing Convention in Harrison, at St. John's Episcopal Church's Parish Hall. The singing will start at 9:30 A.M. and continue until 3:00 P.M. with a pot luck lunch at noon. The PDF copy of the flyer (suitable for printing for your friends and potential singers) is attached. 

Just click on the blue link below to download the flyer with more details and directions. 
NWA Sacred Harp Singing Convention Flyer

There are even more singings in May with singings in Old Washington, AR in the historic Old Washington Methodist Church on Saturday, May 18th and the Old Folks Singing in Tull, AR, on Sunday, May 19th. The two venues are close enough that it's easy to attend two good old-fashioned Arkansas singings on the same weekend. More details to follow.

Hope to sing with you soon...

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!!