Singing in the Rain...Arkansas Style

August was another dry month in Bentonville but there's been some rain in NW Arkansas. We were thankful for every rain drop that's fallen on our small hill side in Mountainburg. Garrett Lewis, the chief meteorologist for KFSM-TV, had already forecast a high probability of showers and thunderstorms in NWA for Sunday, August 26th. Some of the rains were locally very heavy and travel wasn't optimum to say the least.

With August being the last chance for summer travel, family illness and other demands on time, we had expected a smaller crowd. Norma Dickerson braved the rain and had the Country Store open and arranged for singing before we arrived. Dan Brittain managed to make the drive from Harrison and the Crawford County gang - Gail Cowart, B. R. and Katy Black - drove up from Mountainburg. Well, we had a quorum and managed an interesting and fun afternoon in spite of the weather.

Dan had enough pupils for a mini-school and so we learned several Sacred Harp songs that are written in two-part and three-part harmony that are less frequently sung. We also sang a good number of the old favorites. All our voices lasted long enough to make the trip to Springdale more than worthwhile and we then dispersed early so that everyone could head home in case the next set of storms made travel more difficult.

Dan singing in Europe in September

Dan at Missouri Convention

Sunday's big news at the singing was that Dan Brittain will be flying to Europe in September for three major Sacred Harp Singing events in the United Kingdom and Poland. Dan's first stop on the schedule is the 17th Annual United Kingdom Singing Convention on September 15-16 at the Winnersh Community Centre, in Wokingham, west of London. Then Dan travels to the Wichrowe Wzgórze Conference Center in Chmielno, Poland, where he will join David Ivey and other distinguished American and European Sacred Harp singers in the first Camp Fasola Europe from September 17th through September 21st. Then Dan and the other singers head to Warsaw University to participate in the First Poland Sacred Harp Singing Convention on September 22nd and 23rd.

All together it sounds like a wonderful trip. Frequently leading singing schools and seminars, Dan has always been one of the pillars supporting Sacred Harp singing in western Arkansas and particularly the Shiloh Sacred Harp Singers at the Shiloh Museum in Springdale,  I'm sure all the Shiloh Singers will be looking forward to hearing about the trip (and seeing trip pictures) when Dan gets back home again. 

Other News

Before he left with his family for a vacation in Florida and Georgia, Syd Caldwell did pass along the news that Mr. and Mrs. David Moseley are the proud parents of a baby girl and Ian has a new baby sister. Named Elsie Violet Moseley, we are already looking forward to adding Elsie's voice to the group any time she wants to sing too. Congratulations all around. 

We've heard from Syd as well as recent Shiloh Singer, Shannon Seyler and her husband, Randal, over the past several days. Shannon was busy getting prepared for the storm and Syd was enjoying the beach during the calm period that usually precedes a major storm. At one point Hurricane Isaac was actually aimed in their direction but then the storm shifted westward over the next several days. At last word, both received heavy rains while Hurricane Isaac made landfall west of New Orleans. Our prayers are with all those along the Gulf Coast as Isaac moves north into Louisiana. 

If you happen to be traveling in Indiana or live within range, the 4th Annual Flora Cooper Book Singing is scheduled for September 29th from 9:00 to 3:00 in Flora, Indiana. Click this link for a flyer with a map and more information.

Thinking ahead to September and October

From the long range planning standpoint, the Annual NWA Fall Singing at Mount Comfort Presbyterian Church west of Fayetteville is scheduled for the Saturday before the 4th Sunday in October. That's October 27, 2012 when I try to find it on a normal calendar. We'll try to post more details and a map in the September newsletter and make decisions about the dates for the November and December monthly singing to avoid Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

The next singing is scheduled for Sunday, September 23rd at the Country Store on the grounds of the Shiloh Museum at 1:30 P.M. Hope you can join in and sing...

Singing on July 22nd, More Cooper books, More Fans, More Things to Do

First the formal business and then the "fun stuff"
 

The original purpose of these monthly updates was to send a reminder to singers who attended one of our singings or other events that we would be gathering on Sunday for our monthly singing at the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History in Springdale. That's true for this Sunday, July 22nd, at 1:30 P.M. as well.

Last month, all I could guarantee was that the weather would be cooler in Springdale that it was going to be in the River Valley area. It was several degrees cooler north of the I-540 tunnel, and we had a large fan to help circulate air. This month, Gail Cowart and Bill Caldwell have volunteered to bring extra fans to help keep the cool air from the air conditioner circulating inside the store. We'll also have water and other drinks in the cooler. Cookies are always welcomed. Dress comfortably, think cool thoughts, bring your cardboard fans and we'll all gather together and enjoy singing some "cool" Sacred Harp songs during the afternoon.

Picture: We had a wonderful singing with a good turnout last month. One of the highlights was as David Moseley stood in the center of the square to lead the singing, his son decided to help, stood up and led with his father. We always have room for new talent in our group!


Additional Cooper Books have arrived

Thanks to Bill Aplin in Samson, AL, for so quickly getting a box of Cooper Books in the mail. The new books will be available on Sunday. Over time, our existing supply of Cooper Books had dwindled as more singers purchased their own copy to enjoy. The Shiloh Singers are blessed to have singers who enjoy singing from all three of the song books used in our area.

Speaking of Cooper Books, Syd Caldwell asked that I remind everyone about the the 157th East Texas Convention in Henderson, TX. This year's event is scheduled for August 11th - 12th, their usual 2nd Saturday and Sunday in August date in the Henderson Civic Center.  MapQuest says that Henderson is only six to seven hours away depending on your route and velocity. Might be something to talk about at Sunday's singing if a carload is interested in attending. More Information about the Henderson Singing and Contacts: 
http://visithendersontx.com/events/157th-east-texas-sacred-harp-singing-convention/

You can also find more Information about Sacred Harp singing in Texas: http://www.texasfasola.org/

Singing with the Dayton Ohio Group

Michele Raine sent an email with a link to an excellent National Public Radio/WYSO human interest segment about the Dayton Sacred Harp group.  The link contains a written version of the story and a button you can click lo listen to the actual audio segment which includes recordings of several tunes sung by the Dayton singers. To read the story and play the audio, visit: http://wyso.org/post/dayton-sacred-harp-singers-0

For more information about the Dayton Sacred Harp including videos and their links to more Sacred Harp resources, see: http://daytonsacredharp.org/

Michele, thanks for sharing. Sounds like a very lively group of singers you're singing with.

And one more thing...

Syd also sent an email last week that the museum had added our "Sacred Harp Singing in the Arkansas Ozarks" video to YouTube. I've already posted a direct link in the online resources section on the right side of each page. It's already been viewed over 65 times. If you'd like to easily share the video with friends and family, you can now just send the link on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL9JH63rYvw

That's all the news I can think of at the moment. However, as you can see, your suggestions and sharing information about Sacred Harp events and news is certainly appreciated. If there's more news after the singing on Sunday, I'll update this page or publish the news in the next newsletter.

Hope to see you in Springdale on Sunday...

Getting back on schedule - Shiloh Singers will be singing on Sunday, June 24th

It's been two months since our last get-together and people my age do tend to get out of the habit of doing things very quickly. So just in case you didn't mark your calendar, the Shiloh Sacred Harp Singers of NW Arkansas will be back in the country store on the shady grounds of the Shiloh Museum in Springdale on Sunday, June 24th at 1:30 P.M. for another afternoon of singing from the Sacred Harp, the Missouri Harmony and the Cooper song books.

UPDATE 6/26/12 -  Thanks everyone for making the effort to attend the June singing. There were 26 people - men, women and children - in the country store on Sunday afternoon and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time. We're working to get more Cooper books.

Syd Caldwell sent me an email on Thursday, 6/21, around supper time, " Hey, don't forget about the newsletter." I was actually looking for an introduction to start the newsletter after not having a meeting last month and Syd gave me a good way to start on the email newsletter. I think I had "writer's block" or I may have actually been out of the habit. But I smiled the whole time I was writing the email version of the newsletter Thursday evening.

Like other singers in the area who missed having the May singing, Katy and I have been looking forward to seeing everyone and catching up on the news now that school is out. We both hope everyone who was either on the road or attending other functions last month had as much fun as Katy and I did on our trip across the country. Katy and I got to briefly visit with Michelle Raine and Shannon Seyler, and have the pictures to prove it. Both are doing fine and sent their best wishes to everyone in the group. I'm sure there will be stories to tell during the breaks at the singing.

One of the pieces of good news for the weekend is that it will be cooler in Fayetteville and Springdale on Sunday with temperatures in the mid-90's. South of the mountains, in Fort Smith and the river valley,  temperatures are expected to achieve over 100 degrees. So bring your own cardboard church fans, dress as comfortably as you can and think cool thoughts. Katy and I will plan on bringing an ice chest with cool water and an electric fan to at least keep the air-conditioner's cool air in circulation.

So dust off your song books and join us at the Shiloh Museum on Sunday afternoon. Hope to see you there.