Have Yourself A Merry-etta Christmas!
Posted by DaveMcD | Labels: Barbershop, Christmas | Posted On Thursday, December 17, 2009 at 1:04 PM
My wife has been bugging me that for a blog titled "The Singing Cyclist" there hasn't been much posted here about either topic. What can I say? I suppose she's right. The last few months have been pretty crazy with work and family and I haven't been as active with my singing or with my cycling - and therefore haven't had much to say. That's changing.
This past weekend was the annual Big Chicken Chorus Christmas extravaganza. The theme of this years show? "Have Yourself A Merry-etta Christmas". The show was a big success and allot of fun - but it's an exhausting weekend: about 6-8 hours on Saturday and about 4 hours on Sunday -not to mention the months of rehearsal that go into preparing. We had several new numbers this year including a new composition based on a poem by Ruth Bell Graham entitled "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen"
Our order of performance:
- "Have Yourself A Merry-etta Christmas"
- "We Need A Little Christmas"
- "Happy Holidays / It's The Holiday Season" medley
- "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer"
- "You Ain't Gettin' Diddly Squat"
- "The 12 Days After Christmas"
- "Christmas Auld Lang Syne"
Intermission
Featured Guest Quartet: "State Line Grocery"
- "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen"
- "Oh Holy Night" - featuring Rufus Massey
- "O Come, O Come Emanuel"
- "Do You Hear What I Hear" - featuring Ray Taylor
- "Have Yourself A Merry-etta Christmas" (reprise)
All 3 shows were well received, but I believe that the best was Saturday night - a bonus for me since most of my family and friends attended that show.
I started the weekend strong with my voice in good shape, but I believe I must have picked up a little cold from my youngest, who had been fighting a bug all week. I was fine for Saturday but woke up Sunday morning barely able to speak. I went to church and then left after the early service to have time to eat lunch and get over to the Cobb Civic Center for the performance. On my way to the civic center I stopped off at CVS to pick up some "tricks of the trade". Several of my friends that have been involved in this hobby or a long time swear by a throat lozenge called "Fisherman's Friend". I hadn't ever tried them before, but I picked up a tin at the store along with a spray bottle of Chloraseptic. Both did the trick and got me through the first half of the show with little problem. Unfortunately, I forgot to medicate during the intermission and the voice left me almost completely with two songs left to go in the show. I did my very best lip syncing for those two songs - knowing that the sound would be better without me in it at that point.
My guests at the Saturday evening show included: Dad & Mary, Alice, Larry & Laura, Harold & Yvonne, Wes & Diane, and of course Ann and the kids.
Guests for the Sunday matinee included: Ken & Mindy Garthe, Rachel & Manuel Lopez, and Donna Schuster with her friend Don. All in all, about 1,500 people attended the three shows.
Next year we'll be at the Cobb Civic Center on Dec 11 & 12. Make a point to join us. There's not a better way to get into the holiday spirit.
