The next morning, the sleeping room where all the boys were, was a shambles. But by the time the rest of the chaperones arrived, the boys were packed and ready to go. Mrs. Cindy Williams brought all of their sleeping bags here, and then took them all home so that we did not have to schlep them all over the Midwest. Please take an opportunity to thank her for going above and beyond the call of duty of a Kantorei parent. We then were treated to a breakfast smorgasbord with pancakes, sausages, bacon and fruit. We then headed with our full bellies to Worlds of Fun.
Worlds of fun was started in 1973 by Lamar Hunt, the late owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, who was a land developer in Kansas City. Just south of the park is Subtropolis, an 1100 acre, 55 million sq ft man made limestone cave which is claimed to be the world's largest underground business complex. The park is loosely based on the Jules Verne book, around the world in 80 days. The main areas are divided into Africa, Europa, Scandinavia, the Orient and Americana. The park is now run by Cedar Fair, the same company which runs Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio the mecca for all roller coaster riders. The high points of the day were the suspended coaster, the Patriot which one group of boys rode 6 times in a row. The highest and steepest drop was on the Mamba which also was the fastest with a top speed of 73 mph. There were also several water rides such as the Viking Voyager and Fury of the Nile. Then there is the Monsoon. Now the interesting thing about the Monsoon is that there is an observation bridge which after the plunge, the boat goes under. Several of the boys and I went to get on the ride and Mrs. Ross stayed behind and thought they would watch from the bridge. Well as soon as the boat hit the bottom it sent a giant tidal wave of water which completely envelops the people on the bridge. I know many of you have heard the expression soaked to the bone, well you can only imagine what they looked like. Then when we got off the ride, the chaperones stood off to the side of the bridge as the boys waited for the next boat. Well, the secondary wave which sprays off at a 45 degree angle hit us full force even as we ran as fast as we could.
We met for lunch at the Tivoli Terrace where we had a buffet of fried chicken, barbecue sandwiches, fruit and chocolate chip cookies. We tried to warn all the boys to stay away from the rides on a full stomach, most listened, but a few learned a lesson that will stick with them for a long time. Surprisingly few boys took on the carnival type games, but one notable was Michael Dean who came back sporting a big pink Care Bear, you will have to ask him if it is for him or someone else.
We boarded the bus at 5 pm and made our way to Smokehouse BBQ. The boys ate their fill of Kansas City Style BBQ. Kansas City-style BBQ traces its roots back to Henry Perry who sold slow cooked BBQ for 25 cents a slab on newsprint beginning in 1908. The Memphis and KC style are similar slow cooked in deep pits, but the KC style emphasizes using as much sauce as possible. The restaurant took off during the heyday of jazz in the 20's and 30's. Perry's proteges, the Bryants took over that restaurant that still operates today. We were more than happy with our choices and headed to the La Quinta Inn for a long sleep following two happy, but tiring days.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
He Ain't Heavy, He's my Brother
The morning after a homestay, good or bad, seems to have an almost palpable buzz of excitement. The boys often come back with stories, phone numbers and also a remembrance of the city they stayed in. This morning in Kansas City was no different. They came from many homes, some with only one other, some came in a large group. Although they enjoy the stay, all of them are glad to return to the fold.
At the start of 20th century, the Kansas City Terminal Railway Company decided that they needed a new location due to flooding problems. They chose an architect named Jarvis Hunt, a proponent of the city beautiful program to design the structure. The Beaux Arts Station opened in 1914 as the thrid largest train station in the country. There are 3 gigantic chandeliers, a 95 foot ceiling and the main clock has a six foot diameter face. Passenger rail service peaked in 1945 and declined thereafter until the station essentially closed in 1985 after commuter service was withdrawn. In 1996 a bistate tax was levied to subsidize half of the 500 million dollar renovation which was completed in 1999. It is now a beautiful reminder of yesteryear along with an Imax theatre, Science City, planetarium and the Irish Cultural Center Museum. They also have a passageway to excellent shopping and restaurants. We were fortunate enough to sing in the Great Hall with risers and keyboard and to hear the wonderful echoes of yesterday and today. You could almost hear the loud train whistles from locomotives of a bygone era. Several boys and the director of the Kansas City Boys Choir came to see us perform. The boys took to them immediately. We then had lunch at the station, most of the boys shopped, a good percentage of them watched the 3-D Dinosaur movie and generally stretched their legs before getting back on the bus to head to our dinner at Sterling Acres Baptist Church.
We unloaded and changed for the concert after a dinner provided to us by the mothers of some of the boys in the choir. We went to Community Christian Church in the Plaza in Kansas City. Though the crowd was sparse, we loved hearing their choir. They are significantly smaller than us, but no less enthusiastic and remarkably talented. Most of the music their director, Ah'Lee Robinson, has written and arranged. Their style draws from gospel, R & B, spiritual and soul. Their is a sister girls choir, but they rarely perform together. He helps them train, but as an african-american leader, he also helps to mold them into strong male role models in a community which lacks for them. At the conclusion of the concert, the two choirs combined to sing, 'He Ain't Heavy, He's my brother', which was as moving for its message as for its beauty.
After the concert, the boys went to a sleep-over/lock-in at the Baptist Church where they played basketball, ran around and talked with the boys from KCBC. They all seemed to genuinely enjoy the opportunity to share with each other. Hopefully, friendships and kinships can be formed which will last a lifetime.
At the start of 20th century, the Kansas City Terminal Railway Company decided that they needed a new location due to flooding problems. They chose an architect named Jarvis Hunt, a proponent of the city beautiful program to design the structure. The Beaux Arts Station opened in 1914 as the thrid largest train station in the country. There are 3 gigantic chandeliers, a 95 foot ceiling and the main clock has a six foot diameter face. Passenger rail service peaked in 1945 and declined thereafter until the station essentially closed in 1985 after commuter service was withdrawn. In 1996 a bistate tax was levied to subsidize half of the 500 million dollar renovation which was completed in 1999. It is now a beautiful reminder of yesteryear along with an Imax theatre, Science City, planetarium and the Irish Cultural Center Museum. They also have a passageway to excellent shopping and restaurants. We were fortunate enough to sing in the Great Hall with risers and keyboard and to hear the wonderful echoes of yesterday and today. You could almost hear the loud train whistles from locomotives of a bygone era. Several boys and the director of the Kansas City Boys Choir came to see us perform. The boys took to them immediately. We then had lunch at the station, most of the boys shopped, a good percentage of them watched the 3-D Dinosaur movie and generally stretched their legs before getting back on the bus to head to our dinner at Sterling Acres Baptist Church.
We unloaded and changed for the concert after a dinner provided to us by the mothers of some of the boys in the choir. We went to Community Christian Church in the Plaza in Kansas City. Though the crowd was sparse, we loved hearing their choir. They are significantly smaller than us, but no less enthusiastic and remarkably talented. Most of the music their director, Ah'Lee Robinson, has written and arranged. Their style draws from gospel, R & B, spiritual and soul. Their is a sister girls choir, but they rarely perform together. He helps them train, but as an african-american leader, he also helps to mold them into strong male role models in a community which lacks for them. At the conclusion of the concert, the two choirs combined to sing, 'He Ain't Heavy, He's my brother', which was as moving for its message as for its beauty.
After the concert, the boys went to a sleep-over/lock-in at the Baptist Church where they played basketball, ran around and talked with the boys from KCBC. They all seemed to genuinely enjoy the opportunity to share with each other. Hopefully, friendships and kinships can be formed which will last a lifetime.
We're Going to Kansas City...Hey, Hey, Hey
The mornings of all of our travel days had been bright and beautiful, however this time the fates conspired against us. We had planned to go to Branson Landing, a conglomeration of shops along Lake Taneycomo, but they are all separate and the walk ways are uncovered. They also have an extraordinary fountain made by the same designer as the lighted fountains at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. An hour before we left, the heavens opened up and poured out rain, thunder and lightning. Since we were in a situation of biblical proportions, we made a mid course correction and headed for Dick's Old Time 5&10. I don't think many of our boys remember the days of local 5 and dime stores in the downtown of every small city. With the Wal-mart era, these are few and far between. They enjoyed the wide variety of trinkets and odds and ends which characterized these stores, some of seniors picked up bamboo curtains for college, while other boys obtained flip out combs and plastic models. We then boarded the bus for Kansas City.
The plains of Kansas and Missouri are a misnomer, for there are valleys and lakes, limestone bluffs and wide rivers which were formed again as the glaciers inched across North America. Lewis and Clark, during their exploration of the Louisiana territory, camped at the Kansas and Missouri rivers. This commanding view from that bluff became Quality Hill and a plaque commemorating the expedition lies near downtown. Although not established till later that century by fur traders with a need for beaver pelts, the town of Kansas City wasn't incorporated until 1889. They tossed around names for the site like Possum Trot and Rabbitville, but chose to name it after the local indian tribe the Kanza, and the town of Kansas was established in 1838. Now many of you may have heard the song, Kansas City, in Oklahoma and in many ways because of its location at the confluence of the two great rivers, Kansas City became a forerunner of Las Vegas. The papers called it a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah. William Rockhill Nelson moved to town from Indiana and used his newspaper to instigate change. They created sidwealks, and large green spaces and hired a landscape architect to help celebrate the city's topography. They created the country's second largest city park and it now bears his name. He helped create the modern city we know today and for its prosperity and rich jazz tradition. The name 'Athens of the West' was a name borne from that time.
We arrived at the home church of Mrs. Roxanne Reith, where her father was a minister and they treated us to a delicious meal prior to the concert and a splendid reception afterwards. There was lots of fresh fruit for the boys, so Mr. Ross declared this the winner of the best reception award. We had a wonderful concert, the acoustics seemed made for a group of our size and a capacity house seemed to bring out the best in the boys. The only sad note was bidding goodbye to Henry Solberg, one of our seniors who will be going to some advanced music camps and leaving with his mother after the concert. His easygoing charm and understated humor will be missed. The boys then gathered for their homestays and the chaperones and the boys will sleep well.
The plains of Kansas and Missouri are a misnomer, for there are valleys and lakes, limestone bluffs and wide rivers which were formed again as the glaciers inched across North America. Lewis and Clark, during their exploration of the Louisiana territory, camped at the Kansas and Missouri rivers. This commanding view from that bluff became Quality Hill and a plaque commemorating the expedition lies near downtown. Although not established till later that century by fur traders with a need for beaver pelts, the town of Kansas City wasn't incorporated until 1889. They tossed around names for the site like Possum Trot and Rabbitville, but chose to name it after the local indian tribe the Kanza, and the town of Kansas was established in 1838. Now many of you may have heard the song, Kansas City, in Oklahoma and in many ways because of its location at the confluence of the two great rivers, Kansas City became a forerunner of Las Vegas. The papers called it a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah. William Rockhill Nelson moved to town from Indiana and used his newspaper to instigate change. They created sidwealks, and large green spaces and hired a landscape architect to help celebrate the city's topography. They created the country's second largest city park and it now bears his name. He helped create the modern city we know today and for its prosperity and rich jazz tradition. The name 'Athens of the West' was a name borne from that time.
We arrived at the home church of Mrs. Roxanne Reith, where her father was a minister and they treated us to a delicious meal prior to the concert and a splendid reception afterwards. There was lots of fresh fruit for the boys, so Mr. Ross declared this the winner of the best reception award. We had a wonderful concert, the acoustics seemed made for a group of our size and a capacity house seemed to bring out the best in the boys. The only sad note was bidding goodbye to Henry Solberg, one of our seniors who will be going to some advanced music camps and leaving with his mother after the concert. His easygoing charm and understated humor will be missed. The boys then gathered for their homestays and the chaperones and the boys will sleep well.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Spirit of Branson
Sunday morning began as a glorious bright sunshine day. Since we were not scheduled to sing this morning, several of the boys availed themselves of the opportunity to attend sunday worship services at two local churches. The pastor at the Lutheran church welcomed the boys and spoke about how impressed with the piety of these young boys. They said they would have loved to have them sing at their church and invited the boys to stay at their church. They seemed to be most impressed with the bus that dropped them off more than anything. At least we have a place to sing if we ever return. Many of the boys chose to sleep in, and given the hectic schedule, that was not a bad choice. Many of them swam in the pool, ate breakfast and several sang around the grand piano in the lobby. The tenors and basses have begun spontaneously bursting into Vive L'Amour whenever we are in a public venue. It certianly turns heads and the boys love the attention. This Sunday morning served to recharge our batteries, physically and spiritually.
For lunch we ate at Mel's Hard Luck Diner where all the waitstaff double as crroners. I think that just like in Nashville, every working person harbors aspirations of being a star. Each waitperson had their own personal CDs for sale in the gift shop. We heard everything from country to motown to Captain and Tenille. We then took a short hop over to Spirit of the Dance. The crowd was not as big, but was just as responsive to the boys. Especially for Chatanooga Choo Choo. The stage manager asked how many costume changes we would be having and whether we needed a changing room. I didn't realize why he asked until we saw the show. There must have been 20 costume changes. The spirit of the dance was a high energy dance marathon with both Celtic, modern and jazz dance elements with dramatic music and lightning. The boys seemed enraptured by the performance, or it might have been the costumes of the female performers.
After a quick change and freshening up, we went to Papa Grand's pizza for a buffet. The boys seemed to have a ravenous appetite, apparently many of them were exhausted just watching the dancers. The seniors stayed behind to go out for their senior dinner. This annual tradition gives Mr. Ross and Mrs. Knight an opportunity to spend time with the senior boys on their last tour and for the boys to express their gratitude to their directors and for what Kantorei has meant to them. The seniors bought a very nice Mandolin for Mr. Ross and some musical spoons and a washboard for Mrs. Knight to use with the prep choiirs. They enjoyed a lovely meal and then videotaped interviews with Mr. Ross for future generations of Kantorei boys to see. The other boys enjoyed the Branson Fun Factory with a game of laser tag and then glow-in-dark mini golf. The boys were more competetive with each other at golf than at laser tag, if that seems possible. We then headed home and celebrated the birthday of one of the boys with cake and singing. Mentally, physically and spiritually, it was a fulfilling day.
For lunch we ate at Mel's Hard Luck Diner where all the waitstaff double as crroners. I think that just like in Nashville, every working person harbors aspirations of being a star. Each waitperson had their own personal CDs for sale in the gift shop. We heard everything from country to motown to Captain and Tenille. We then took a short hop over to Spirit of the Dance. The crowd was not as big, but was just as responsive to the boys. Especially for Chatanooga Choo Choo. The stage manager asked how many costume changes we would be having and whether we needed a changing room. I didn't realize why he asked until we saw the show. There must have been 20 costume changes. The spirit of the dance was a high energy dance marathon with both Celtic, modern and jazz dance elements with dramatic music and lightning. The boys seemed enraptured by the performance, or it might have been the costumes of the female performers.
After a quick change and freshening up, we went to Papa Grand's pizza for a buffet. The boys seemed to have a ravenous appetite, apparently many of them were exhausted just watching the dancers. The seniors stayed behind to go out for their senior dinner. This annual tradition gives Mr. Ross and Mrs. Knight an opportunity to spend time with the senior boys on their last tour and for the boys to express their gratitude to their directors and for what Kantorei has meant to them. The seniors bought a very nice Mandolin for Mr. Ross and some musical spoons and a washboard for Mrs. Knight to use with the prep choiirs. They enjoyed a lovely meal and then videotaped interviews with Mr. Ross for future generations of Kantorei boys to see. The other boys enjoyed the Branson Fun Factory with a game of laser tag and then glow-in-dark mini golf. The boys were more competetive with each other at golf than at laser tag, if that seems possible. We then headed home and celebrated the birthday of one of the boys with cake and singing. Mentally, physically and spiritually, it was a fulfilling day.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
City Museum - St. Louis
Go Thomas! Climb.
View next couple backwards. They posted in reverse order. :)
Kantorei Goes Country
We began our next morning by bidding good-bye to the city of St. Louis. Some of the boys looked ragged and took advantage of the long bus ride to sleep on the bus. Our bus ride was an ear-popping experience as we ascended the Ozark mountains. As you may know, the Ozarks were not formed by continental collision or volcanic activity, but by the erosion and land movement of the glaciers. We stopped at a rest stop and again the boys played some Frisbee outside. Branson and the Ozarks gained popularity first in 1907 when Harold Bell Wright’s novel, ‘Shepherd of the Hills’, first started attracting visitors to this area. Then when the Ozark Beach Dam and Table Rock Dam created Lake Taneycomo with plenty of fishing and boating opportunities. Then entertainment opportunities such as the outdoor pageant based on ‘Shepherd’, Silver Dollar City and then the Baldknobber’s jamboree in 1959 drew larger crowds to the area. Then many big name stars such as Roy Clark, Box Car Willie, Lawrence Welk and Andy Williams built large theaters and created the family centric atmosphere and music activities for which it has become famous. Now it has more than 50,000 hotel rooms and hundreds of entertainment options along the strip, albeit more wholesome than Las Vegas.
We arrived in Branson and ate at the motel restaurant, Whippersnappers and then headed for the ‘ducks’. We all received noisemakers called quackers and were encouraged to blow them whenever we saw another duck or whenever the mood hit us. We saw both of the dams which made Branson so famous, and got a ride on Lake Taneycomo. Each of the boys who wanted to, got to drive the duck and our driver Bubba entertained us with tall tales, Branson trivia and the standard stock of corny jokes. After that we headed back to the hotel to freshen up and change for the Baldknobber’s jamboree.
After dinner we rehearsed at the venue which seats almost 1100 persons. Their performance was for the pre-show prior to the main show. The boys hobnobbed with the performers backstage and got to see how a major production is put together with a professional stage hand, instrumentalists and comedians. Our show was well received with whoops and hollers and the stage manager told us we were head and shoulders above any that he had seen. Afterward, we sat through an extravaganza of country and gospel music as well as goofy comedy sketches reminiscent of Hee Haw and the Grand Ole Opry. The boys actually seemed to enjoy the kitschy humor and the live music. After the show, we headed for the hotel and enjoyed what was billed as an ice cream social in the lobby. Well it was one guy with a scoop and two barrels of ice cream and a bottle of root beer, but the boys enjoyed it nonetheless.
We arrived in Branson and ate at the motel restaurant, Whippersnappers and then headed for the ‘ducks’. We all received noisemakers called quackers and were encouraged to blow them whenever we saw another duck or whenever the mood hit us. We saw both of the dams which made Branson so famous, and got a ride on Lake Taneycomo. Each of the boys who wanted to, got to drive the duck and our driver Bubba entertained us with tall tales, Branson trivia and the standard stock of corny jokes. After that we headed back to the hotel to freshen up and change for the Baldknobber’s jamboree.
After dinner we rehearsed at the venue which seats almost 1100 persons. Their performance was for the pre-show prior to the main show. The boys hobnobbed with the performers backstage and got to see how a major production is put together with a professional stage hand, instrumentalists and comedians. Our show was well received with whoops and hollers and the stage manager told us we were head and shoulders above any that he had seen. Afterward, we sat through an extravaganza of country and gospel music as well as goofy comedy sketches reminiscent of Hee Haw and the Grand Ole Opry. The boys actually seemed to enjoy the kitschy humor and the live music. After the show, we headed for the hotel and enjoyed what was billed as an ice cream social in the lobby. Well it was one guy with a scoop and two barrels of ice cream and a bottle of root beer, but the boys enjoyed it nonetheless.
City Museum - St. Louis
Climbing was so much fun! There were lots of tunnels and areas to explore and a few challenge ones too!
Kellen tried to get through -- no success.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Museums, Memorials and Monks
Well the morning began earlier than anticipated for some of us as we heard a loud thunderclap around 4:18 am. Most of the boys slept through it, but a few seemed to think it was a wakeup call. After a continental breakfast at the hotel we headed for the city museum.
The city museum is an abandoned shoe warehouse, which was housed in a 35,000 sq ft space opened in 1997. An eccentric millionaire and his consortium bought the space and converted it into a giant exploring space. The old shoe chutes have been converted into a 4-story slide, which winds down the center of the building. You approach it through a faux cave area known as the enchanted caverns. These are winding passages with stalactites and stalagmites with ramps and caverns, slides and side passages leading up and around three stories. If you tire of that you can go outside to Monstro-city. This is a giant wrought iron enclosed monkey gym for adults and kids alike. Chaperones and adults could be found crawling in a metal tube, climbing up to several airplanes and vehicles suspended at different ends of the structure and in the middle was a giant ball pit. One of the boys called it Chuck E Cheeses’ for teenagers. I’m sure all of our muscles will feel it tomorrow. You could also browse the aquarium, examine posters from classic operas, walk through the vault and run and jump in the skate less skate park where you can use your feet to skid around on giant skateboard park with jumps and rope swings on the inclined ramps. Needless to say we had a full morning and everyone was hungry for lunch at the museum at Samiches.
We then made our way to the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. You may better know this as the Gateway Arch. When Jefferson bought the Louisiana territory from the French, the furthest point west was a trading community on the Mississippi named St. Louis. This was named the capital for the Upper Louisiana Territory. This became the last civilization many travelers had as they headed up the Santa Fe Trail or along the Missouri river to settle the lands west of the Mississippi. In 1948 the city of St. Louis wanted to commemorate this time in our nation’s history. So they had a Finnish Architect Eero Seerinen to come up with a design. In many ways the simplistic nature of the arch belies its majesty. Rising 630 feet (192 m) from the shores of the Mississippi River, this now lies as the anchor of a large park, which includes the old courthouse. We had to go through security, and then lined up at 5 person trams, which took us up to the top. There we had a picture perfect day to view the city of St. Louis. After a brief stop in the gift shop we headed back to the hotel to rest for our evening’s performance.
Our venue for the evening was at the St. Louis Abbey. It goes by many names because it includes a Monastery, School and the Parish. The Benedictine Monastery can house up to 35 monks at a time (they house 30 right now). Fr. Gregory said they have room and are looking for a few good men. The second floor is restricted to the monks, and no talking is allowed. They are only allowed to talk at certain times during the day, the evening being one of them and pray seven times during the day. A local businessman, John Walsh, generously provided dinner for all of us. Mr. Walsh is a close friend of Christine Gustafson, who met us there to help with dinner. After dinner and rehearsal, we were given a brief tour of the monastery. The church itself has a very unique design. It consists of two sets of thin parabolic shells, set in 20 identical bays tapering toward the center of a circular plan. It makes for a theatre in the round setting with the altar in the middle representing God as the center of their lives. The main difference between this church from many other Catholic churches is the seating for the monks behind the altar. The result is not only a visually stunning space, but also an auditory masterpiece of a venue. The boys, despite the heat, managed to create a well-received concert and a particularly haunting rendition of, ‘The Lord Bless You and Keep You’. Because of the sound of the air conditioning, it was turned off for the performance, so in the second half the blazers were discarded for the first time in recent memory. They also had sparse lighting available, so Chattanooga Choo Choo was performed essentially in the dark. But the boys managed the choreography without incident. After the concert concluded, we sold over 30 CDs and we owe much of it to the excellent PR provided to us by Dr. Zahorski who had placed ads in the local paper and in the church bulletin. We hope all the concerts are as well attended. After the concert, most of the boys collapsed into their beds.
The city museum is an abandoned shoe warehouse, which was housed in a 35,000 sq ft space opened in 1997. An eccentric millionaire and his consortium bought the space and converted it into a giant exploring space. The old shoe chutes have been converted into a 4-story slide, which winds down the center of the building. You approach it through a faux cave area known as the enchanted caverns. These are winding passages with stalactites and stalagmites with ramps and caverns, slides and side passages leading up and around three stories. If you tire of that you can go outside to Monstro-city. This is a giant wrought iron enclosed monkey gym for adults and kids alike. Chaperones and adults could be found crawling in a metal tube, climbing up to several airplanes and vehicles suspended at different ends of the structure and in the middle was a giant ball pit. One of the boys called it Chuck E Cheeses’ for teenagers. I’m sure all of our muscles will feel it tomorrow. You could also browse the aquarium, examine posters from classic operas, walk through the vault and run and jump in the skate less skate park where you can use your feet to skid around on giant skateboard park with jumps and rope swings on the inclined ramps. Needless to say we had a full morning and everyone was hungry for lunch at the museum at Samiches.
We then made our way to the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. You may better know this as the Gateway Arch. When Jefferson bought the Louisiana territory from the French, the furthest point west was a trading community on the Mississippi named St. Louis. This was named the capital for the Upper Louisiana Territory. This became the last civilization many travelers had as they headed up the Santa Fe Trail or along the Missouri river to settle the lands west of the Mississippi. In 1948 the city of St. Louis wanted to commemorate this time in our nation’s history. So they had a Finnish Architect Eero Seerinen to come up with a design. In many ways the simplistic nature of the arch belies its majesty. Rising 630 feet (192 m) from the shores of the Mississippi River, this now lies as the anchor of a large park, which includes the old courthouse. We had to go through security, and then lined up at 5 person trams, which took us up to the top. There we had a picture perfect day to view the city of St. Louis. After a brief stop in the gift shop we headed back to the hotel to rest for our evening’s performance.
Our venue for the evening was at the St. Louis Abbey. It goes by many names because it includes a Monastery, School and the Parish. The Benedictine Monastery can house up to 35 monks at a time (they house 30 right now). Fr. Gregory said they have room and are looking for a few good men. The second floor is restricted to the monks, and no talking is allowed. They are only allowed to talk at certain times during the day, the evening being one of them and pray seven times during the day. A local businessman, John Walsh, generously provided dinner for all of us. Mr. Walsh is a close friend of Christine Gustafson, who met us there to help with dinner. After dinner and rehearsal, we were given a brief tour of the monastery. The church itself has a very unique design. It consists of two sets of thin parabolic shells, set in 20 identical bays tapering toward the center of a circular plan. It makes for a theatre in the round setting with the altar in the middle representing God as the center of their lives. The main difference between this church from many other Catholic churches is the seating for the monks behind the altar. The result is not only a visually stunning space, but also an auditory masterpiece of a venue. The boys, despite the heat, managed to create a well-received concert and a particularly haunting rendition of, ‘The Lord Bless You and Keep You’. Because of the sound of the air conditioning, it was turned off for the performance, so in the second half the blazers were discarded for the first time in recent memory. They also had sparse lighting available, so Chattanooga Choo Choo was performed essentially in the dark. But the boys managed the choreography without incident. After the concert concluded, we sold over 30 CDs and we owe much of it to the excellent PR provided to us by Dr. Zahorski who had placed ads in the local paper and in the church bulletin. We hope all the concerts are as well attended. After the concert, most of the boys collapsed into their beds.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Best Western Westport - St. Louis
Here is a view of the game room here at the hotel. Picture taken after breakfast, before we left for the day's activities.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Best Western Westport - St. Louis
The boys had fun swimming, playing games, and just hanging out tonight. Here is a preview of one of the rooms.
Sizzling in Springfield
When planning a tour, the committee tried to anticipate every possible problem to try and eliminate all the things that could possibly go wrong. But sometimes the fates conspire against us. When we got on the bus this morning, every one was well behaved and comfortable. Excited and nervous, they settled in with their Ipods and DVD players for the long ride to Springfield. After about a half hour, the boys then politely began coming to the front of the bus and asking if we could turn up the air conditioning. We told them to be patient and make sure their vents were open. Then the heat began to envelop the entire bus. We all started to realize that there was something wrong. By Bloomington we were all feeling like cornish game hens in a mobile oven. As we later found out, the bus we were on was out of Freon. Luckily, and thanks to our bus driver calling in to his base, a replacement bus met us in Springfield. Luckily, other than having to transfer our belongings over, we managed not to lose any time. So much for expecting the unexpected. The boys were very good about the whole situation and other than being sweaty, survived quite well!
We stopped about 45 minutes from Springfield at a rest stop and Mr. Ross held a rehearsal. At that point in the day, with the brisk wind it was cooelr outside, plus we had the added bonus of having many travelers stop by and take pictures and listen to us. After eating our sack lunches, it was back on the bus for the short hop to the Lincoln Library and Museum. The only person who has had more written about them than Lincoln is Jesus Christ, so the sheer amount of information available inside is astounding. We stopped in front of the library and a docent came onto the bus to talk to us. We then gathered in the plaza for a short 30 minute concert. The crowd of museum goers was enthusiastic and many of them stopped the boys and complimented them on their performance and asked us about our tour. We then attended various exhibits and short presentations. The Ghosts of the Lincoln Library was a combination of live action and holographic 3-D images. The expertise of the live actor combined with laser images of the civil war bursting from the book he was reading, and of Abraham and Mary Lincoln were haunting. It was a first rate production and the boys loved it. The next movie was narrated by the artist who painted the picture of Lincoln outside the main plaza. He explained pictorially by the research hed performed, all the complexities of Lincoln, the man, and the toll it took on him and his family. We smelled cannon fodder, saw smoke in the shape of cannon balls careen through the audience, and felt the chairs vibrate with each gunshot ringing by our head as we sat through the interactive presentation. In another gallery, we saw a map detailing the lives lost over 4 years count up over 4 minutes. All the battles exploded on the map and battle lines fluctuated over the map of the United States as it rose to a final tally of 1.3 million lives lost. It was hard to come out of the museum not affected by the determination of Lincoln and saddened by the toll that the war took on the country and its President.
After another short bus trip to St. Louis, we cleaned up and gorged ourselves on pizza, fried ravioli and salad. Well at least the chaperones ate the salad. After dinner, some of the boys headed out to a grassy field in front of a corporate office to play ultimate frisbee. Unfortunately, after an hour they were asked to vacate the field by the bitter stockbrokers working late at the Edward Jones office. I hope we never grow too important that we would feel we need to stop boys from playing on the lawn. Perhaps they were jealous. The other boys enjoyed the pool, played spirited games of Ping Pong, pool, and air hockey while some just read in the atrium. I hope you all realize just how enjoyable it is to watch these boys playing, laughing, running and swimming all while doing it without malice or mean-spiritedness. You should all be proud. At lights out, we saw a worn out, but happy group of boys.
We stopped about 45 minutes from Springfield at a rest stop and Mr. Ross held a rehearsal. At that point in the day, with the brisk wind it was cooelr outside, plus we had the added bonus of having many travelers stop by and take pictures and listen to us. After eating our sack lunches, it was back on the bus for the short hop to the Lincoln Library and Museum. The only person who has had more written about them than Lincoln is Jesus Christ, so the sheer amount of information available inside is astounding. We stopped in front of the library and a docent came onto the bus to talk to us. We then gathered in the plaza for a short 30 minute concert. The crowd of museum goers was enthusiastic and many of them stopped the boys and complimented them on their performance and asked us about our tour. We then attended various exhibits and short presentations. The Ghosts of the Lincoln Library was a combination of live action and holographic 3-D images. The expertise of the live actor combined with laser images of the civil war bursting from the book he was reading, and of Abraham and Mary Lincoln were haunting. It was a first rate production and the boys loved it. The next movie was narrated by the artist who painted the picture of Lincoln outside the main plaza. He explained pictorially by the research hed performed, all the complexities of Lincoln, the man, and the toll it took on him and his family. We smelled cannon fodder, saw smoke in the shape of cannon balls careen through the audience, and felt the chairs vibrate with each gunshot ringing by our head as we sat through the interactive presentation. In another gallery, we saw a map detailing the lives lost over 4 years count up over 4 minutes. All the battles exploded on the map and battle lines fluctuated over the map of the United States as it rose to a final tally of 1.3 million lives lost. It was hard to come out of the museum not affected by the determination of Lincoln and saddened by the toll that the war took on the country and its President.
After another short bus trip to St. Louis, we cleaned up and gorged ourselves on pizza, fried ravioli and salad. Well at least the chaperones ate the salad. After dinner, some of the boys headed out to a grassy field in front of a corporate office to play ultimate frisbee. Unfortunately, after an hour they were asked to vacate the field by the bitter stockbrokers working late at the Edward Jones office. I hope we never grow too important that we would feel we need to stop boys from playing on the lawn. Perhaps they were jealous. The other boys enjoyed the pool, played spirited games of Ping Pong, pool, and air hockey while some just read in the atrium. I hope you all realize just how enjoyable it is to watch these boys playing, laughing, running and swimming all while doing it without malice or mean-spiritedness. You should all be proud. At lights out, we saw a worn out, but happy group of boys.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Tour Itinerary
Well, tour is almost upon us. I hope to be posting just about every day, so stay tuned to our many adventures as we journey through the Gateway to the West.
Here is our itinerary:
Thurs. June 7 Springfield: Perform at Lincoln Presidential Museum
Fri. June 8 St. Louis: Visit City Museum and Gateway Arch
Concert at St. Louis Abbey Church
Sat. June 9 Branson, MO: “Ride the Ducks”
Perform Pre-Show for “Baldknobbers Jamboree Show
Sun. June 10 Branson: Perform Pre-Show for “Spirit of the Dance”
Mon. June 11 Kansas City, MO: Concert at Calvary Lutheran Church
Tues. June 12 Kansas City: Perform at Union Station
Concert with Kansas City Boys Choir at Community Christian Church
Wed. June 13 Worlds of Fun Amusement Park, Kansas City, MO
Thurs. June 14 Des Moines, IA: Concert with Heartland Youth Choir at
Drake University
Fri. June 15 Fond du Lac, WI: Concert with Fond du Lac Children’s Chorus at Immanuel-Trinity Lutheran Church
Sat. June 16 Return to Rockford
Leave your comments and I will try and answer your questions.
Larry Prabhakar
Here is our itinerary:
Thurs. June 7 Springfield: Perform at Lincoln Presidential Museum
Fri. June 8 St. Louis: Visit City Museum and Gateway Arch
Concert at St. Louis Abbey Church
Sat. June 9 Branson, MO: “Ride the Ducks”
Perform Pre-Show for “Baldknobbers Jamboree Show
Sun. June 10 Branson: Perform Pre-Show for “Spirit of the Dance”
Mon. June 11 Kansas City, MO: Concert at Calvary Lutheran Church
Tues. June 12 Kansas City: Perform at Union Station
Concert with Kansas City Boys Choir at Community Christian Church
Wed. June 13 Worlds of Fun Amusement Park, Kansas City, MO
Thurs. June 14 Des Moines, IA: Concert with Heartland Youth Choir at
Drake University
Fri. June 15 Fond du Lac, WI: Concert with Fond du Lac Children’s Chorus at Immanuel-Trinity Lutheran Church
Sat. June 16 Return to Rockford
Leave your comments and I will try and answer your questions.
Larry Prabhakar
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Countdown
One week from now we expect to be on our way to Springfield. In our wake we will be leaving weepy mothers and jubilant siblings with a bus full of ipod wearing, book reading, and expectant young men on their way to tour America's bread basket. For many of them this may be their first exposure to tour, but for many this has become an annual rite of passage and a chance to spend quality time with close friends and make new ones. As a chaperone group we are excited and nervous, just as the boys are.
We hope to make this a safe, fun tour and feel like we have achieved both fun times and quality performance venues enough to make both both the boys and Mr. Ross happy. I hope you take the time to thank all those who put the tour together including tour manager, Pam Hasting, Roxanne Reith, Theresa Gaziano-Steffan, Cathy Walls, Todd Parker, Amy Hansel, Pauline L'Heureux all of whom helped plan this tour. It is more work than any of them care to admit. Special thanks to Roxanne Reith whose home church in Kansas City will host the boys and who was a great proponent of this tour and a driving force in making it a reality.
I hope that you all enjoy reading the blog, please leave comments or e-mail me at lplpnphp@aol.com during the tour.
Larry Prabhakar
We hope to make this a safe, fun tour and feel like we have achieved both fun times and quality performance venues enough to make both both the boys and Mr. Ross happy. I hope you take the time to thank all those who put the tour together including tour manager, Pam Hasting, Roxanne Reith, Theresa Gaziano-Steffan, Cathy Walls, Todd Parker, Amy Hansel, Pauline L'Heureux all of whom helped plan this tour. It is more work than any of them care to admit. Special thanks to Roxanne Reith whose home church in Kansas City will host the boys and who was a great proponent of this tour and a driving force in making it a reality.
I hope that you all enjoy reading the blog, please leave comments or e-mail me at lplpnphp@aol.com during the tour.
Larry Prabhakar
Friday, May 4, 2007
Getting Ready
Well, all of the venues for tour are set and we have selected our chaperones for this years tour. I expect that we will have a much different tour blog than last year. Thankfully the logistics of publishing the blog will be easier than last year and most of you will hear from your boys ( hopefully) during the tour. I have agreed to blog again this year and I hope that you will all follow along. Though we won't have all the awe-inspiring sites that we had last year, we will be exposed to different cultures ( Branson) , foods ( KC Barbeque) and unusual characters (Mrs. Hasting). So I'm sure the boys will have a great time.
Check back for more updates as we prepare for tour.
Check back for more updates as we prepare for tour.
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