Saturday, December 12, 2009

Southern Tiersmen

Yesterday we decided to attend a spaghetti dinner held at the Berkshire Methodist Church. They sponsor a dinner once a month as a fund raiser. You receive dessert as you sit down, and then you are provided salad and home made dressing followed by a drink of choice and then bread and a large plate of spaghetti and meatballs. It was quite good and filling. This was followed by an event sponsored by the Berkshire Historical Society. Maurice and Ray, members, have recently written a book about Berkshire which is filled with pictures and commentary of earlier times. It is quite interesting to read especially if you grew up here.

The event was a concert by the Southern Tiersmen. This is a group of 30-50 men from the area who enjoy performing barbershop music. This was primarily a Christmas concert and some barbershop quartets as counterpoint. They were delightful. They started each number by getting a note from a pitch pipe, and then the wonderful sounds of four part harmony assailed your ears. They even sang one of my favorite songs, "I'll Be Home for Christmas," which ends with the words "...If only in my dreams." In times of war, past and present, this has been true for so many men and women in the service of our country. I always enjoy hearing the song.

Near the end of the program the conductor encouraged us to join in the singing, since he noted that many had been doing so right along. I was guilty of humming the base parts, but thought I had been quiet. Apparently not. We left the church to discover that our car was covered with a light blanket of snow and drove slowly home enjoying the reflection of the Christmas lights decorating houses along the way. Happy travels.

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