Volume XXXIX
Issue No. 9
December, 2013
Paradise Coastmen Barbershop Chorus Newsletter
Naples/Ft.Myers Barbershop Chapter, FL - Sunshine District
www.naplesbarbershopchorus.org [email protected]
Editor: Don Kirkpatrick, [email protected] 239.597.7536
Event Calendar
1/9
National Anthem/Softball
League Opening
1/12 East Naples, UMC - 3 PM
1/15 Installation Dinner - Our
Savior Lutheran Church
1/24 Lely Presbyterian Church
7:30 PM
2/2 Unity Church - Time TBD
3/7 Chorus Golf Tournament
Quail Run
3/15 St. Patrick's Day Parade
3/18 Glenview - 5:15 PM
3/20 Tech Rehearsal, NNUMC
3/21-22 Annual Show, NNUMC
4/3 The Moorings - 4 PM
Tree Lighting! Pub Crawl for SA! Cypress Cove! Norris Center Christmas Concert! Wow!
And – lest we forget – thanks to the many
Paradise Coastmen wives who helped us collect
money (and told us how good we sounded).
In this Issue
Merry melodius Christmas...
Notes from the Prez
Phil, how could you...?
Director Jim asks.....?
Paradise Coastmen Lookin'...
A paddle boat backdrop
PC members visit BHS
Comedy Quartet
November Anniversaries
2014 Chapter Officers
No December Birthdays!
Team work accomplished $
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The Past
from Larry
"In the beginning...our
historical records reveal that
what is now The Paradise
Coastmen has its roots dating
back to February 1974, nearly
40 years ago.
The Naples
Florida Chapter was 'licensed'
in August 1975, officially
'chartered' as of December 31,
1975, and 'incorporated' in
April of 1976. In the early days
we were known as the
Neapolitan
Barbershoppers",
sez Larry Leonard, Chapter
Historian.
Sandy Parrot Sing
Thanks to all the Paradise Coastmen who
helped to gather money for the Salvation Army
this month. Whether we call that work of charity a
"Pub Crawl" or a "Salvation Army Christmas Sing"
doesn’t matter very much. What continues to
amaze our Salvation Army friends in Naples and
Bonita Springs are the record breaking amounts
of money you all manage to bring to them each
Christmas season.
The $5,500 distributed to the area
Salvation Army posts brings our twelve year total
collection to over $52,000. It’s a labor of love for
us and a wonderful tribute to the restaurant
owners and their patrons in SW Florida.
Few people but Bob Rose know what a
task it is to arrange and organize this successful
campaign every year. So, thanks, Bob! We can
tell from the tear in your eye when you
announced the total how much this caroling
means to you. Special thanks also goes to the
members of Kensington Country Club and the
owners of The Sandy Parrot who allowed us to
put on special Salvation Army chorus
performances for their members and patrons.
Bob Slade, Jim McKinnon and Jack Felver
jumped in to make those performances happen.
The Shuss Group Entertains Diners!
On December 20th a check for $4000 was
presented to Major Dan Procter, SA Collier County
Coordinator in Naples and $1500 check was given
to Capt. Ken Fagan, the Mission Station Director
for the Bonita Springs Salvation Army. (See
presentation pictures on Page 4).
The Norris Center Christmas Concert was
sold out and a fitting end to our Christmas concert
season. The Seacrest Country Day School
Chorus were a delight to hear and enjoyed a
standing ovation with us as our combined
choruses sang, We Wish You a Merry Christmas!
The 12 Days of Christmas are enacted by the
members of the Island Walk Community as they
celebrate their Tree Lighting with the help of the
Paradise Coastmen Chorus. Ten Lords a'leaping?
Notes from the Prez
"Well another year is now history
and for the Paradise Coastmen it was a very
good year. Our Christmas and spring shows
were a success both financially and
entertainment wise. We delivered more
singing valentines than ever before. We had
seven paid performances and several other community events,
and our ranks are growing. We have much to be proud of, but now
is not the time to rest on our laurels.
The 2014 high season is now upon us and we begin with
two paid performances in January, followed by Singing Valentines
in February. Our March spring shows are only two and one half
months away and we have a lot of music to perfect in a relatively
short period of time.
As your incoming President, I know that I can count on your
continued support. We have a committed board of directors who
will be requesting your assistance in the coming weeks. If you have
a passion for increasing membership or believe you can help with
our music program or spring show, let Jack Felver or Larry Leonard
know you want to help.
Bob Slade will be handling our Valentine central operation
and can use some willing hands. Jim McKinnon has already given
you the handouts for spring show ad and ticket sales. Please step
up and commit to do your fair share in raising the funds necessary
to operate our chapter.
My 2014 goal is the continued growth of our chapter and
chorus, both in terms of membership and quality of singing. In the
coming weeks we will roll out our new evaluation program. The
program is meant to be inclusive and our mission is to identify
problem areas we can fix.
I agree that barbershopping is supposed to be fun. I trust
we can all agree that it's more fun to sing well and in tune. My best
wishes to you all for a Happy New Year!"
Director Jim
asks, "Do you
P.A.S.S.?"
Dr. Greg Lynne, a barbershopper of modest
accomplishments (directed West Town
chorus and Masters of Harmony chorus to international chorus
championships) has shared a system he uses to upgrade the singing
ability of his choruses. It's called the P.A.S.S. system, and it's
something that we could easily implement at the Paradise Coastmen.
The "P" stands for Pride: To stand tall and lengthen the
distance between the A/O joint (the point on your spine where the head
'rocks') and your diaphragm. In addition to opening up your chest cavity
to allow for more air to fill your lungs, it also has the extra-added benefit
of having you stand tall and prideful/manly which is a good look on the
risers.
The "A" stands for Apple: as in 'bite the apple'; in other words,
sing with your lips OFF your teeth. This keeps additional resonators
open to increase your sound. You can work easily on this at home by
just 'bzzzzzz'ing your lips - breathe thru slightly open teeth and lips
while 'brrrrr'ing your lips.
The "S" stands for Smile: Keep your soft palate raised as well
as your facial cheeks as you sing. This helps to drive your sound up
into your 'head' (the upper resonators in your facial mask) which makes
a more pleasing sound.
And finally, the last "S" stands for Surprise: Work at lifting your
eyebrows. This not only helps to also drive your sound into you upper
mask, but also gives you a much more pleasing and engaged look on
the risers. If you don't believe me, check out some BBS chorus
championship performances on YouTube and look at what the singers
are doing. You must remember that when you think you are
over-exagerating your actions, you are barely reaching the edge of the
stage.
Being a winning singer is not a magic recipe. It's taking tried
and true techniques and working them until you own them.
Chord'ially
Gray Poehler
Jim Shubert
Phil, how COULD you have missed this "Rudolph" fact?
Phil Alden, the MC
who knows all
Shop Notes, Newsletter for Paradise Coastmen Barbershop Chorus, Naples, FL. Dec. 2013
Page 2
Paradise
Coastmen "Lookin' good"
Paradise Coastmen visit
BHS Headquarters in 2013
You asked, McNicholas answered!
At last, a complete list of what
clothing each of us should have in
the way, this is a work in progress,
By
risers!
the
on
shine
order to
contact Dave McNicholas or
please
something,
forgot
so if we
editor.
the
write to
2014 PARADISE COASTMEN UNIFORM ISSUE
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Lilac satin vest and bow tie ($30 deposit)
Red satin vest and bow tie ($30 deposit)
Reversible vest (green sparkle & red with gold)
($25 deposit)
Green sparkle bow tie
Red with gold bow tie
Green studs & cuff links ($10 deposit)
Black studs & cuff links ($10 deposit)
Red studs & cuff links ($10 deposit)
Red pocket insert
Green pocket insert
Green sparkle pocket insert
Red cummerbund
Green cummerbund
Blue chorus golf shirt (first one free)
REQUIRED ADDITIONAL ITEMS
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Tuxedo
Wing-collar tux shirt
Haggar Cool 18 Model 71 – Br-Khaki pants, Pleated-no
cuff (can be ordered by chorus)
Dinkles Formal Black Patent Style #607 shoes
Black belt
Jim McKinnon and
Don Kirkpatrick both
enjoyed a moment
of harmony at our
Nashville headquarters in 2013. If you
get the chance, visit
the Barbershop Harmony
Headquarters building in the
"Music City".
You will be treated like the
musical royalty your are and given
a tour that you will long remember.
The BHS employees will make you
feel welcome. Nashville is a city
that deserves to be added to your "visting bucket list". Jim and Don
promise "you'll be glad you did!"
The first comedy quartet, EVER?
SUGGESTED ADDITIONAL ITEMS
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Red button-down shirt w/logo
Green button-down shirt w/logo
White and/ or red suspenders
Santa hat
A paddle boat backdrop will be
featured in our 39th annual
show, "Songs of the South"
Wally Guay
has once again found
a spectacular backdrop for our 39th annual show, "Songs of
the South". A gigantic riverboat will hang
from the ceiling of the
NNUM Church, so
you'd better learn the words and notes of "Robert E. Lee"!
Thanks, Wally, for your help. You topped last years big show!
The Hippycrits, 1964 - 1970
Well, not EVER! But 1964 means that they sang their first
funny song, "Roll the Patrol Car Closer to the Curb (grandmother can't
step that high)", one half century ago. And if you look very closely at
the character on the right (Mr. High Hat), you'll recognize Bill County,
our own bass of "Fifth Avenue".
The tenor was Don Carmody, Lead, John Daley and Bari,
George Core. This "hippy" group had a unique style and their musical
abilities delighted audiences throughout the New England areas (as
well as Canada and the mid-Atlantic states). Don't you wish you could
hear them sing, "The Tattooed Lady", "I Drew a Mustache on Your
Picture", and "Don't Drink the Water, and Don't Breath the Air"?
Shop Notes, Newsletter for Paradise Coastmen Barbershop Chorus, Naples, FL. Dec., 2013
Page 3
Members' Anniversaries
During most months, some Chapter members renew their
BHS membership and receive their new official cards from the
Paradise Coastmen Secretary. The following members' cards
noting years of service will be delivered in December.
Member Name
Years
Dave Dallmann
Brian Boag
Bob Rose
Max Mier
Bill Hooper
Don Kirkpatrick
Otto Mackert
Wally Guay
Ed Smith
Bob Bowser
Biernie Donahue
Al Munneke
Norm Reinertsen
Gray Poehler
John Bolser
Bill Moreland
Jim Stahly
Don Jolie
4
10
10
12
13
14
16
18
18
37
39
46
39
42
49
57
57
63
2014 Chapter Board Members
PresidentSecretaryTreasurerVP MarketingVP MembershipVP MusicVP ProgramsDirector At LargeDirector At LargeDirector At Large-
December Birthdays of Famous
Singers - Past and Present
Hard to believe, but we could find no Paradise Coastmen who were born in December! If I'm wrong, give a yell.
Did We Miss Your Birthday?
Chapter members’ birthdays appearing in ShopNotes are
drawn from the web site’s Calendar of Events. The birth dates of some
members may have been missed because they were not included on
the calendar. Please check the calendar for your birth date. If missing,
contact Bob Slade.
Team work accomplished largest
"S. Army Christmas Sing" $ total
Thanks to the tireless efforts of Bob Rose, Salvation Army
Christmas Sing Chair and his lieutenants Greg Shuss, Jim McKinnon,
Gray Poehler and Don Kirkpatrick our Pub Crawl collection reached
$5500 this year. But Rose says that many more Paradise Coastmen
helped in 2013. Manson Hall and Dave Dallmann assisted in
arranging visits on the phones. Several ladies worked with our
singers. Bob Slade and Dave McNicholas managed the photo ops.
Dave McNicholas also acted as Treasurer in Ron Timmermin's
absence. And, without our "singers" there would be no money in the
Salvation Army pot! Thanks to all.
Gray Poehler
Dave Eastlake
Ron Timmerman
Jim McKinnon
Jack Felver
Larry Leonard
Bob Slade
David McNicholas
Wally Guay
Charlie Ganjamie
Immediate Past President- Jim McKinnon
Shop Notes
Shop Notes is the publication of the Naples/ Ft.Myers
Chapter of the Sunshine District of the Barbershop Harmony
Society. It is published monthly, with single editions for May/June,
July/August and Septembe/October. Shop Notes placed eighth in
the 2012 International Electronic Bulletin contest sponsored by the
BHS.
The Naples/Ft. Myers Barbershop Chapter is the home of
the Paradise Coastmen Chorus, which includes several quartets.
The Chapter and chorus meet each Thursday at 7:00 P.M. at Our
Savior Lutheran Church, 1955 Curling Ave., (just east of
Airport-Pulling Rd.) which is south of Sam's Club on Immokalee
Rjoad. The three-hour sessions include singing exercises and
practice as well as a short business meeting. Guests are always
welcome! It's great to be a barbershopper! Our website is
www.naplesbarbershopchorus.org.
Articles, information and name or address corrections can be
sent to the editor, Don Kirkpatrick, at 11472 Quail Village Way,
Naples, FL 34119 or to [email protected] Tel.
Number 239.597.7536.
ABOVE: Maj. Dan Procter, Salvation Army, Collier County,
Naples, accepts $4500 Check from Bob Rose and Bob Slade
ABOVE: Capt. Ken Fagan, Mission Station Director for
Bonita Springs Salvation Army accepts $1500 Check from
the same Bobs
Serious Questions
• How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink?
• OK, so what's the speed of "dark"?
Shop Notes, Newsletter for Paradise Coastmen Barbershop Chorus, Naples, FL. Dec. 2013
Page 4