Page 10 - Scene Magazine 41-06 June 2016
P. 10

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November 18th, 1941 the Cereal City Chorus was organized as the Battle Creek Chapter of the national organization, The Society for the Preservation and Encour- agement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America. November 19th the Battle Creek Enquirer announced that “SPEBSQSA unit born here and its first wail is lusty.” 24 Men met that night at 7:30pm at the American Legion Clubhouse for a little bit of busi- ness, and a whole lot of harmonizing. Early records of names and places are pretty scarce since this group of guys just wanted to get together and sing, not be bothered by things like rules, paperwork and organi- zation.
Early members came from a variety of occupations and employers, all brought together by a common love of singing, especially in the acapella harmony style of barbershop. Records shows that in 1943 the chapter had stopped meeting, but was revived the same year with a show called “A Parade of Quartets” which packed
the W.K. Kellogg Auditorium. Barbershop harmony enjoyed rapid growth all across the country through the 40’s and the Cereal City Chorus grew to 76 members in 1947. Add in 69 chapters across the state and the Pioneer District, covering Michigan and western Ontario, was one of the strongest districts across the entire country. The last “Parade of Quartets” was held in 1950 and
Battle Creek Chapter
the 4 “D” Minors, and the most famous of all...The Harmony Hounds who last year ended a run of over 50 years. During that time the quartet saw many litters with men coming and going and sometimes changing parts, but always having a howling good time. The Hounds performed all throughout the Midwest and many other parts of the country and did two USO tours to the de- light of service members in Europe and Asia.
Even though the Cereal City Chorus
has seen a decline in numbers over the years, as have many volunteer service groups, we are still committed to sharing our love of barbershop harmony throughout Battle Creek and Calhoun County. Re-
cent performances have included cabaret dinner shows, local nursing facilities, the VA hospital, Festival of Lights, Binder Park Zoo Lights, as well as singing the national anthem for the Bombers, Knights, and Revolution. Christmas time is packed full of performances, which is quickly followed up by Singing Valentines where a tuxedo clad quartet will deliver songs, candy, roses, and some smiles and tears to your sweetheart. Even though the group has been around
for 75 years it’s still amazing how many people we have encountered who will say, I’ve never heard anything like that up close and live. That’s why our mission is always to bring 4-part harmony to more people whenever we can.
10 SCENE 4106 I CITY ISSUE
just a year later the chapter had suspended operations and the charter was returned
to the International Society due to low membership and little activity. Fortunately, interest was revived a few years later and the Cereal City Chorus rose up again and sponsored a new show, the “Annual Night of Harmony.” The chorus has operated continuously since that point and time with many ups and downs that all organizations naturally see.
Barbershop singers love their hobby and spend many hours practicing and improv- ing their performance level to be able to entertain audiences large and small. Some men just enjoy the comradery and lending their voices to the chorus, while others desire to be part of a quartet where they are the only one singing their part to try and ring that perfect chord. Battle Creek has
a long tradition of producing high quality quartets. Some of the quartets through the years have included: the Food City Four, the Modern Knights, the Chord-A-Rangers, the Village Ramblers, the Millionaires,
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