Day 9: Choir alumni, silly logic games, and Dyersburg

We (the Choir) arrived at the building last night, ate, rehearsed, and then we (Ryan, Andy, Matt, and I) went home with the Waldens. While the other three guys watched TV, Mrs. Walden and I talked ... and talked... and talked. She didn't really know much about Harding, and was probably relieved to find it much like Freed-Hardeman (with which she was more familiar).

At the concert, I found several old choirmates who lived near Dyersburg. Two of them had siblings presently in choir, and came with their entire families. They all came up and sang the last three numbers with us (which are the same at every choir concert). It should be mentioned that before the concert, we were treated to a potluck lunch, to which I have this to say:


best. potluck. ever.


We get good food on Choir tour, but this was just extravagantly good. There were EIGHT - count 'em, EIGHT - tables full of food. Plus four tables of dessert. C'est bon.

Afterward, we packed the bus and headed home for Beautiful Searcy, Arkansas (c). The Spades Tournament finally ended, and I presented Kyle and Daniel with their prizes - Replica WWE World Heavyweight Championship belts with a little picture on it reading "Harding Concert Choir Spades Champion." Many of us played some frustrating logic games, some of which I never figured out. My favorite were the "crack the case" style riddles, where you were presented with an outlandish situation and had to figure it out by asking yes-or-no questions.

We arrived at about 5:45, right on time. Now it's an evening to unpack and relax before classes kick back in full gear tomorrow.

Coming up: Umm, I don't know. Choir tour is over.

Crack the case question: A man is lying dead in a field, holding a broken matchstick. How and why did he die?

Day 8: Sleeping with Elephants. Also going to a zoo, and St. Louis

Things are beginning to wrap up for this trip - we have one performance remaining tomorrow morning before heading back to Searcy. Today has been a day of much-needed rest and relaxation.

Ryan and I stayed with an elderly couple last night in which the wife collected elephants and elephant paraphernalia. Lots of elephants. They took us to Denny's for breakfast.

Today was by-and-large a sightseeing day in St. Louis. A large number of us visited the St. Louis Zoo. Most of the animals we saw were sleeping or staying inside due to the cold, but the penguins were very active. We watched some monkeys fight each other, and saw a few tigers and cougars and giraffes and such. Pictures will probably follow this post.

The spades tournament has but one game remaining, meaning I will present the championship on the bus tomorrow. It's gonna be good.

Coming up: more pictures, Dyersburg Tennessee, and a wistful sigh of relief.

Day 6: Almost taking the helm again, a really big mall, and Columbus, Ohio

Easton Mall is really huge.

Dare I say, gargantuan.

I didn't buy much - just a book of lateral thinking puzzles, and a dress shirt and a tie from Macy's. Four hours later, we headed to the Fisher and Kenny church in Columbus for our concert rife with unusual stage setup and whiny college students. As we made our way up from the mall, Dr. Shearin prepared me to take over for him in concert - he was feeling a bit woozy. As matters develop, he recovered and I just sang.

The people we're staying with are the most hospitable people ever. Eric would agree.

Coming up: St. Louis, and all the trimmings that go along with it.

Pictures, parte dos

Thomas Campbell's gravesite.


The Campbell mosoleum, from inside a shrubbery.


Campbell's unusual hexagonal study. Inside is no chair, and only enough windows to let in light - Campbell hated to be distracted.


The brick steps against which Doc is leaning are called "styles." Alexander's grave looms behind.


Inscribed on the door to the mosoleum.

Pictures, parte uno

On my left is Vicky. She does dramatic portrayals of Fanny J. Crosby in her later years. Choir's latest recording was a two-disc set of all Fanny J songs. She was delighted to meet us in person.

The gravesite of Alexander Campbell, described earlier.


Eric, as we're pulling out of Louisville.


We found this creepy table in the basement of the children's home cottage we stayed at in Cincinnati. The legs of the table were dowels with jeans and tennis shoes. Daniel strikes the only pose he has for a camera.


Not quitting my day job, I assure you.

Day 5: Taking the helm, football, and more of Canton

Mr. Troyer dropped Ryan and me off at the building early this morning, where we were informed that we could't really go anywhere until about 11. This seemed to irritate a few people at first (these are the same people who have complained about nearly every stop on the trip, by the way), but I guess nobody had a problem with it. While most everyone was waiting at the North Canton coC building, the minister grabbed a church van and took 9 of us to the Football Hall of Fame. It was great - lots of interesting football history, a neat little movie at the end, and I can say that I've been there and Randy hasn't. Take that.

We came back to the church and hopped the bus, where we soon dropped the director and all but 23 of the choir at a dinner theatre production of "7 Brides for 7 Brothers." With the director gone, that made me the ranking agent onsite for the mall excursion, which nearly began with getting lost. Here's a helpful hint: when a numbered highway splits into three numbered highways, "just go straight" is not a helpful indication. The bus driver and I have a good rapport, and we figured out our missed turn pretty quickly (no one on the bus noticed).

After shopping time, we picked the dinner theatre folks up and headed to Cuyahoga Falls, which is on the north side of Akron, for our concert tonight. Went well. Tonight, I'm staying with the Troyer's aunt and uncle, whose kids I hung out with while here for the wedding. It's been fun. They have pizza that's almost as good as Johnny's.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Cassy: What would you buy at the Football Hall of Game gift shop?
Trevor: [indignant] Super Bowl jerseys!

COMING SOON: Pictureface!

Day 4: Bethany, Amish things, and Canton, Ohio

Today we visited the home, gravesite, and original church building of Thomas and Alexander Campbell. The elder Thomas Campbell was excommunicated for their too-hot-for-the-church views and booked it to the New World, settled in Washington, PA, then moved down to Bethany and built his mansion with unusual outdoor octagonal study. The Campbell-Stone restoration movement brought forth the formation of the Disciples of Christ, the Christian Church, and the churches of Christ. Curiously, Campbell did not wish to start a new denomination. He simply wished reform of the present church, according to his Declaration and Address from the mid-18th century. His son, Alexander, would carry the movement onward.

We sang for a period in the church building, which was basically a huge wooden box with much better acoustics than you would expect. We followed the historical practice of sitting with each gender on opposite sides of the aisle, proper etiquette in Campbell's time.

We also looked briefly through the Amish country of Eastern Ohio, though we didn't get to visit any actual Amish shops. When we went to Pennsylvania Amish country two years ago, we visited several homes that had little shops set up in them along the tour. This year we simply sped by it and went to an Arts-and-Crafts shop.

Coming up: The Professional Football Hall of Fame and whatever else we do in the area. Hopefully pictures, too.

Day 2: Louisville and Cincinatti

We've sung one concert now, and are preparing for number two. This morning, we performed for the Okolona church of Christ in Louisville, where I met Hannah Sawyer's family and a jazz musician named Frakn Puleo, in addition to our host parents the Pentecosts (yes, they're in the church of Christ, and yes, I thought it was funny too).

The spades tournament is finally starting to move along - three of eight first-round matches have been played so far. In a few moments, I will be making my solo debut in a little down-home spiritual by Robert DeCormier. That being said, I apologize for the brevity of this missive, but I simply don't have much time right now.

TODAY'S NEW FOOD: Twizzlers.

Counting down....

In just a few short hours, I will be boarding a bus with 52 friends, heading for Louisville, Kentucky. Then we're going to Canton, Ohio. Then Washington, PA. Then back to Ohio. Actually, lots of ohio. Then some St. Louis and some Tennessee (just for kicks and giggles).

Thus, this little corner of the world wide interwebomotron is going to be occupied with an as-often-as-I-can-get-online account of my travels, beginning with Concert Choir Spring Tour.

As President of the choir, I've been absorbed in finding something for everyone to do on tour, setting new standards for personal accountability and responsibility, planning the devotional theme, and keeping Dr. Shearin well-oiled. I'm particularly excited about the devotional theme, which I am sharing with you now:

Almost immediately after I joined the White's Ferry Road church, then-minister Stan Webb launched into a year-long series on the book of Mark. There were a lot of lessons in that series that really shaped my Christian walk, and I hope to impart some of those with this tour's devotional theme: Mark - A Journey with Jesus.

I like the book of Mark because it's very action-packed, concerned with telling the story of Jesus with clarity and vivid detail. It's a gospel about doing. Often, when we start thinking about the story of Jesus, we begin with His birth. Especially around Christmastime, that's all we hear of the story. The underlying message I'd like to get across is that that's not where the story ends. We follow Jesus as he launches into his incarnational ministry, where the story continues through his teaching, his miracles, and his interactions with the apostles. We come to his betrayal, and then the two trials - Jesus before the Sanhedrin and Peter before a little girl. We then go on to the crucifixion and burial, but the story doesn't end there. We encounter the empty tomb and the resurrection, which seems like a really good place to end the story, right?

Too bad. What we learn is that the church, as the body of Christ in the world today, is still writing the story. The very story that we proclaim to be our light and salvation, we are penning with our individual and collective thoughts and deeds.