Official Publication of Atlantic-Gulf Region 9 Sweet Adelines International www.sairegion9 July 2014

By Mary Markovitz

T his month, potentially more than 23,000 Sweet Adelines International members will be Bowling for Barbershop in

bowling centers across the globe.

In Boynton Beach, 30 members of The Women of Note Chorus have formed four teams and will be Bowling for Barbershop and harmonizing on Wednesday, July 30 on the lanes of AMF Bowling Alley, off Boynton Beach

Boulevard.

Elaine Haugan, spokeswoman for the Acca-Bowlers, a sassy, competitive group are…”out to win for Women of Note.” “We plan to raise the most money, score the highest, sing the loudest and have the most fun, she ventured. Not to be outdone, team captain for The Holy Moly Harmony Roller Bowlers, Joyce Snodgrass claimed, “We are a formidable team…and 20 feet from stardom.”

This fun-loving group aims to eat and drink the most while tormenting the other teams with their taunts. The Four Part Harmonizers and The Rainbow-lers plan to challenge the others with their own Herculean effort. Mitch Greenberg, director of Women of Note and

member of The Rainbow-lers contends, “Our team will spare no effort to strike our opponents’ attempts to outscore

us.”

For the past two months The Women of Note have raised donations online and within the community to help advance the musical art form of

barbershop music and provide opportunities for women to participate in singing and performing the rich tradition of barbershop harmony throughout the Palm Beaches. Last year the group raised $1500 and has energized the chorus to top this amount for

this coming year.

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By Marcia Cornell

T he Hilton Head Shore

Notes were honored to be invited to sing at two Memorial Day events. For the fourth year in a row, the Hilton Head Choral Society asked the Shore Notes to participate in their annual Memorial Day tribute to the armed services, where we sang “Let Freedom Ring” and “Proud to Be An American.” It is always a moving experience to sing to such a large audience because so many of them represent the four branches of the armed

services.

A week later we were asked to sing at Station 300, a local entertainment center, that was holding “Military May – Support our Lowcountry Heroes.” The goal was to raise money for two local charities, “Honor our Heroes Foundation” and “Healing Heroes of the

Lowcountry,” which benefit people who have served in the armed forces in the Hilton Head area. The Shore Notes were very grateful to participate in these two

meaningful events.

By Jacquie Humphreys

H i, and Happy Summer!

We have elected our new Board members for this coming year. Our current Board is Ellen Linsley, President, Bunny Klein, Vice President, Lisa Applequist, Treasurer, and Jeanette Rothberg, Secretary. Our newly-elected Board members are LuAnn Ackerman, Cheryl Gaynor, Tresa Rank, Bunny Klein and Ruth McKinnon. We have also chosen a new logo. Our new logo depicts our namesake manatee wearing her musical magic hat.

(L to R) Mary DeJong, Sandy Fitzpatrick and Director Lois Van Beek (MAGIC continued on page 9)

Choruses

Gainesville Harmony

Gainesville, Florida Diane Sherley & Chanda Morris,

Co-Directors

Goldcoast

Miami, Florida

Iris Cokeroft, Director

Gulf To Bay

Largo, Florida

Denise Helbig, Director

Harmony Shores

Panama City, Florida

Barbara Heckerson, Director

Heart of Highland

Avon Park, Florida

Betty Meinholz, Director

Hilton Head Shore Notes

Hilton Head Island, S. Carolina

Faye McLanahan, Director

Jacksonville Harmony

Jacksonville, Florida

Ann Gooch, Director

Magic of Manatee

Bradenton, Florida

Lois Van Beek, Director

O-Town Sound

Orlando, Florida

Kay Webb, Director

Pensacola Sound

Pensacola, Florida Connie Hancock, Director

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(continued on page 9)

By Mary Markovitz

A cross the Nation, while people were acknowledging Memorial Day Weekend with subdued ceremonies,

flag planting at cemeteries, parades, and barbecues, Florida’s South East Honor Flight which has taken hundreds of WWII Veterans and terminally ill Vets on one-day trips to the World War II Memorial, flew a plane full of Vets to Washington, DC. Operating out of Palm Beach International

Airport, these flights to Washington DC honor the Veterans

who fought with the Greatest Generation.

As the Honor Flight returned to PBIA, flag waving well-wishers and Sunsation Quartet from Women of Note Chorus in Wellington, FL warmly greeted the returning Vets. While Sunsaton has been serenading the Vets as they departed to Washington for the last several years, the ladies saluted the returning Vets for Operation Homecoming upon their return. Sunsation entertained the families, military, and patriotic organizations that waited anxiously for the returning Vets with songs from the Big Band and Swing era. Quartet member Marcy Wiseman noted, “Our poignant rendition of Sentimental Journey evoked tears of joy from a woman waiting for her husband of 65 years to return from his special day at the Memorial.” Marcy discovered another emotional moment as she noted the Flags for Our Heroes honorees commemorated posthumously. “My stepfather

(SUNSATION continued on page 10)

By Connie Bates

W e are plugging away! Our

show, Broadway Bound, was a success in Febru-ary...so much fun but hard

work. Contest is over (whew), and now we are preparing for next year!!! We plan to be big-

ger and better!!!

We have instilled a "Walking Program" in our chorus. Those of us who can, are walking every day and recording our minutes that we walk to help build stamina and maybe some weight loss along the way (hee hee). We have two teams and at the end of 6

weeks, the team with the least amount of minutes walked, provides a salad dinner to those with the most minutes walked. Thanks to Belva

Gray for her suggestion!

Betty Meinholz, our be-loved leader, has been bringing in some fun songs for us to learn. Betty drives over an hour every week to come to our re-hearsals. You will have to ask her about some of the experiences she has had driving on the road to Avon Park!!! (One of them made her get another car!!!!) Bless your heart, Betty!!!! And thank you for

your persistence!!!

By Karen Robertson Schor

S ummertime is upon us. For many people

that means lazy days and vacations. For Sweet Adelines, especially those preparing for International in Baltimore, that is not the case. It means we are moving into high gear with all hands

on deck.

Spirit of the Gulf is hard at work. Having achieved the position of First Place at Regional Competition in 2013 in Daytona Beach with our then brand new Director, Mike Slamka, we have been working hard and making beautiful music together. We are preparing to represent Region 9 side by side with Region 9's VERY competitive quartets in Baltimore this

autumn.

Being located in Southwest Florida we have some "snowbirds" in our chorus. This temporary, geographical separation of Snowbirds and Shorebirds doesn't slow us down. Some very dedicated women record each rehearsal and our newly-presented choreography and make it accessible to everyone, so all of us stay up to speed, even on vacation. Spirit is like a ship. From the captain (read Director Mike) right on down, everyone has a job. And we

are sailing.

In July you'll find our snowbirds back for a

special Mini Snowbird Retreat. Snowbirds and 'shorebirds" participate in this event, where we come together to rehearse, and enjoy the camaraderie of this diverse group, and

rehearse some more.

The summer will slip by and we will find ourselves in late September at our traditional, full weekend

retreat. It's serious business then as we engage in final preparations for our performance at International Convention in

Baltimore.

Yes for some summer is a lazy time, but for Spirit, the wind is in our sails and our

course is set!

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By Mary Markovitz

K id Rock, Robin Thicke, Alice in

Chains, the Goo Goo Dolls and 50 other entertainers kept Women of Note and volunteers rockin’ and rollin’ as they poured beer for thirsty fans during SunFest, April 30-May 4, 2014 on the dazzling green grounds of Waterfront Park in downtown West Palm Beach. Fans dressed in T-shirts, shorts, bikini’s, and sandals while adorned in festival beads and cowboy hats lined up at Women of Note’s beer booth, ordering plenty of Coors, Coors Light, Red Apple and Blue

Moon beers.

Seduced by the aroma of Pork Carnitas, Chicken Shish Kebabs and

Deep-fried Doughnuts wafting from the food vendors, members of the chorus and volunteers were able to sample the food during much needed breaks from taking orders and pouring beer. Daryl

Shatto, a keg pouring volunteer put a meatloaf cupcake he described as “heart attack city” to the test: Bacon wrapped around a meatball smothered in mashed potatoes and cheese. His

wife Loretta, a bar maid volunteer, shook her head in exasperation, “Who knew this monstrosity even

existed!”

The diverse music, eclectic food, and art festival

during this 32

nd annual

event drew thousands of people-watching music fans. Torrents of rain from time to time did not dampen the spirits of concert- goers or volunteers as musicians rocked the waterfront venue for five days. Brilliant sunshine brought out throngs of music enthusiasts and Women

of Note reaped the benefits – tons of fun, getting our name out there to hundreds of music lovers, tips and a percentage of beer sales, which constitute the group’s largest fundraiser for the

year.

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By Kathy Taylor

W e have a great group of ladies

in our chorus. They are motivated; they are ready to help when and where needed and all feel the need to get in those costumes and makeup, take our places on the risers, use those voices

and watch people smile.

And that will happen, but until the date of the show on September 20

th, do you

know what we will be doing? That’s right, working those songs, over and over. Start and stop. Breathe, but not too long of

a breath. Keep the rhythm, keep the tempo, listen to each other, and practice,

practice, practice!

What, are we going to Carnegie Hall? You would think so, but we are really singing at the church where we rehearse. This

performance is a prelude to the Regional Competition and we are working on going up in points this year. This is our opportunity to find our weaknesses, our strengths, to have fun and interact with our community, and share with our families and friends the rewards of those nights away from

them.

Yes we spend a lot of hours learning to use our voices, breathe, stand, ring chords, shape our mouths, learn choreography and rehearse songs, but those hours together blend us as a

chorus and as friends.

By Lisa Smith

T he Song of the Coast

Chorus recently celebrated the accomplish-ments of two very special

members.

In May, at our annual installation banquet, Joy Feulner received the Sweet Adeline of the Year award for her outstanding contributions to the chorus. Joy has faithfully served as assistant to the director, baritone section leader, rookie coordinator, finance team, and all around

chorus leader. She also sings baritone in the Pitch Piper

quartet.

Then, in June, Diane Johnson was chosen as our new director. Diane has been a Sweet Adeline for 10 years, and has served as section leader,

music team member and assistant director. She earned her bachelor's degree in music education and taught elementary and

Diane Johnson Joy Feulner

(MEMBER continued on page 7)

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Toast of Tampa can’t wait to represent Atlantic Gulf Region 9 on the International stage in Las Vegas in Oct 2015. Though it’s only been six weeks since our regional win, our journey is just beginning as we schedule coaching for the next 18 months, plan our retreat, select new music, work on improving vocal and visual skills, and prepare for our annual

show on Oct 4 at USF.

We’ve welcomed several new singers since Daytona, including former TOT members, youth, and one singer from Harborlites. With over 140 members on the roster, best news is a new rehearsal hall this

month!

Toast moved regular Tuesday night rehearsals to the expansive TPepin’s Hospitality Centre, Tampa’s newest venue to book

By Beth Curts

(TOAST continued on page 13)

By Diane Jackson

As we come into the month of July I reflect on the freedoms we now enjoy. I was recently reading a memoir from an older lady who said back in the old days women were supposed to be only in the home taking care of the house and the children. I think of how brave the women were who started Sweet Adelines; the ones who demanded that we have equal footing with the men. Even back in the 70’s when I was a young mother it was hard to leave young children with their

father and go for a “night out with the girls.”

So hats off to Nancy Lewis and the ladies that first started our “Sound of Sunshine”. I am very grateful that you had the

courage and forethought to bring our group into the world.

We have such busy lives and as the old adage goes “Men may work from dusk to dawn but women’s work is never done.” So for this 4th of July when we celebrate our freedom, let’s celebrate the freedom to sing, to dance and to be

ourselves.

(MEMBERS continued from page 6)

secondary music for 15 years. She was interim director for 18 months, and led us on stage at this year's regional competition. We are thrilled that she has accepted the

position permanently.

We're all so grateful for these two amazing ladies who do

so much for our chorus!

D ouble Trouble sang the national anthem for 3,000 plus attendees at Florida National Cemetery's Memorial Day Ceremony in Bushnell. It was an amazing experience

and we are honored and humbled to have been given the honor of taking part in this tribute to our fallen veterans. Our hats are off to all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and to our active duty servicemen and women who are currently defending our freedom so we can

continue to participate in this amazing hobby of ours.

By Paula Barnett

J acksonville Harmony is de-lighted to say, "Viva Las

Vegas!" We've proudly accept-ed an invitation to Harmony Classic in 2015. We're delight-ed to be representing the fabu-lous Region 9 there. We're shin-ing up our sequins, polishing our paillettes, limbering up our slot machine arms, practicing our poker faces and joyfully singing our hearts out. Here's hoping that what happens in Vegas

By Judy Shea

won't stay in Vegas but will be around our necks to come home with us! Yeah, Vegas

baby!

Our membership continues to grow with the return of past member Joanie Kouko to our fold and the lovely lead voice of our newest member Martina Wil-liams. Our focus this year is on growing our membership and we've had success with meetup.com and our Facebook page. If any of you have sug-

gestions that have worked for you we'd love

to hear about them.

Jax Harmony wishes you a spectacular

summer with many songs to sing!

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9

Platinum Coast

West Melbourne, Florida

Elaine Haugan, Director

Song of the Coast

Ormond Beach, Florida Diane Johnson, Director

Sound of Sunshine

Orlando, Florida

Nancy Lewis, Director

South Florida Jubilee

Plantation, Florida

James Kastler, Director

Southern Company

Brandon, Florida

Linda Verzosa, Director

Spirit of the Gulf

Fort Myers, Florida

Mike Slamka, Director

Summer Springs

Ocala, Florida

Judi Stygar, Director

Suncoast Harmony

Hudson, Florida

Amy Riddle, Director

Toast of Tampa

Temple Terrace, Florida

Tony DeRosa, Director

Venetian Harmony

Venice, Florida

Jim Shubert, Director

Women of Note

Wellington, Florida

Mitch Greenberg, Director

(continued from page 3)

(MAGIC continued from page 2)

We are most excited to have won the Audience Choice Award at Regional Competition in Daytona Beach this past April and we wear our beautiful blue ribbons with excitement and pride. We are ecstatic that our songs, “Dancing Queen”, “Where Is Your Heart”, and “Kazoo Koncerto” pleased our audience and we received a standing ovation and lots of cheers and clapping along with the songs! Now, how do we follow that?!!! We are also proud that we had five new members singing with us at competition for the first time (pictured). We have begun working on new songs for our annual show in February and next year’s competition, but we will take a break in July and come back together the end of July for our Tuesday practices. A picnic and new member blitz is being planned. A festival on Anna Maria Island called Wine and Dine on Pine was scheduled in May and we were going to sing and dance as one of the street entertainment groups, but a huge rain and windstorm arrived and they had to cancel the whole event for safety reasons. After all we can’t have tents, food, and arts and crafts blowing all around! This reminds us all to be safe and have a great summer.

Kim Kasacky, Julie Warrender, Marthe Hilldreth, Waneta Linn and Chris Siegert.

By Flo Eichar

W e think we may be

doing something different for internal fund raising for Venetian Harmony Chorus. Two of our members, Roberta (Bertie) Rohrer and Ginna

Ruffing, make beautiful

jewelry for fun and profit.

Several times a year they bring their collections to chorus rehearsals. Our member are, of course, delighted and have a

(VENETIAN continued on page 13)

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By Mary Markovitz

W omen of Note Chorus reached

to new heights in regional competition on April 4 in Daytona, achieving the highest score in the history of the chorus by winning a

in his wheelchair. He was visibly moved and accepted a hug from each of us.” His daughter turned him around in the chair so she could get a photo of him and the divas

in red.

Another quartet member, Dixie Challinor observed veterans talking softly with their volunteers as they told stories they have kept packed away with their medals and photos for many

years.

As the last of the Vets paraded down the “runway,” Sunsation sang Mr. Sandman. Gail Katz, lead voice for the quartet remarked, “People shook hands thanking us for sharing our love and voices with those who served. I even kissed a Vet on the

cheek and he was thrilled.”

Sunsation Quartet intends to continue serenading men and women who serve admirably for their country at every opportunity. They love singing to those who return from Washington, DC to a

hero’s welcome.

(SUNSATION continued from

page 3)

was honored in this way earlier in May. My mom and I will never forget the feeling of the private ceremony and the public welcome of so many people at Palm Beach International

Airport.”

As the quartet waited for the Vets to disembark upon their return, they heard a far-off drum beat. Then, as bagpipes led the way down the “runway” of concourse B, the procession of Vets and the volunteers who keep them company accepted applause, handshakes, and kisses. On cue with their crisp, harmonic blend, Sunsation greeted the group with The Star Spangled Banner, Java Jive, and Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy among many others. This very comely quartet adorned in red sequined tops charmed each of the traveling Vets with their ringing chords and smiling faces. Quartet member Cindy Moeller commented, “We sang You Made Me Love You to a Vet

second place medal in the midsize division and a third place medal overall. “We feel good about our win,” said director Mitch Greenberg. “We had a goal and worked hard toward achieving that goal. We’re

thrilled.”

(MEDALISTS continued on page 11)

The weekend started with the Women of Note’s Attitude Quartet taking home a first place win in the quartet competition. Lead, Cheryl Phillips-Anderson commented, “I am so proud to be a member of and to represent the Women of Note as Region 9’s first place Attitude Quartet. It was awe-inspiring to hear the rousing applause and cheering from the audience, and specifically hearing and seeing my WON sisters when our quartet name was called Friday night.” She went on to praise the group’s warm and wonderful support. About Women of Note’s performance, she offered, “The Women of Note felt like one-unit, one-voice, ready to perform. It showed on stage and we earned the scores. I can’t stop smiling when I

think about the weekend.”

This exceptional group of women with 45 members on stage welcomed eight new members onto the competition stage this year as Women of Note gave a rousing performance of When the Midnight Choo Choo Leaves for Alabam’ and delivered a warm, resonant rendition of Love Walked In. Although some new members cited nervous jitters and fear of falling while climbing the risers, Michele Posner observed,

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“The moment we took our first note, the nerves disappeared and the rest was pure joy!” While Brenda Rantala-Sykes is not new to singing, she is new to Sweet Adelines and Region 9. She considers Women of Note an “Awesome” group and delighted over …“the false eyelashes and being able to see through those hairy things.” “ I was so happy to learn that I could walk in those sparkly high heels and breathe comfortably in my new all-in-one,” she quipped. Margie Lawrence was ecstatic and thrilled when the chorus was presented with not only one but two medals. “This was a first for me,” she remarked. Other new members include Barbara Horowitz, Amy Fisher, Joan Milligan, Diane Moracci, and

Tianna Walter.

Newcomers aside, Sweet Adeline veteran of 38 years, Elaine Haugan, a Women of Note member and director of Platinum Coast Chorus who won the Most Improved Chorus award summed up the excitement of winning these awards, “It was the joy of being together with all my regional friends. Seeing the “quartet shuffle” and watching friends mix it up with other singers to form yet another wonderful and successful quartet is invigorating. Watching my friends who are directors work their magic on the stage with their choruses continues to inspire me to greater heights.” What keeps Elaine coming back each year with a new sense of freshness are those friendships she has developed over the years. “Just being able to sit over a cup of coffee with those who have moved far away…. those conversations with friends drive me back again and again and love it as though it

were my first time.”

And the journey continues - learning new music, keeping a relaxed and healthy body, maintaining accuracy and precision, not to mention staying motivated

to work hard and smart.

(MEDALISTS continued from page 10)

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Team Coordinator LISA DEPREZ

Gulf To Bay

Membership Coordinator

DEBBIE DENNIS Sound of Sunshine

Communications Coordinator RHONDA PAYTON

Chapter at Large

Events Coordinator SUE GIESLER

Chapter at Large

Education Coordinator BARBARA MAULDIN

Harmony Shores

Marketing Coordinator IRENE ZIMMER

Gulf To Bay

Finance Coordinator CATHY FREY

Toast of Tampa and Spirit of the Gulf

Directors’ Coordinator FRAN RUSS

Jacksonville Harmony

YOUR REGIONALYOUR REGIONAL

MANAGEMENT TEAMMANAGEMENT TEAM

Published Quarterly January, April, July

and October JANUARY deadline Dec. 15 APRIL deadline March 8 JULY deadline June 15 OCT deadline Sep. 15

Email submissions to: paulab902@gmail.com

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(VENETIAN continued from

page 9)

wonderful time shopping before, after and even during any breaks we may have during the rehearsal. Everyone has a wonderful time buying for themselves and as gifts for friends and

family.

Our budget is enhanced, too. They pass along 15 percent of their proceeds to our treasury. We are quite pleased to have such talented and giving

women among our members.

By Paula Barnett

O-Town Sound had the opportunity to sing the National Anthem at an Orlando Solar Bears game at Amway Centre in April. It was a thrilling experience to be on the ice with the players and to share the green room with retired NHL player Marcel Dionne. Marcel was the Solar Bears’ special guest that night and was O-Town Sound’s biggest pre-game fan as the chorus rehearsed in the

green room.

Thirty-eight members of OTS were able to participate that evening in Orlando as we presented our national anthem to thousands of excited hockey fans. The thunderous applause from so many thousands of

people was overwhelming!

Immediately afterward, on our way from the ice to the main floor, the entire

chorus was ushered into a huge elevator along with our host and a few other Solar Bears staffers. What do you think we did on the way up? We sang a tag, of course! Our host said that was a first for him and that we were his favorite

anthem singers so far!

After it was all done, the chorus sat together and watched the game complete with hot dogs, soft pretzels and cold beer. To top it all off, the Solar Bears won the game! It was a great way to spend the evening and share our

music with Orlando.

OTS on the Jumbotron

memorable events. The chorus is thrilled with the sound, space, presentation, and amenities of the hall, near Temple Terrace and accessible from both I-4

and Rt 75.

Our quartets are singing up a storm! In May, Tickled Pink, which won Platinum again at 2014 Regional, delivered birthday greetings then said goodbye to Lynnell Diamond, who moved to Idaho to be nearer family. In June, a Toast quartet was asked to sing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” to Baseball Hall of Fame batter Wade Boggs (Red Sox, NY Yankees, TB Devil Rays) at a private birthday gathering of friends and family. “Rainbow” is a favorite of Boggs, and

Toast soars with it as well!

Region 9’s Novice winners, Ingenue, sang on the Heralds of Harmony men’s show in May and prepares for the 2014 Rising Star youth contest in Boston in July. Second place regional medalists 4Joy sang on the Big Orange men’s show in June. Lastly, Toast enthusiastically wishes our wonderful director Tony DeRosa and Main Street success at Men’s International next month in

Las Vegas.

(TOAST continued from page 7)