On September 15th, we performed some of our best up-tunes to entertain and encourage participants at the 35th annual Briggs & Al’s Run & Walk for Children’s Hospital. We were pleased and privileged to play a part in such a worthwhile event. All things considered, we’ve had a fun and busy summer preparing for our annual show, “Milwaukee Showcase Presents: As Time Goes By - A salute to the USO.” . The 40s style show will feature lots of new music as well as some returning favorites. It will even include an actual “Big Band,” our special guest, “Command Performance.” Mark your calendars for Saturday, Nov. 17th at 7:30pm at Divine Savior-Holy Angels High School (Milwaukee), and join us for a fun and fabulous evening of music and memories.
CENTER POINT CHORUS (Submitted by Marcy Kirsch) Garrison Keillor may have retired, but his hallmark live radio broadcast is not dead. Center Point Chorus will breathe life into a “look-alike” old-time radio show with their fall production: “Listen and See it all.” The show is Saturday, November 10, 2012 at Sentry Theater @1800 at 7:30 p.m., Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The curtain will open on headliner male quartet, “Vocality,” singing “Turn Your Radio On.” From there, a “legend” radio announcer will carry the scripted show for the evening, introducing performances of the Sweet Adeline Chorus, quartets, singing commercials and an over-the-top dramatic acting team. Don’t be surprised if you see the announcer tear off sheet after sheet of his script and fling them to the floor. Or if you see quartets “dressed to the nines” with high heels and pill-box hats. Heartbreaking dialog from the actors of “As the Globe Spins” will provide the transition for songs such as “L-O-V-E” and “Taking a Chance on Love.” And the sound-effects guy may resort to flailing foil about to bring a storm into the studio. That’s the way it was when radio broadcasting was in its heyday. And that’s what Center Point Chorus hopes to achieve with their fall show. This pre-show bustle that is currently keeping Center Point members hopping, doesn’t mean they’ve been without activities this summer. Their “made-to-order” cream puff trailer put down stakes at the Marathon County Fair, Wausau’s Art in the Park, and a Balloon Rally at the Wausau Municipal Airport. A very large quartet was part of the entertainment billed at the Fair, and the sit-down audience appreciated being out of the hot sun and listening to an hour of four-part harmony barbershop style. A number of Center Point members sold cream puffs from a stand set up at the “Cruise In,” a vintage car show to benefit Jeremiah Crossing, a ranch run by directors Roger and Kathleen Harris to aid children with disabilities through horseback riding. Center Point Chorus sang “The Star Spangled Banner” on an early Saturday morning to set Justiceworks’ participants on their way in the half-marathon/5K run/ power walk. After breakfast and singing to the “regulars” at a nearby café, the Adelines took their place near the finish line to sing to walkers and runners. “Run (or walk) to the City of Justice” was a favorite tag as the athletes passed, and we agreed that learning tags would save our voices as they tended to wear down after a couple hours of singing full-scale songs. Center Point Chorus sang a 15-minute package at SentryWorld, a first-time and prestigious “Toast to the Arts” meant to highlight “The Arts” in the community. And many of us attended the fall school in Green Bay, bidding farewell to our long-standing connection with Region 22. 14