Thanks to Pete Mazzara for his organization of the event! And to all those who assisted him.
The Big Chief Chorus led off this year’s district chorus
competition, singing “Aura Lee/Love Me Tender,” and “Let the Rest of
the World Go By.” The chorus was pleased with its performance, more
pleased than the judges were, but then life is about more than
numbers. Those 664 pts are just one small part of the convention and
of our entire year. It is still rewarding to share the barbershop
experience with one’s colleagues from outside the chorus. Here are
some favorite moments: Singing the National Anthem with an auditorium
full of singers is rousing. Singing tags in the hallway is another.
Experiencing the excellent quartets in Saturday night’s finals was
another. How else could one hear Metropolis, Crossroads, SEP, Wildcard
and Four Man Fishin’ Tackle Choir all in one evening, without going to
International? Furthermore, we are known and appreciated throughout
the district for our singouts and community involvement. We are
drawing new members who understand that.
Another highlight of
the convention was the first-place awards received by Jack Teuber and
John Cowlishaw for PR and Smoke Signals respectively.
Our
post-competition dinner was held at the Griffin Grill, where we
assuaged our grief with beer and wine and salmon, steak, and chicken,
and got drunk on the tags of Mike Frye.
April Convention & Singouts
(click image for website)
by Jack Teuber
VP PR & Marketing
Big Chief Barbershop Chorus
The Big Chief Chorus was very busy in April.
Once again, the chorus held its Spring Singing Retreat at the Ralph
MacMullan Center on the north shore of Higgins Lake. This year
the snow was a little deeper. The facility was also a little
busier, with trout fishermen, fire inspectors, and others sharing the
facility. The time was used for intensive improvement on our two
contest numbers. But it was also fun. (Austin Quinn called
it the most fun he’s had in 27 years of barbershopping.) In
ensemble competition, the Crocs (Clarke, Teuber, Mann, Cowlishaw,
Valko, Keith, Holmes, Allen, and Mahacek) beat out the Hippos, the
Mooses, and the Apes.
Our member, Lew Mahacek,
who had a medical episode prior to the competition was treated at the
hospital, released Sunday, and back to practice on Tuesday.
New
members Eric Domke, Lance Shew, and Austin Quinn brought along their
wives, Mary, Nola, and Martha – a full intro to Big Chief Barbershop in
one day.
Our annual Woodshed contest had to be cancelled this year, but will return.
Four
Wheel Drive had three singouts in April. It sang to 637 school kids
and staff at Wixom Elementary School, on April 8. The occasion was the
shaving off of Principle Alec Bender’s moustache, the consequence of
his reading challenge to the school kids. They listened to the quartet
sing “Barbershop Style, Zip-Ah-Dee-Doo-Dah, Mickey Mouse tag, Wild
Irish Rose, I’m Sittin’, and In the Still of the Night.” Then a
fanfare as the two local stylists went to work, and the gymnasium-full
of kids did their ear-splitting chant, “Shave It!, Shave It!” The
culmination was the handing out of fake moustaches for all the kids to
don.
Four Wheel Drive had two other singouts and Celebration Quartet one other.
