Anticipation building for Oct. 27th NWA Fall Singing Convention

Fall colors in Buffalo River National Park.

Thanks to all who have been planning for the Annual Fall Singing at Mount Comfort Presbyterian Church in Springdale on October 27th from 9:30 A.M. to 2:30 P.M. We certainly hope singers from the entire region will consider attending this annual Fall event. The leaves in NWA have started turning into brilliant red and gold. Thus the drive to Fayetteville may be both appetizer and dessert in addition to a fine day of singing.

Speaking of desserts, one of my favorite topics, there will be a "pot-luck" noon meal. The cooks in our group provided a wonderful spread last year and Mt. Comfort's Fellowship Hall has a kitchen with facilities for warming or keeping items cool in addition to the usual coolers members bring for soft drinks and water. If you already know what you plan to bring or need any suggestions, you can send me an email and I'll try to help match needs and responses.

My favorite long range weather forecast site anticipates sunny weather and temperatures in the mid-70's, so sitting outside in the shade under the trees in the Fall air may allow us to continue the "dinner on the grounds" tradition that has been enjoyed by Sacred Harp singers for so many generations. 

If you arrive early, Syd Caldwell plans to be there about 8:30 to make the coffee and could always use help setting up the chairs. 
 
But wait! There's more! Rev. Randi Henderson reminded me that Mt. Comfort Presbyterian Church also plans to have their annual Fall Festival after the singing is concluded at 2:30. All the singers are invited to stay and enjoy games for the children, an old fashioned cake walk, entertainment by a local folk group called Sugar on the Floor and a chili supper. Supper is $5 a person, max $15 a family, all you care to eat.

Some of the singers who have traveled the longer distances will use the 2:30 ending time to still get home Saturday evening. Those that only live an hour or two away may want to enjoy the rest of the afternoon and then head home having been fortified by a chili supper.

Calendar Changes - There was general agreement in discussions about changing the October and November Sunday singing dates. (Please check the calendar at the top of the sidebar for the latest info.) On the other hand, both the 3rd and 4th Sunday drew their share of pros and cons. More than one suggestion included asking if moving our regular singing date to the 3rd Sunday each month would resolve both the November and December holiday issues as well as issues for some people who have schedule conflicts on the 4th Sunday. 

New family circumstances and schedule changes are a fact of life. Maybe we need to ask if there is a better Sunday to sing than the one we've been using. Adjusting singing dates to accommodate the most singers certainly makes sense. There's nothing "sacred" about the 4th Sunday if that's not the best date for our singers. We might need to change some webpages and a few calendars, but this looks like something we need to talk about on a wider scale than just November and December. Look at your own calendars and bring your best ideas to the Fall Singing on October 27th. If you cannot attend the Fall singing, then at the very least send an email so we can include your input. Then, let's spend a few minutes before a break or lunch to see what we can decide to help the most people.

Singing in Warsaw Poland

We have the videos! - You may recall Dan Brittain's September trip to sing in the United Kingdom, teach at Poland's first FaSoLa Camp and sing at the first Poland Sacred Harp Convention. It certainly looks like everyone was enjoying a good day of singing in the UK at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qebeiqIZArs&feature=relmfu
There's also a video of the Camp Fasola Europe teachers leading 419 at the Polish Sacred Harp Convention in Warsaw September 22nd and 23rd. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoR2lArI_aU

Syd was also on the road during early October. We have a video of Syd leading at Hopewell, near Oneonta, AL, Oct 7, 2012. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M75W8361E0

All in all, October 27th is shaping up to be a good day to sing and enjoy the day. If you need directions to Mount Comfort Presbyterian...

Click on map for larger view.

If you're in the Fayetteville/Springdale area on Friday night, the Shiloh Museum's annual Beans & Cornbread Supper is scheduled for Friday, October 26, from 4:30-6:45 p.m. in the Springdale High School rotunda. While you’re there, enjoy a photo exhibit on Springdale’s school athletic history. Then you can walk over to nearby Bulldog Stadium, for the Springdale Bulldogs vs. the Bentonville Tigers football game at 7:30 p.m.

Advance tickets are available for $6 at the museum or $8 at the door. Feed your whole family for $24, The proceeds go to support the Shiloh Museum and the Springdale Athletic Foundation.

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...