Tour '02 Update #4
09/12/02Written by group effort of AHQ
Let's see, we last ended at the Corvette Museum. We hit the road that afternoon heading for Sturgis, MI, where we were to sing at Calvary Chapel that night. Our good friends the Daniel Friesen family arranged for us to sing there, so we met with them before the service.
Our bus parked in front of Calvary Chapel.
That night before we began, one of the preachers asked us to do a special request. It was Mary Ellen's birthday and he wanted us to sing happy birthday to her during the service. We said sure and decided we'd do it as the first song of our second set. So church started and we sang and sang and sang our way through the first set. We took our break, then hit the stage ready to warble our way through best birthday wishes. We get to the part about "happy birthday Mary Ellen" and everybody starts giggling, so when we finish we're real happy and think we've really done something special! Tom coolly steps up and wittily asks where is Mary Ellen sitting??!! There is more giggling while somebody says, "Oh, she left already!"
He attempts a pitiful recovery by suggesting that well, they'll have to tell her about it! Quick, start the next song!
The A Cappella Ink Spots.
That night we stayed with Sheldon and Ellen Graber, David's cousin's husband's parents. They have a really nice house out in the woods, and we had a great time there. We stayed up late that night playing pool and ping pong down in the basement. We got up the next morning and rode their four wheelers out in the forest behind their house. Ornan and Allan Friesen came over to spend the day with us (we had another short drive that afternoon to our next stop) and we headed into Shipshewana for a little tourist action!
Ornan and Allan on the four-wheelers.
We went to the big huge flea market in Shipshe. Or Wana. You can abbreviate Shipshewana either way. Kon and By bought sunglasses, Tom bought some dried candied pineapple, and David bought a case and blue-flamed faceplate for his cell phone.
Tom wanted to go through the whole market but the other guys didn't, and he got upset. Tom thought he was almost finished going through the whole thing, but Kon gently explained to him that he probably did not have time to hit the last 400 (out of 1100) booths. We were almost back to the car when Kon realized he had swiped some fabric samples from the booth he was last in. This really made Tom upset, because he thought he could have finished walking the remaining 400 booths in the few minutes Kon wasted taking the fabric samples back!
The Friesen boys also showed us the house they're building.
Then we all went to get some lunch. The local big restaurant, the Blue Gate (or something), was too full and a little expensive, so Allan and Ornan took us to a little local cafe right next to the town mini golf course! After we ate, we all played a round of 18 holes. It was a great course, and David masterfully dominated everybody by getting nothing but pars and a birdie on the back nine!
We went back home to pack up, said goodbye Allan, Ornan, and the Grabers, then hit the road.
Doing the sound check at Salem Mennonite. Dorcas, I did tuck the shirt in later!
It was a short drive to New Paris, IN, where we were to sing that night at Salem Mennonite church. We were thankful for David's SMBI buddy Jerald Martin providing and setting up a sound system for us. Jerald sings in a quartet of his own, it was actually their system that we used.
The Editor.
We had a package delivered to us that night from our friend Merry Yoder. One of the highlights of the package was a little yellow stress ball named Cheerio, which quickly became Byran's broadly beaming bouncing bosom buddy.
Tom and Byran had spent several weeks in this general area when they attended BMA Bible School in the first part of '01, so there were a few familiar faces in the crowd. Also a good friend of ours (originally from OR) was there, Rita (Miller) Shertz. We also saw Kendra Shertz (Rita's sister-in-law), who spent 2 years in VS for Gospel Echoes NW in Oregon.
The newest addition to Shane and Rita's family!
We stayed at Tom and By's friend Norrell Lee's place that night. Except for David, he stayed with Jerald. Norrell and his brother Russell have a great talent for yodeling. They also love to teach others this wonderful skill. Byran has shown great interest and acclimation for said talent. Sadly, the rest of the quartet--namely Tom and Konrad--have been most discouraging as he attempts to pursue his wonderful gift. But against all odds, he has exceeded every expectation by annoying anyone in earshot more than ever was thought possible.
We left the Goshen area the next morning and struck out for Flanagan, Illinois. We stopped at Cracker Barrel for lunch, and some of our number ate more than they should have. (Editor's note: It was me.) Never having been to Flanagan and not knowing anyone there, we soon bravely arrived. We went to our contact's house a few hours before the service and rested up. Paul Stalter had contacted us soon after seeing our article in the Singing News magazine and inquired as to the possibility of us singing at his church. We were glad that it had eventually worked out.
My sister Jean purchased the tablecloth for us.
That night we sang at Prairieview Mennonite Church, it was a highlight of the trip. The church was full of people ranging from small children to elderly grandparents and everybody in between. We recorded that service on Tom's laptop computer. This kept him busy for days in the car, crafting a clever collage of cuts from that evening. Visit our "Listen" page to hear some samples!
We stayed that evening with the Steve and Lois Ulrich family, David's aunt and uncle.
