The very first quartet we sent out generated this email response from the guy who bought it for his wife, “Just got a call from my wife on how great it was!! The only way to top this will be to write her name in the sky! Do any of the guys have a pilots license? Thank-you for making me look like a genius”!
The Harmonizers offered to deliver Singing Valentines from Fri. Feb. 11th thru Mon. Feb. 14th. Orders came in electronically and likely by phone too. The recent edition of the chapter newsletter, The ECHO, pushed sales to the chapter website. We offered several packages that included the quartet song and candy and/or roses and a card: The Heart Throb – a rose and chocolates; The Romeo – a doz. roses and/or chocolates; The Valentino – a dozen roses and chocolates. This year we also offered to deliver Valentines via telephone on Feb. 14th. We called them Love On The Line.
Joe Wagovich and Ken White were the organizers of the program. Scott Kahler was behind the scenes on technology, Dick Newton got the roses, Jack Pitzer got the candy and TJ Jones printed the Valentine cards. Steve Lingo and Scipio Garling did extra marketing. Eric Wallen collected the names of the guys who volunteered to sing in quartets to do the gigs in four-hour periods on each day. Quartets came to a “Valentine Central” (actually Jack’s office on Franconia Rd.) to get their assignments and supplies to deliver. Each quartet was provided a sheet with details about the surprise and directions and maps. They all looked sharp in their black tux outfits.
There were some special outcomes from our SV operation. One benefit YeEd heard about was our guys got to visit in the car or over coffee between gigs and get to know each other more. For some guys, the SV program is their annual way to give back to the chapter.
Our chapter cooperated with other local chapters in the area to fill orders – especially with Ned Duffy and the DC chapter.
One of guys bought a SV and gave it to the pastor to give to someone in their church. Several guys bought a SV for a group of folks like the office staff or the crew at a local Starbucks. Many were delivered within the Harmonizer family over the weekend.
Bruce Lauther and the FOUR FROM THE HEART quartet did the annual sing for the oncology department at Kaiser Permanente. Bruce’s group also sang for a large number of senior care facilities and OLD TOWN SOUND helped cover some of the senior center gigs.
For the record, one Singing Valentine was delivered to a guy at the NRA headquareters. And one SV helped set up a marriage proposal – and she said yes!
Our guys sang from Woodbridge to NW DC; in Old Town Alexandria; Southern Maryland; around Springfield, Manassas, Fairfax and Falls Church.
It was a successful weekend – especially with no snow!
The following Harmonizers helped deliver Singing Valentines: Alan Kousen, Bill Curtis, Bob Mattes, Dave Welter, JT Price, Frank Fedarko, Rocky Ebener, Dean Rust, Ike Evans, Terry Reynolds, Joe Cerutti, Dick Dangel, Andrew Plocher, Brian Ammerman, Will Cox, Joel Golden, Dan O'Brien, Craig Kujawa, Ken Rub, Ken Henderson, Bob Blair, Don Dillingham, Tom Griffith, Brian Miller, Troy Hillier, Dean Rust, Ken Fess, Carl Kauffmann, Noah Van Gilder, Steve Lingo, Joe Wagovich, Scipio Garling, Bruce Lauther. Vince Cazenas, Ken White, Drew Fuller, Bob Wachter, Jim Laek, Kyle Blomgren, and Mike Schwartz.
Dan Sobrio and Jeff Salino, who are not Harmonizers, but barbershoppers in the area, helped fill in parts for quartets.
Until next time – editorjack!
(This message is prepared for your review if you were there, for your information if you had to miss, and as a historical record of the great things going on with the Alexandria Harmonizer Chapter chapter. —Ye Ed.)
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