Newsletter of the Danbury Chapter, Yankee Division, Northeastern District of the Barbershop Harmony Society

Meeting every Tuesday, 7:15 p.m. at Church of Christ, 90 Clapboard Ridge Road, Danbury, Connecticut Volume 22 Number 7 www.madhatterchorus.org Early Autumn 2015

Chorus Gets Toes Tapping at Taste

By Dick Zang The big annual event to close out the summer in Danbury was the Taste of Greater Danbury held on September 12th and 13th on the CityCenter Green and the Mad Hatters were there to entertain a discerning group of the 1,500 people who attended that weekend. There were some firsts at this singout worth mentioning. Before we sang our first note on the stage under the small tent, we left the tent and reassembled on the sidewalk in front of the Two Steps Grille. There we had more room to line up in our usual two-row formation. But that presented another problem - even though we had moved with the precision of a drum corps, the audience was left facing east while we were facing north. A quick 90-degree rotation of the seats solved that problem but it left our members exposed to the elements.

Mad Hatters mingling in the crowd – they’re the guys in blue

shirts and black pants. Photo by News-Times.

One of these - another first - was the bee that stung Wynn, a baritone who bravely soldiered on without missing a note. And for the first time we sang under the watchful gaze of a snake was who part of a wildlife exhibit in a neighboring tent. Afterwards we thanked the audience and the snake for not hissing during our performance.

In addition to the great food and good barbershop singing, a top attraction was the appearance of Big Shot on the main stage both evenings. The six-member band features musicians who play with Billy Joel and lead singer Michael DelGuidice whose recorded voice is indistinguishable from Billy Joel’s even by Billy himself.

Mad Hatters Kick Off Arts Festival

By John Bradley Saturday morning, September 19th, found the Danbury Mad Hatter Barbershop Chorus opening the fourth annual Newtown Arts Festival at Fairfield Hills. The two-day, outdoor festival is the signature event of the Newtown Cultural Arts Commission. It’s the second consecutive year the chorus has been asked to perform there. The audience inside the entertainment tent at 10:30 AM was pretty small to start, but people wandered in throughout the performance, despite raconteur Lee Smeriglio’s jokes. A special thanks to Donna Korb who politely, but firmly, quieted the beer and wine table as they were setting up. This kept music director, Joe Hudson, from throwing a chair at them and, perhaps, inciting an unfortunate incident.

The Mad Hatters inside the entertainment tent prior to their

performance at the Newtown Arts Fair. Picture by John Bradley

Continued on the next page

The Danbury Mad Hatter Barbershop Chorus

Hatter

Chatter

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Arts Festival

Continued from the previous page One thng I learned while wandering arund the fair after our performance was that Newtown is one of nine towns in Connecticut that has a Poet Laureate. Lisa Schwartz was named the town’s first Poet Laureate that morning in the Poetry Salon Tent. If you are curious, the other towns with Poet Laureates are South Windsor, Simsbury, West Hartford, Guilford, Manchester, Canton, Wallingford and Washington. The current poet laureate of Connecticut is Dick Allen, appointed in 2010 and serving until 2015.

The crowd awaiting the Mad Hatters’ performance.

Picture by John Bradley.

Everything a barbershopper needs. Picture by John Bradley.

Oreos on a stick? Picture by John Bradley

Quartet Corner

News from our chorus quartets Traveling Men – By Wynn Gadkar-Wilcox The Traveling Men are deep into preparing for the District Contest in October, and are receiving expert advice from such luminaries as Joseph Hudson, Daryl Bornstein, and Steve Delehanty. We are narrowing down our repertoire for this purpose and rehearsing more often. We are working on phrasing, vowel matching, and presentation. The Traveling Men even have a top secret plan to be (gasp!) funny. This is a daring and risky maneuver for us, so we will see if it pays dividends. Anyone who has any suggestions as to how we can be funny (beyond our looks), please do contact us! Kismet – By Robert Golenbock The Mad Hatter Chorus has a new quartet, Kismet. The name comes from the Hindi word for “fate.” (Our baritone, Wynn Gadkar-Wilcox, was recently in India). We put the group together on a whim. Joe Hudson, our tenor, thought it would be fun to have another quartet in the fall contest. Scott Colman, our bass, Wynn, and I thought we'd give it a shot. (Baritone quiz – which one of us is the lead?). Truthfully, with the limited rehearsal time we have, we just might be ready by next year. But it's been fun working on some of my favorite songs. We get together before the regular Mad Hatter rehearsals. Other than helping out at sing outs, we have no plans to put together a complete set of numbers. Wynn's busy with Traveling Men, Joe isn't allowed to take more time beyond SUREFIRE!, and I'm looking forward to getting Blue Moon ready for a full gig. Meanwhile, Scott has another quartet and chorus in Westchester. We'll see what happens in contest, then we'll talk about what we do next. New England Harmony Brigade On another “note,” I also spent four days singing with other members of the New England Harmony Brigade. Every year I learn more about barbershop quartet singing and the joy of singing challenging charts with other enthusiastic Brigade participants. Among other things I've learned is that there is no substitute for singing with live people in a quartet to really learn a song. That means that each participant needs to guarantee that he will be prepared to sing every note and every word correctly with the right rhythm. Instead of trying to find four guys who all know the same song or singing the same old Pole Cats, we were able to perform exciting music like “Hey Good Lookin',” “Ebb Tide,” “All the Way,” and “C'mon Get Happy.”

Contnued on the next page

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Quartets

Continued from the previous page I want to emphasize again, as I have many times before, that this is not an elitist organization. The only difference between NEHB participants and typical members of BHS choruses is the willingness to make the effort to be prepared on all 12 songs. Yes, there were some superstars -- singers who have been District champions or could be -- but lots of guys were quite average in terms of vocal quality. But because they were prepared, the sound they made in our 100 man chorus was exceptional. Okay, not everyone wants to spend every waking minute learning 12 songs for four months. But it does give me an idea. Why don't we commit to that level of preparation on the songs we have to sing with the Mad Hatters? Well, why not? How about quartetting one of our contest songs with me when I get back from vacation? I can't wait.

Emails to the Editors Please e-mail your questions and comments to either the Hatter editor, John Bradley, at jbrad1313@earthlink.net, or the Chatter editor, Dick Zang, at

jezang@charter.net. If your e-mail appears, you will receive an autographed picture of our 2008 Yankee Division Bulletin Editors Award I have two questions - I’m in a high school chorus. Our teacher/director says I sing with too much tension, but I don’t think I do. How can I tell? Also, can the food I eat affect my singing. Are some foods better for the voice than others? Mona from Monroe. Mona, It's often difficult for singers to detect tension in themselves, especially at first. Some people walk around all day with tension, so it seems normal to them. Try singing while looking in the mirror. Your neck and chin and jaw line should always rest in a relaxed, natural position (no jerky moves). There should be no tension in your face, neck, shoulders; your jaw should flop open freely, not be forced down or held too shut; etc. My guess is that your teacher is probably right. After all, he or she is watching you sing. One helpful technique for reducing tension involves gentle massage of the jaw muscles. Relaxing the jaw and tongue, holding the teeth slightly apart while the lips remain closed, massage the muscles along the sides of the jaw with the pads of the fingers, rubbing very gently and being careful not to push into the jaw too hard.

If you feel tension below the jaw, those muscles may also be massaged. About the food – certain foods can irritate your voice. Dairy products can cause mucus to build up which can cause you to clear your throat more frequently. Some people say to stay away from spicy foods. Soda, which can contain dehydrating sodium and caffeine, can also cause problems. Both regular and diet sodas may contain caffeine, which can cause stomach irritation and inflame acid reflux. I’ve learned the hard way not to eat peanuts before I sing. Little pieces get lodged in the mouth and I spit them out while singing. Not a great effect, especially when the audience is in close range. Like most things, everyone reacts to foods differently. Pay attention to how your body reacts to certain food so you’ll know what to avoid.

Repertoire Notes My Wild Irish Rose was written in 1898 by: Chauncey Olcott (words and music). By the end of the 19th century, though the Irish (especially the Irish Catholics) were still facing resentment and obstacles to integration into our society, there was much more acceptance and America was starting to recognize their contributions. In Lockport New York, a young man of Irish extraction named Chancellor John Olcott began writing music about the Irish and Ireland that would come to define much of what we recognize today as Irish music. That young man revered his Irish heritage and created an Irish persona, Chauncey Olcott. Olcott collaborated in composing many Irish ballads, but “My Wild Irish Rose” was his own composition. According to Parlor Songs Academy (Lessons In America’s Popular Music History), Olcott’s widow, Margaret O'Donovan Olcott, told the story, after his death, of how the song was composed. In 1898 they were visiting Ireland and while they were walking at Glengaris, County Cork, a young boy gave her a flower. She asked the name of it and he replied, "It's a wild Irish Rose." She put the rose in an album and later, when Chauncey asked her for suggestions for a title for a tune to be included in the score of A Romance In Athlone, she opened the album, pointed to the flower and said, "There's the title for your new song."

Baritone Deep Thought

So what if I don't know what apocalypse means!? It's not the end of the world!!

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The President’s Podium

By Danny Anderson As I write this article we are a few weeks away from heading to Burlington for

competition. We are starting to peak at the right time thanks to the work each member has done in learning their music, the coaching sessions, and the leadership of our section leaders. Let’s put in the same effort as we learn the choreography for “Drivin' Me Crazy.” We have had unique coaching session via Skype. I had not thought of this method for receiving coaching. I want to thank Joe for setting this coaching up. I think that all the members have benefited from the instructions received during the Skype sessions. The chorus has received good exposure at the Putnam 4-H Fair, Taste of Danbury, the Bridgewater Fair and the Newtown Arts Festival. Because of out good performance last year we were invited back as the opening act for the this year’s Newtown festival. Being invited back is one of our goals. Another of our goals is to sing where we will have lively audiences and will have the opportunity to encourage men to want to become members. Thus it is extremely important that we make every effort to be in attendance at these venues. With respect to the Newtown performance, the balance between parts was not good because half the chorus was not in attendance. Our director, myself and the music team were concerned that this improper balance would not present a good level of performance. The performance at Newtown went off okay, and thanks to the different wives who attended, we had a respectable audience. Thanks to Donna for quieting the wine tasting people who were louder than the chorus. Arrangements have been made for us to meet at the Church of Christ in Burlington, VT, to dress and warm up before going to the competition. We will need to arrive by 7:00 AM to begin the preparations. We are scheduled to be the second chorus to compete. Many members will arrive Friday night to view the quartet competition. For those who plan on driving up the morning of the competition, please plan your departure from home to make the appointed time. The Board members have been selected to serve the chapter for 2016. The Board is made up of the same people as 2015, with some changes in responsibilities. Thanks to the members for selecting me to be the president for another year. It is an honor to serve this group of men, however I want to one day pass this position on to someone else. It has been pointed out that we are often weak at performances on some of our repertory songs. This is due to the lack of review of the songs. To correct this we will start our weekly rehearsals working on a different song each week from the repertoire. I encourage you to arrive at the scheduled start time of 7:15.

The Director’s Den

By Joseph Hudson What an exciting time to be a member of the Mad Hatter Chorus! In October, we will perform at the 2015 NED Convention in Burlington, VT, in the hopes of retaining our Small Chorus Championship and winning back the Most Improved Trophy. In December, we will be presenting our Third Holiday Concert for the community, with proceeds going to the John Dunkle fund which finances scholarships for high school choir members. And in May, we will be having our 50th Anniversary Show that will be the highlight of the concert year, providing a unique and open venue to showcase our chorus and quartets with (hopefully) many former members returning to join us for a few songs! These are truly exciting times for the Mad Hatter Chorus. We have learned more new repertoire, expanding our horizons and building a solid musical and vocal foundation that will pay us dividends for years to come. Our pace of learning has increased, not only with learning materials, but with the enthusiasm of members eagerly taking to new music quickly. You all see the benefit of getting off the paper so the music can live. As your director, I love this pace for it challenges me to work to bring you more new and exciting concepts each week. It is a thrilling time for our chapter. All these successes do come with some challenges. Our biggest challenge right now is our attendance. We have a membership of 31 members, yet we only average 21 currently in attendance each week. In addition, of the 21 that attend each week, approximately 14 of those members are there consistently from week to week and at performances. Can you imagine how exciting our sound would be if we had every member at rehearsals and performances? What would that kind of camaraderie feel like? How much joy we would get out of sharing our music with that many friends each week? Just think of the possibilities! For me, this boils down to character. Barbershop has directly influenced the life, family, and successes that I have had this far. I’m here not because of a paycheck; I’m here each week because I owe it to those that came before me to uphold their character and carry on the traditions they instilled in me. More importantly, we have a job, as members of S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A., to promote and propagate our hobby and art form by presenting the biggest and best chorus to the community that we can. To paraphrase a quote I once read, “You build your reputation on your actions while you are a part of something. You build your legacy by how you are remembered when you are no longer around.”

Continued on the next page

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Den

Continued from the previous page How can we ensure that we build on the reputation of the chorus to each other, our community and our district? Right now it comes through showing strength in attendance and membership. The musical plans and the pace of learning are already there. We are growing each week, but we need every member attending each week to keep achieving the lofty goals we set forth as a chorus. What a great predicament to be in. As always, I am humbled and honored to stand in front of all of you each week and learn from such a wonderful group of friends and teachers. I hope that I can start seeing more of you in the coming weeks!

September Board of Directors Meeting

Respectfully submitted by Robert

Golenbock, Secretary. Meeting called to order by Danny “The Once and Future King” Anderson at 6:12 PM, on September 1, 2015, at the Church of Christ building. Secretary’s Report: The July report was widely disparaged yet received somehow on a motion by Joe Hudson, seconded by Art Cilley. The August report was accepted on a motion by Wynn Wilcox seconded by Joseph Hudson after being haughtily disregarded. Treasurer’s Report: Thanks to Fafnir, no gold was removed from our cave under the Rhine. No, wait, that’s the Ring of the Nibelungen. In reality, we had a good month. Only the coaching fees affected our balance. The report was received on a motion by Robert Golenbock, seconded by Jim Hopper. Membership Report: no report, VP Public Relations: We had a discussion about our best choices for advertising. The consensus was that TV advertising was too much effort with too little return. Facebook could be a much more effective medium if members need to share information with their friends. We should also have a link to our website and especially to the HATTER CHATTER and our list of upcoming events. The Macy’s fundraiser was a qualified success, but we should be able to sell more tickets since we get 100% of the proceeds from selling each $5.00 ticket. Art Cilley is writing a report to the Cultural Council about our grant. He is in communication with the Choral Director at Danbury High School, and she is interested in hearing more about HX Camp.

Music Committee: Jim Hopper made a motion, seconded by Wynn Wilcox, that we set a fixed amount of compensation of $300/month for the director instead of adding in whatever dues comes in. The second part of the motion stated that any request for fees for extensive arranging should be made in advance so we can decide if we want to spend that amount. Joe recused himself from the discussion, so we pretended he wasn’t sitting there. The motion was passed. Old Business: Discussion of appointing a new Show Chairman and a stage manager was tabled. New Business: We have purchased all the music for the 2016 show. Many former directors and members will be returning for our big Anniversary. Joe was concerned about the numbers and distribution of parts for the upcoming Convention/competition. We agreed to convince as many undecided members as possible to join us on stage. Members Present: P. W. Herman, R. Keeshan. Officers Present: D. DeMarche, D. Anderson, R. Golenbock, J. Hopper, A. Cilley, J. Hudson, W. Wilcox Meeting Adjourned at 7:03pm. Next meeting October 6.

Danbury Mad Hatter Barbershop Chorus 2016 Officers

President: Danny Anderson Membership VP: Andy Bayer Public Relations VP: Art Cilley Music VP: Wynn Gadkar-

Wilcox Secretary: Robert Golenbock Treasurer: Dickson DeMarche Program VP Vacant Member at Large: Peter Daubner Member at Large: Walter Barlow Member at Large: Jim Hopper Immediate Past President Robert Bradley

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District Dirt

By Robert Bradley The District Board is looking for a Membership DVP and a Music and Performance DVP. The Music and Performance opening was caused by

Ed Fritzen becoming the Executive VP. I do not think we have had a Membership VP since Dave Cole took over the Events spot. Also, I am looking for someone to replace me as Yankee Division Manager. If anyone knows of a candidate for any of the above positions please let me know. The good news is that the District Convention, known as NEDCON, will be held in Portland, Maine in 2016. The Westbrook Performing Arts Center is almost the perfect venue for us and Portland is a great area to spend a few days on a mini-vacation. I am looking for venues for NEDCON 2017 and 2018 so we can plan ahead. Joe Hudson suggested the Hartford Convention Center, so I will look into that, and maybe back to Portland . If we find a couple of good venues we can rotate and travel to different parts of the District. Leadership Academy is coming along and this year we have a great membership instructor coming up from Washingto,n and for a morning class we have a consultant who will instruct us in grant writing for non-profits, a class that is needed by every chapter. I was not a fan of the new contest system, but I said that I would do whatever I could to make it work. Looking at the numbers of quartets and choruses that are attending in Vermont, I will admit that I was wrong. I think that the system of one convention-contest for the District will work. We can use this October to judge what works and what does not. Not only the contest portion but the dinner, boat ride, community service, etc. There has been a suggestion that in the spring we have an event for the Yankee Division that would involve weekend coaching sessions, a “top gun” for choruses, as it were. After October we can start planning this for our event. We can plan an event in any way that we want and we can break up the Division to include chapters in any configuration. I am looking for feedback on what the divisions want to do. I feel that we should have some kind of a spring event. All else in the District seems to be running smoothly. In November we have the leadership forum in Nashville and in January is the Leadership Academy, again in Worcester. I am looking for a venue that can house this event under a single roof. Those of us oldtimers remember COTS when it was on the Cape and we had the resort to ourselves. It lead to much more singing and a more social outing.

A baritone hangout? Picture by John Bradley

Where “Crazy Little Things Called Love” was written?

Picture by John Bradley

Which One Is Different?

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Importance of Hydration for Singers

Taken from http://resource.takelessons.com/the-importance-ofhydration-for-singers/

There are many important reasons to stay hydrated for general health, but for musicians – particularly vocalists – hydration is a key to success. In order for your body to function properly, hydration is vital. Our bodies are made of 70% water, and hydration affects every organ and cell in your body. Singers need to take extra precautions, because your entire body is your instrument. With excessive use, vocal cords can be easily damaged, as they are made of extremely delicate tissue. If you allow yourself to become dehydrated, your voice may suffer . Whether we are speaking, singing, or humming, the sound is created by the vibration of our vocal folds. Mucus protects these vocal cords, and staying hydrated ensures that everything is working properly. If you are even slightly dehydrated, your vocal fold tissues may become dry and even permanently injured. However, simply drinking water right before a performance is not good enough! In order to keep your vocal folds truly hydrated, you need to be drinking water throughout the day. Keeping hydrated will also help to keep your throat and mouth lubricated, making speaking and articulation easier as well. Signs of Vocal Dehydration If you are using your voice professionally, or even as a casual singer, you should be able to recognize these signs of dehydration: • The need to clear your throat often • Dark yellow urine • You require more effort to use your voice • Excessive thirst • Dry/scratchy throat Benefits of Hydration for Singing When you keep properly hydrated, you are setting yourself up for good voice quality. Most experts recommend drinking 8 -10 eight-ounce glasses of water daily to ensure this. What to Watch Certain things can cause dehydration. Here are a few to watch out for, as they may reduce your body’s fluids: • Caffeine and alcohol intake should be decreased, as

both act as diuretics. • Air conditioning and heaters tend to dry your

secretions. Using a humidifier during sleeping hours to offset these effects may be helpful.

• Dry climates, especially in the winter months, are dehydrating to your body. If you are in a dry environment be sure you are keeping hydrated with adequate water consumption.

• Some medications can dry out your vocal cords. Try to avoid medications such as antihistamines and decongestants.

• Milk and sugary beverages, as well as carbonated beverages, may cause thickened mucus secretions.

Once you fully understand how to stay hydrated, monitoring yourself will require little to no effort. And once you see the

positive effect it has on your vocal health, keeping that habit will seem like a nobrainer!

Reports on The State of Your Society

Society Annual Report Society House of Delegates Report Learn the scoop in HoD and Annual Reports - and Share! Scenario: You're meeting a community leader, an arts council member, a prospective chapter ally. "Your chorus seems nice enough," you hear. "But what does your Barbershop Harmony Society do?" "We sing and we serve" might be the shortest answer. The BHS 2014 Annual Report helps answer the "how" and the "why," describing our activities and their outcomes in the context of our Society's aims Share this with community leaders when introducing your chapter to demonstrate that you are part of a global movement dedicated to improving lives through singing. Use it to garner attention for the role you want barbershop to play in YOUR communities. Meanwhile, in your own chapter's quest to grow and improve... make sure you attend the next Northeastern District House of Delegates meeting - in Worcester, Friday, January 8, 2016 - just prior to the beginning of the Leadership Academy weekend. To get a head start, take a look at the BHS Fall 2015 House of Delegates Report, which highlights recent and future activities of the Society that are directly actionable by chapters and districts. BHS 2014 Annual Report

http://www.barbershop.org/bhs2014annualreport/ 2015 House of Delegates report

http://www.barbershop.org/fall-2015-hod/ These two links (above) take us to the latest information on what the Society has been doing and the direction we will be going. I wanted to specifically share this with each and every member of the Northeastern District, so you can see all the good things we, as a Society, are doing to promote our hobby and to give better perspective and an appreciation for the work being done by so many dedicated staff and volunteers. Looking forward to seeing YOU in Burlington in a few weeks! Onward - in harmony! Thanks! Murray Phillips President, Northeastern District, Barbershop Harmony Society

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Society and District Notes

Some cool stuff at contest. Saturday Night Reception & Chorditorium. PLEASE JOIN US for an official NED President's Reception and "Chorditorium" Afterglow on Saturday, October 17 after the Contest announcements. All participants of NEDCON2015 are invited. Find it happening - in the same room as the contest - the Sheraton's Emerald Ballroom. All are welcome to attend and/or participate! "Sign-ups" to perform are at the weekend REGISTRATION desk! We'd LOVE to have you perform! Quartet or Chorus! Sign-up and entertain us! We need YOU in the Joe Barbershop Chorus! It's the .NEDCON Most Awesome Barbershop Chorus ever! (Saturday MIC-TESTER Chorus). For any and all MEN and WOMEN Barbershoppers - even YOU! Participation is open to anyone attending NEDCON, whether you’re singing in another chorus or not and requires you attend a single rehearsal on the contest stage at 9:00 AM, Saturday morning and know the songs “Wait ‘Till the Sunshines, Nellie” and “Honey, Lil’ Lize Medley” two songs which I think every barbershopper knows. I’m pleased and excited to announce that our director for, The NEDCON Most Awesome Barbershop Chorus is our very own, Brian O’Leary. I’m sure that Brian is known to many throughout the district, but did you know he’s a 55 year member of the Society? He has held many leadership positions and continues to do so at both the chapter, district and Society level. He has served the judging community as both a Presentation Judge and a Contest Administrator for over 29 years. "BarberTots" Room! Just for the young ones... (okay, really young...). We think of everything! Isn't THAT great? Just down the hall from the grand competition ... a special room will be available for parents to bring their young child(ren). Featuring a live video feed from the contest event - plus toys and games for the children - only. This is intended for children from ages 6 months to 5 years. A parent MUST accompany the child(ren)!

How is a contest judged? Music - Judges in this category adjudicate the musical elements in the performance: melody, harmony, range, and tessitura; tempo and rhythm and meter; construction and form; and embellishments. They judge the extent to which the musical performance displays the hallmarks of the barbershop style, and the degree to which the musical performance demonstrates an artistic sensitivity to the music’s primary theme. Presentation - These judges evaluate how effectively a performer brings the song to life. They respond to both the visual and vocal aspects of the presentation, and evaluate the interaction of these aspects in creating the image of the song, as well as everything about the performance that contributes to emotional impact upon the audience. Singing - Judges in this category evaluate the degree to which the performer achieves artistic singing in the barbershop style: the production of vibrant, rich, resonant, technically accurate, and highly skilled sound, created both by the individual singer’s use of good vocal techniques, and by the ensemble’s process of tuning, balancing, unity of sound, and precision. They listen for a sense of precise intonation, a feeling of fullness or expansion of sound, a perception of a high degree of vocal skill, a high level of unity and consistency throughout the performance, and a freedom from apparent effort that allows the full communication of the lyric and song. Each judge may award up to 100 points per song. The best seat in the house This Fall, Harmony Foundation International and the Contest & Judging program are again teaming up to auction off the Best Seat in the House (BSITH). So if you’ve ever wanted to test out your judging chops, you can bid on a seat in the Judge’s pit at your District Contest and be a ‘Judge for a Day’ . Register on the BSITH website and bid for as many contest sessions as you wish, including, of course, our own Northeastern District Fall Convention in Burlington Winners will sit with the judging panel, will be able to (unofficially) score contestants (pick your category), will discuss the contest afterwards with the judges, and will be able to sit in on the evaluation sessions that follow. They will be afforded the same access and privileges as the official panel. Questions / Contacts: Mike Kelly at Harmony Foundation: BSITH@harmonize.com Jim Nolan, your NED contact: JJNLN@aol.com

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Ye Olde Joke Boarde

Submitted by the Unknown Barbershopper. With help from Nick Godano

What do you call a beautiful woman on the arm of a barbershop baritone? A tattoo.

. . . A barbershop baritone goes into a restaurant for a Christmas breakfast while in his home town for the holidays. After looking over the menu he says, "I'll just have the eggs benedict." His order comes a while later and it's served on a big shiny hubcap. He asks the waiter, "What's with the hubcap?" The waiter sings, "There's no plate like chrome for the hollandaise."

. . . A businessman from Wisconsin, who is also a barbershop baritone, went on a business trip to Louisiana. Upon arrival, he immediately plugged his laptop into the hotel room port and sent a short email back home to his wife, Jennifer Johnson, at her address, JennJohn@world.net. Unfortunately, in his haste, he mistyped a letter and the email ended up going to JeanJohn@world.net. A Jean Johnson in Duluth was the wife of a preacher who had just passed away and was buried that day. The preacher's wife took one look at the email and promptly fainted. It read, "Arrived safely, but it sure is hot down here!"

. . . Two male silk worms wanted the affections of a beautiful female silk worm. She said that she wanted which ever one could win a race. So the two silk worms started racing across to the finish line. However ... they ended up in a tie!

Current Mad Hatter Repertoire

Regular Repertoire Tonight, Tonight Come Go With Me Where Is Love Daydream Happy Together Blue Velvet Crazy Little Thing Called Love Shenandoah Bye-Bye, Love

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do Beach Boys Medley Drop Kick Me, Jesus, Through The Goalposts Of Life How Can You Believe Me When I Say I Love You When You Know I've Been A Liar All My Life? Contest Drivin' Me Crazy May I Never Love Again

Patriotic/Inspirational God Bless America I Believe Lord's Prayer Star-Spangled Banner This Land Is Your Land/ America the Beautiful Medley

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The Danbury, CT Chapter SPEBSQSA

104 Lexington Blvd, Bethel, CT 06801 203-744-9480

President: Danny Anderson Musical Director: Joseph Hudson Assistant Director: Wynn Gadkar-Wilcox Director Emeritus: Don Sutherland Membership VP: Andy Bayer Public Relations VP: Art Cilley Music VP: Jim Hopper Secretary: Robert Golenbock Treasurer: Dickson DeMarche Program VP Vacant Member at Large: Peter Daubner Member at Large: Walter Barlow Member at Large: Wynn Gadkar-Wilcox Immediate Past President Robert Bradley Uniform Chairman: Andy Bayer Harmony Foundation

Chairman: Danny Anderson Music Librarian: Peter Daubner Sunshine Chairman: Don Smith Package Show Chairman: Dick Walter Chorus Manager: Robert Golenbock

The Hatter Chatter

Serving the Mad Hatter community since last Tuesday John Bradley, Hatter Editor Dick Zang, Chatter Editor 39 Beekman Drive 2 Camelot Crest Lake Carmel, NY 10512 Sandy Hook, CT 06482 Jbrad1313@earthlink.net jezang@charter.net

Proofreader: Miss Taralily

The editors of the Hatter Chatter welcome submissions from all chapter members and friends of the Mad Hatters. E-mail, mail, paper airplane us your thoughts, observations, opinions, singing tips and whatevers, and we’ll turn them into Pulitzer Prize copy

October Milestones Birthdays: 3 - Danny Anderson 6 - Joanne Bartley 6 - Marti Hopper 15 – Eileen Paparesta 17 - Augie D'Aureli 31 - Bill Manion Wedding Anniversaries: 21 – John and Vivien Cheeseman

Mark Your Calendars NED Convention 2015. October 16 – 18. Sheraton Burlington Hotel & Conference Center, 870 Williston Road, Burlington, VT. Warm-up: Church of Christ Burlington, 330 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT. Contest and warm-up venues are approximately 4 hours and 30 minutes from the Church of Christ in Danbury. The following was compiled by Joe Hudson. Friday October 16, 2015 1:00pm – 5:00pm – “We Serve” Opportunities 1:00pm – 5:00pm – Quartet Semi-Finals (Session #1) SUREFIRE! will be competing 17th (around 3:30pm) 5:00pm – 6:00pm – Break for Dinner 6:00pm – 10:00pm – Quartet Semi-Finals (Session #2) Kismet will be competing 8th (around 7:15pm). Traveling Men will be competing 16th ( around 8:25pm) 10:00pm – 10:30pm – Announcements 10:30pm – 12:00am – Quartet Evals (Non-Top 10) 10:30pm – 12:00am – Mini-Afterglow Saturday October 17, 2015 7:00am – Arrive at Church of Christ to WARM-up! 9:20am – Arrive in the Lobby of the Convention Center 9:25am – Get into the Ready Room 9:50am – Move to the Final Warm-up room 10:10am – Move to the Stage 10:20am – On Stage!!! 10:35am – Photo! 10:50am – 12:00pm – Chorus Finals (Session #1 12:00pm – 1:00pm – Break for Lunch 1:00pm – 3:30pm – Chorus Finals (Session #2) 3:30pm – 4:00pm – Announcements 4:00pm – 6:00pm – Chorus Evals* (non-singing) 6:00pm – 7:30pm – NED Banquet (OPTIONAL) 7:30pm – 9:00pm – Quartet Finals 9:00pm – 10:00pm – Awards/Show of Champions 10:00pm – 12:00am – Quartet Evals (Top 10) 10:00pm – 3:00am – Chorditorium & Afterglow Sunday October 18, 2015 10:00am – 12:00pm – NED Boat Cruise Performance Attire Tuxedo Jacket and Pants, Black Shirt, Teal Tie, Black Socks and Shoes Performance. Tuesday, October 27. Cascades at Bethel Health Care, 13 Park Lawn Drive, Bethel, CT. Warm-up 6:30 PM, sing 7:00 PM/ Holiday Concert: December 5, Church of Christ, 90 Clapboard Ridge Rd, Danbury, CT, Sing at 3:00 PM, warm-up TBA. Annual Show: Saturday, May 7, 2016. WCSU Visual and Performing Arts Center, 43 Lake Avenue Ext., Danbury, CT.