It's Barbershop Time!

And we don't mean you need a haircut (though you well may). No, it's time to enjoy some great barbershop harmonies with the Mall City Harmonizers, under the direction of Gull Lake's Dave Woolf. They perform this Saturday, September 18, at 7 p.m. at the Dalton Recital Hall on the Western Michigan University Campus. It's the 69th Annual Show for the Barbershop Harmony Society. If you enjoyed--or missed--them at last year's PAF Ice Cream Social, here's your chance!

Time for Wassailing!

It's December and that can only mean . . . Wassailing in Richland! Come out for more fun than ever this Thursday, December 3, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in and near the village square in Richland. There will be treats of all kinds, and music galore. On the village green, you can hear the Gull Lake Middle School Band, the Ryan Chorus, the Middle School Minors, and the High School Choir. After 6:30, groups from the Gull Lake High School Band will play at the Richland Community Library. At the Little Yellow Frame Shop and Gallery, enjoy the seasonal harmonies of the Kalamazoo Barbershop Chorus. The choir will be practicing inside First Presbyterian Church. And students from the Daisies Dance Studio will perform at the Library at 5:30 and 6 p.m.

Meanwhile, Richland merchants will be open and offering deals and treats, Santa will be at the Community Hall, the Scouts will be selling Christmas trees, the Presbyterian Church will have an alternative gift market going on, and there will be live reindeer in the park. The whole festive evening is sponsored by the Richland Area Business Association. Happy holidays!

A Sunday Afternoon of Barbershop Harmony, Ice Cream, and Art

It's August, so it must be time for . . . Americana in August!

What could be more delightful than a summer Sunday afternoon of barbershop harmony and an old-fashioned ice cream social? Come on out and join the fun this Sunday, August 16, from 2 to 5 at the Richland Area Community Center, 9400 East CD Avenue. The Kalamazoo Barbershop Chorus and its offshoot quartets will provide the sweet sounds of barbershop. Performing Arts Foundation volunteers will be scooping the ice cream--cold, delicious, local Plainwell Ice Cream. And the Center will be exhibiting its new collection of prints of classic American works of art. The Picturing America collection is the result of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the images will be used by Gull Lake teachers at all levels and in all curriculum areas to enrich their classroom teaching. Sunday is the first opportunity for teachers and the community to view the entire collection.

So, come one, come all, and bring the whole family for a festive, all-American afternoon! Suggested donation is $5 per person or $10 per family, all of which benefits the Performing Arts Foundation.

Your presence requested at PAF meeting Tuesday

You are urged even more enthusiastically than usual to join us at the monthly GLCS Performing Arts Foundation meeting this Tuesday, August 11, at 6:30 p.m. at the Richland Area Community Center, 9400 East CD Avenue. Why? Well, it's our last meeting before our big--and fun!--fundraiser, Americana in August, next Sunday, August 16. We'll be discussing the logistics--which will mostly involve taking donations and scooping the cold stuff for the old-fashioned ice cream social--and trying on our (fake) straw boaters. You're invited to pitch in! If you'd like to volunteer for Sunday but can't make it to Tuesday's meeting, please contact Jan Watson (mjwats4@aol.com).

Then we'll see EVERYONE for a great afternoon of barbershop harmony by the Kalamazoo Barbershop Chorus, ice cream, and great American artworks on Sunday, August 16, from 2 to 5 p.m. at RACC. Your suggested donation of $5 ($10 for the whole family) will get you a free ice cream cone and all the fun you can stand. Even better, the whole event goes to support arts education for kids in our school district. Come on out!

Barbershop Harmony

Gull Lake High School's vocal music teacher, David Woolf, will be performing with his prizewinning barbershop quartet, Go 4 It!, at 7 p.m. this Thursday, June 25, at the Amphitheater at Celery Flats in Portage (rain site: Hayloft Theatre). They'll headline a concert that will feature other local vocal harmony groups as well. Tickets are only $5, and this City of Portage Parks Department event is sponsored by Portage Noon Rotary.

This will be your preview for the Performing Arts Foundation's big fundraiser on August 16, Americana in August, when Dave's larger group, the Kalamazoo Barbershop Chorus, and other vocal ensembles will perform at an old-fashioned ice cream social at the Richland Area Community Center. In addition, reproductions of classic American works of art will be on display throughout the Center that day. Suggested donation of $5 per person or $10 per family will include an ice cream cone. Mark your calendar now for 2 to 5 p.m., Sunday, August 16!

Whistlestop Barbershop

You're in for a harmonic treat this weekend at the Kalamazoo Barbershop Harmony Society's 67th annual show, Whistlestop Barbershop. Featured performers include the Kalamazoo Barbershop Chorus, under the direction of Gull Lake High School's own vocal music teacher, David Woolf. Also performing will be Wildcard, the 2004 Pioneer District barbershop champion group, and Go4it! You have two opportunities to enjoy this great show: 3 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 13, at the Comstock Community Auditorium. Tickets are $12, only $10 for students and seniors. And there's an afterglow, too ($8). Don't miss this opportunity to hear some of the best voices around!

Kalamazoo Barbershop Chorus is always looking for men who enjoy singing--no experience necessary! Check their website for more info.

Postscript to all Performing Arts Foundation members: Don't forget that we'll be meeting this Thursday, September 11, at 6:30 p.m. at the Richland Area Community Center!