1. Notes for this week

• Last Monday's Meeting:
  • A great Bass section rehearsal, led by Carol!
  • A very good rehearsal, with 19 singers present (the highest number for quite a whille). Good to see Ben Hansen back with us!
  • A good afterglow at The Corner Tavern, with 10 people present: 55% participation.
• September 17 was our second of 7 football concession sessions at Carter Finley stadium. Click on Concession to review what you signed up for.
• Next Monday, September 26, we have a PERFORMANCE at Springmoor. Don't go to Searstone.
  • Uniform requirement: Chorus blue check shirt, chorus blue jeans, your own medium brown shoes. Chorus blazer is optional.
  • Show up time is 6:30. Address is 1500 Sawmill Rd, Raleigh, NC 27615.  Enter the facility at the Main Entrance at the circle drive.
  • Meet in the Library on the second floor. The Reception desk can point the way.
  • Performance will be about 45 minutes. Afterwards, we will have an abbreviated practice session. Prepare to make a recording of yourself singing our contest songs (while in chorus formation).
  • Here is the probably program order:
    • Almost Like Being in Love
    • The Longest Time
    • Yesterday
    • The Lion Sleeps Tonight
    • Quartet: Crazy - Sean, Bob, Tom, Mike
    • Valentine package - Sweetheart/Heart of My Heart
    • Quartet: Java Jive - Seldom Heard
    • Happy Birthday - maybe
    • Do You Hear the People Sing?
    • Prayer of the Children - depending on how it goes in rehearsal at 6:30
    • Ride the Chariot
    • Quartet: Hello, Mary Lou/First Day in Heaven - Alternate Dimension
    • Sweet Caroline
    • Ova the Rainbow
    • Bare Necessities
  • Will there be an Afterglow? YES! Sawmill Tap Room at 7701 Lead Mine Rd, Raleigh, NC 27615.
• Please sign up this week to participate in the Fall District Convention and Competition. Save $$$ by registering before Sept 26! Go to https://www.carolinasdistrict.org/2022/08/28/register-for-the-fall-convention/ to register.
  • Every one must make sure within the next few days that his registration with BHS/Carolinas District/RTP Chapter will be paid up and current by Contest date.
  • Chapter Quartet 7th Dimension will also be competing. Witnessing their performance is, by itself, worth the price of admission!

2. Carol's Korner

• The songs we will be singing for the District Contest on October 15 are "Over the Rainbow" and "The Bare Necessities", so we will be singing these songs every week between now and then. 
  • Listen to the recording you made of me speaking/singing OTR a few weeks ago so that you practice the intended interpretation plan WHILE you are finalizing words, notes, and tempo.
• I'm excited about the progress we are making on our contest set, and across the board! The more we get off the page and sing a song built on phrases and VOWELS, the more flexible and in sync we are becoming. And we were even on pitch more consistently on Monday! Let's keep building on this momentum and give Springmoor an incredible show!

3. Future Notes

• September 24 is our next (#3 of 7) football concession session at Carter Finley stadium.  These are our most important fund raiser events of the year.  We need to provide 6 workers for each event.  The signup sheet is available now.
  • Remember that it does not have to be just chapter members working the concession. Family and friends can help out, too.
  • Tim will provide more details as we get close. Meanwhile, click Concession to sign up as you are able.
  • Here is the entire remaining schedule, as far as we know right now:
    • Sep 24 - Report time is 4:30pm
    • Oct  8 - time TBA
    • Oct 27 - Kickoff @  7:30pm    Report to work @  5:00pm
    • Nov  5 - time TBA
    • Nov 12 - time TBA
• October 14 and 15: NSC District will hold this Fall's Convention at Asbury UMC Church at 6612 Creedmoor Rd, in Raleigh.
  • Please register up this week to participate in the Fall District Convention and Competition. Save $$$ by registering before Sept 26! Go to https://www.carolinasdistrict.org/2022/08/28/register-for-the-fall-convention/ to register.
  • Particpating: We will compete at the Convention with The Bare Necessities and Over the Rainbow. Look for future announcements about the qualifying process!
  • Volunteering: Here are our volunteering needs. Please contact me if you're available.
    • Risers: John Zweighaft will drive the riser truck over to the venue on Friday (Oct 14). We need 3 men to unload and place the risers at 1pm.
    • At the end of the quartet finals on Saturday evening around 8pm, we will need three guys with cars to help transport the judges from the venue back to the Marriott (2.5 miles away).
    • After the Saturday night show, around 9:30, we will need 4 men to load the risers back onto the truck. John will drive the truck back to Searstone when convenient.

4. Long Range

• Christmas Season:
  • Christmas Vignettes: As part of the Christmas Show, we will again offer our audience personal stories regarding Christmas. This has been well received by both the chorus members AND the audience. Please submit your personal favorite Christmas story to Mike as son as you can. He might ask for a photo or two to go along with the story. Here's an example of a vignette:
    • Communities of Faith Working for and with Each Other
      In the early 1950s, a new Jewish community was formed in my hometown of Emerson, NJ. The local Catholic priest invited them to use the Church building on Saturdays for their Sabbath services. As a gesture of gratitude, the Jews would offer every year afterwards to babysit the small children of the Catholics who desired to attend Midnight Mass on Christmas night.
  • Dec 1: Possible concert at Holly Springs, early evening. Stay tuned.
  • Dec 5: Show at Searstone. Full Christmas Concert Christmas Tree Lighting
  • Dec 6: Show, a Tuesday evening. We will put on our Christmas show at the Cary Arts Center theater.   We will need to sell tickets and Ads.  Start thinking NOW about who you might want to invite or sell an Ad to. 
  • Dec 10: Possible Concert at Holly Springs Christmas Paraade. 10AM til Noon. Stay tuned.
  • Dec 12: Possible concert in Selma, NC. Stay tuned.
  • Dec 19:  Christmas Concert at Springmoor Retirement Community in north Raleigh off Creedmoor Rd. This is HUGE. We have performed there soooo many times over the years, and they still invite us back. Around 7pm. Put it on your calendar now. If you are unable to participate, let Mike Muha know ASAP!
  • Community Singouts: Please be on the lookout for possible other places to sing at Christmas time. If they can't come to us, we will come to them! Just to put some context about it: We had 14 singers at our Christmas singouts in North Hills Shopping Center last December while at the same time we were having only 10 or 11 at (Zoom) practice sessions! Everyone likes singouts in the public setting. Note that we will make every effort possible to schedule these for Monday evenings. We know your time during the Holiday season is precious, so to ask for another night is difficult. We hope you can keep your Monday evenings reserved for Oak City Sound throughout that season.

5. Champagne Room

• No new news this week.