Back to Work and Fun

Following our performances at the Red Mill in Clinton and at Deer Path Park in Readington Township I got off for a little vacation with my family. That meant I missed participating in the performance at Heath Village. I understand that it went very well and the folks were well entertained.

We will next be singing at a Patriots Ball Game on Wednesday August 24th before the game. The Hunterdon Harmonizers were the first group of our kind to sing in the ball park.

Then, three days later, we will be at the Warren County Renaissance Faire in Harmony, NJ on Saturday August 27 at about 2:00.

We are getting ready for these fun opportunities as well as our 9-11 performances. We will perform again, as we have twice before, at the Richard Cudina Memorial in the Lebanon Township park.

We are well underway in our preparation. Last Tuesday we had a coaching session with one of our favorite coaches. We all always enjoy working with Stephanie (see photos)

Of course our show committee of Ron, Carmen, and Don, with others helping, are getting us ready for our Craft Fair performance on Main Street in Flemington on Saturday and Sunday September 17 & 18 at 1:00 in the afternoon.

Not to forget preparation for District Contest in Lancaster on October 1st this year.

This all works up to our annual Holiday show that is now confirmed for Saturday December 3 at Hunterdon Central High School on Route 31 in Flemington. Busy !

Hunterdon Harmonizers Annual Patriots Baseball Game

The Hunterdon Harmonizers finished the month of August with one of their annual fun activities. They gathered together yesterday with friends from a number of other barbershop chapters to perform a show for the early arrivals of the crowd of more than 5,000 fans at the Somerset Patriots baseball game in the TD Stadium in Bridgewater New Jersey. The stands were packed with children and their parents interested in the Star Wars theme of the night.

Rusty Williams of the Harmonizers organized the event. He invited the leadership and singers of all of the chapter in the Northern Division of the MidAtlantic District. Participating, in addition to the Hunterdon Harmonizers, www.NJHarmonizerrs.org were singers from the local chapter, The SomerTones of Somerville New Jersey, www.somertones.org, the Morris Music Men of Morris County in New Jersey www.morrismusicmen.org the High Point Harmonizers of Sussex New Jersey, and singers from the Jerseyaires of Rahway, New Jersey. www.Jerseyaires.org.

Music had been provided in advance for the 20 minute show to be performed. The singers gathered outside of the stadium to practice their show set. All of the singers came prepared and opened the show with a rendition of Coney Island Baby.

The music directors of each of the chapters took turns directing a song with all of the singers joining in. As the crowd entered the stadium they heard the performance of this barbershop group projected over the stadium sound system. As the audience grew the applause level increased. It was obvious that the performance was appreciated.

The staff from the patriots ball team filmed the singers, projecting their video on the large scoreboard so that everyone in the stadium could see the close-up faces of the various singers.

At the conclusion of the show the group paused for the introduction of the ballplayers of both teams, the introduction of the game officials, and a representative of the sponsor for the night throwing out the first pitch. Star Wars characters were introduced. Following that pause the barbershop group sang the National Anthem which concluded with thunderous applause from the appreciative audience.

The singers and their guests took their seats in the stands and watched the Somerset Patriots defeat the Camden Riversharks 5-2 before 5,043 fans. Representatives of the participating chapters took turns staffing a table in the food court area that was used to promote barbershop, and the participating chapters in particular.

The next major Harmonizer event is the annual Craft Fair on the Main Street in Flemington on Saturday and Sunday September 18 and 19^th. The craft fair will feature a full free show performed by the Harmonizers chorus and quartets at 1:00 pm on each of the two afternoons.