Looking Back on the Dog Days Event on August 23rd

Wow, what a challenge for all to attend this year’s Dog Days event – the 5.8 earthquake that hit the area.

But a good audience crowd made it for the 7 pm start, and just under 50 Harmonizers were there to sing at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Manassas.

The host chapter, Prince William County, Bull Run Troubadours, set the date for the 23rd to help our chapter to not have to find a meeting place since Durant was being used as a polling place. It is also a tradition to have it on a Tuesday so we could attend.

There were some wild stories about guys’ challenges to get there – one to three hours were the average. Some guys from downtown DC just gave up and texted word that they were gonna give in!

The hosts thanked our riser crew for providing the risers and for Scott Kahler’s help with the sound for the event. The warm up act was group singing led by Dick Dangel and his accordion.

Our neighbor chapter, Mount Vernon - Harmony Heritage Singers, was the first chorus to sing. Always good to see the seven or eight of our members who also sing with HHS on stage. Chris Buechler was their director. Their set included a couple songs by SLIDERS quartet – with the same old Mike Everard “corn” from the past days with the FRIENDSHIP FIRE COMPANY. Mike also reported to the audience that BobWachter is in the hospital with pneumonia in an isolation ward.

The second act was relatively new Loudon County Chorus of the Old Dominion. They then sang a few songs with Fairfax. And then Fairfax had its own set.

Special guests were KINGS CHORDERS from the Fredrick MD area.

Our host chapter sang next. They, like the other groups, invited chapter quartets to sing as part of their set.

The Harmonizers took the risers to great cheers from our brothers in harmony. Mike Kelly directed “Great Day” and Tony Colosimo directed “Hello My Baby.” For the evening, chorus manager, Mark Klostermeyer, lined up the guys with many guys who don’t normally stand in the front row. But the visual presentation and excitement for the whole package was great.

Our first emcee, Don Dillingham, thanked our hosts and then introduced HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (Savage, Colosimo, Ives, Kelly) who sang “Blue Skies” and “It’s Almost Like Being In Love.”

Mike directed “No More Sorrow” and it was great to hear the four tenors come thru!

Tony was emcee to set up our “classical music” number. Will Cox directed “That’s Amore” and Terry Reynolds did the solo comedy bit. Again it was a hit!

Steve White was emcee to set up our finale number, “Start and Stripes Forever,” directed by Tony.

YeEd was glad to see some other familiar faces in the audience or on stage – Larry and Cathy Silva, Terry Jordan, Paul Grimes, Keith Jones, and Chuck Botts. Our show producer, Greg Tepe, was also on hand to help. John Pence brought his trusty “song board” to put up-stage so the guys on the risers would know the order of the songs.

The evening ended with Tony directing all the barbershoppers present in singing “Keep the Whole World Singing.”

The host chapter provided cookies and chips and lots of snacks and plenty of water and sodas for all.

Brian Ammerman and Steve Murane staffed a table selling tickets for our fall show.

As a wrap up to last week’s chapter meeting, note that secretary Buechler presented renewal cards to the following: Carl Kauffmann (39 years) and Mick Stamps (32 years).

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 each week at an Alexandria Harmonizer Chapter meeting. —YeEd.)