Shiloh Singers sing a "double header" at Springdale

Thanks to all 18 young folks, old folks, singers and visitors who spent some of their time with the Shiloh Singers on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, April 14th. We enjoyed meeting all the first-time singers and visitors and hope you'll sing with us again.

Dan Brittain gave a brief report on his recent visit to Ireland to attend a singing school and the 3rd Annual Ireland Sacred Harp Convention. Several asked if any video from the singing was available. You can get a small taste of the singing and surroundings at Cork's St Fin Barre's Cathedral at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FPyQi2mBWg

Photo: Alexis Walker leads the Shiloh Singers during the brief program at the Culpepper Assisted Living Center in Springdale on 4/14/2013. 

A little before three o'clock, the singers drove over to the Culpepper Assisted Living's Springdale facility, a short distance from the museum, for a brief program for their residents and guests. Bill Caldwell gave a short introduction about Sacred Harp Singing and several tunes were sung. All the seniors present seemed to enjoy the singing. The Culpepper presentation was followed with pie, coffee and fellowship at Denny's before the drive home.

NEXT SINGING EVENT - Don't forget  the Northwest Arkansas Sacred Harp Singing Convention on May 4th in Harrison at St. John's Episcopal Church. Details and flyers are available on our website at: http://shilohsingersnwa.blogspot.com/. We'll enjoy a good singing with friends from around the region and a pot-luck lunch so please bring your favorite dish or dessert. A kitchen is available if you need to keep your dish cool or warm something in the oven.

April and May events scheduled and March singings reports

March, April and May are always a busy time of the year

The first item on the list of reminders is our regular 2nd Sunday Singing on April 14th Singing in the Country Store at the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History in Springdale at 1:30 P.M. If you're on our email list, Syd Caldwell sent out a note about an invitation from the Culpepper Assisted Living Center to sing at their facility on Jones Ave. in Springdale.
 
The basic plan is to conduct our regular singing at the museum country store from 1:30 P.M.  until  3:00 P.M. Then those that wish to participate can drive over to the Culpepper Assisted Living facility at 672 Jones Road in Springdale.  I'll have a few maps for any out-of-towners like myself but center is only about 10 -12 minutes away and very easy to find. The idea is to sing a few songs there for the seniors. Then as many as wish to join us can adjourn to the northern Denny's next to I-540 on Hwy 412/W. Sunset which we'll pass on the way to Culpepper for pie and coffee before driving back home.

We had so much fun and fellowship at Denny's after the Wiggins event, I thought I'd add the Denny's option for anyone who wished to take part. Sometimes we're so busy singing that we don't have enough time to enjoy each others company.

Northwest Arkansas Sacred Harp Singing Convention in Harrison, May 4th

While we're together at the museum on Sunday, we'll need to take a few minutes for Dan to discuss the regional singing in Harrison at St. Johns Episcopal Church from 9:30 A.M. until 3:30 P.M. with a pot-luck "dinner on the grounds" at noon. Dan has already prepared a flyer that can be viewed or downloaded here. 

Photo: Singers at the NW Arkansas Sacred Harp Singing Convention in Harrison on May 5, 2012
   
The Harrison Convention always includes a splendid collection of casseroles and other dishes plus delicious desserts. We can talk more about who can bring what on Sunday too.

Wiggins Memorial  UMC Concert helped raise funds

Eleven singers from our Shiloh group were just one of the local individuals and groups that participated in the Palm Sunday afternoon concert at Wiggins Memorial United Methodist Church on March 24th. Our thanks also include those who wanted to join us but were frustrated by weather conditions or events already scheduled but who helped with ideas, moral support and I suspect a few prayers as well. As I opened the morning's emails the next morning, I found one of several thank-you notes had already been written:

good morning !! i just wanted to thank-you all again for singing for us yesterday . it was wonderful and we raised over $500 for our church !! what a blessing !! we will see you all again for singing at shiloh . we look forward to that. thank-you again and i hope you all have a happy easter !!  lea criss   wiggins church

Those singers who didn't have to hurry back home for a church program or to get back before the weather closed in, gathered at Denny's next to I-540 on the south side of Fayetteville for coffee and pie. We had such a good time, that was the catalyst for getting together after the short Culpepper Singing this month.

St. Louis Shaped Note Singers hosted another wonderful Missouri State Singing Convention March 9th and 10th

Photo: Bill Caldwell and Mary Ellen Wilkinson sing from the Missouri Harmony during the Missouri State Sacred Harp Convention.
 
The weather was a little colder and wetter that I expected but those who made the trip enjoyed the good singing, the good cooking, the fellowship of good friends at the Missouri State Sacred Harp Singing Convention this year. Dan, Bill, Syd and his family, Mary Ellen and her daughter Mary Alice, Katy and I made the trip. If you couldn't make the trip this year, you can mark next year's event on your calendar and reserve the dates: the 2nd Sunday in March and the Saturday before works out to be March 8-9, 2014. Those who can attend always have a good time - rain or shine.

Now that tax season and several other projects are winding down, I still have some video of the Missouri Convention I hope to edit and post on the site. It's just been a busy time of the year!

Singing Opportunities in March

Regular Singing in Recess - While I hope that many of the Shiloh Singers have made plans to be at the Missouri State Singing Convention on March 9th and 10th, I also need to remind those who cannot be with our group in Missouri that our regular monthly singing at the Shiloh Museum will be in recess in March. Our next regular monthly singing in the museum's Country Store will be on April 14, 2013 at 1:30 P.M.

Photo: Singers from as far away as Minnesota, Alabama and Georgia gather at historic St. Johns United Church of Christ near Marthasville, MO on 3/10/12.

An Invitation - However, there will still be an opportunity for singing and outreach into the NWA community on March 24th at 3:00 P.M. at the Wiggins Memorial United Methodist Church in Fayetteville. Our group has been invited to sing at a special Palm Sunday afternoon program at Wiggins Memorial. Several of us were initially concerned about singing in our own church or attending services when we first heard the date. After Lea and Darryl Criss explained the details of the invitation, the planned program sounded like something the Shiloh Singers could do, that would help the church and maybe recruit a few additional singers for our group. The 12 singers present at the February singing discussed the invitation and agreed that the Shiloh Singers would try to participate in the Wiggins Memorial program.

The Plan - There will be several groups on the program. Since the Shiloh Singers normally sit in a hollow square, we have been selected to sing first. If the singers arrived a little early, say between 2:30 and 2:45, we can go ahead and take our places and be ready to start promptly at 3:00 P.M. We've been asked to open with "Amazing Grace" and continue with two more songs. Joking with Syd, Dan and Bill that we wanted songs that Methodists might recognize, are easy to sing and sound "harmonious" for the event, I'm confident we'll have time to get together during the Missouri convention and make selections.  (Nominations welcomed.)

Darryl thought that the audience might also like to participate and sing along with us. The plan is to print some extra copies of the music along with our group's "where to find more information" handout.  I'm not sure how long the remainder of the program would last, but there is a Denny's just down the road if any of the singers wish to gather for coffee and/or ice cream before the drive home.

Follow-Up - Since there were only 12 singers present in February, and others who were absent will be able to join us, several thought it would be a good idea to ask for an RSVP from ALL the singers who think they can attend so sufficient chairs can be arranged, We understand that last minute events may require a change in your plans, but it would also help us know which parts are covered.


Discovery Box - Gail Cowart reported that the Discovery Box had produced the first "draft" video of Dan Brittain's Singing School for the Children's Choir at First UMC, Fort Smith and that segments of the individual follow-up lessons have been edited. Discussions are underway to make the Discovery Box printed materials and AV segments also available online. Our thanks to all the committee members and committed partner organizations who have carried the Discovery Box project forward, including those at UAFS, 1st UMC Fort Smith and the Shiloh Museum. More work on the Discovery Box is scheduled for March and April.

...One More Thing - Thanks again to Bill Caldwell and all the singers and visitors who made the February singing such a success. We'll try to have pictures and maybe a little video from the Missouri State Singing Convention in time for our next newsletter. We hope you'll join all of us singing somewhere in March and April. ..."And we'll sing on!"