Nothing Like Being There
These came from an old Monthly Chapter Bulletin from June 1989
The
Pamper Camper, always a good time, was one of the most thoroughly
enjoyable and memorable on record.
The
rain and cloudy weather which could have dampened the spirits of a
less venturesome crew, seemed to operate in just the opposite way by
forcing us physically closer together under umbrellas, screen houses,
and other shelters. And of course when barbershoppers are close
together they must sing: nothing unites like four part harmony. The
camaraderie was superb, and I never heard the chorus sing better than
they did in the memorial service for Jack Osburn held in Silex. This
super sound was produced after the choking back of some really large
lumps in throats. The special trip to Silex by some of our members
was just to sing this memorial. The desserts and fellowship following
the memorial sing were truly outstanding.
Billie
Osburn presented our chapter with memorabilia from Jack's long and
pleasant association with barbershopping.
A
significant number of the guests at the memorial accompanied us back
to the campsite, where some of them served as judges for the quartet
contest.
The contest was
definitely one of the best ever. The competition was keen, and
attempts to bribe the judges with beer, money, food and blankets,
were unsuccessful because judges of impeccable character has been
selected.
Gerry Mohr did his
inimitable Hawaiian performance with bongo, tambourine, and gourd
accompaniment. The accompanying musicians were the Mueller lads and
Billie Osburn and her daughter Mary Beth.
The
winners of the first three places in the quartet contest were: Chuck
& The Other Three, Silent Wind, and Silex Songsmiths. Our new
tenor Chuck was the featured tenor in the top two
quartets.
Another memorable
event was the crowd singing "Happy Birthday" to Ron Olson
who celebrated the 17th anniversary of the date of his birth on
Saturday Oct. 1.
As sparks
wafted heavenward from our plenteous campfire, which was surrounded
by a larger-than-ever crowd, two thoughts struck me: (1) Nothing can
dampen barbershopper's enthusiasm. (2) What a pleasure it is to be
associated with such a truly fine, and truly caring group of
men.
To illustrate, the capping
event on Saturday night was the sensational chili provided everyone
by Bill Benner Jr. of the St. Charles Chapter, former member of the
Florissant Chapter.
No amount of
spreading ink on paper can describe the experience of being there.
Make it a must for next year.
By Joe Hale