SPEBSQSA Day at the Metrodome 05/18/2005

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SPEBSQSA Day at the Metrodome 05/18/2005

On Wednesday, May 18, 2005, the Minnesota Twins featured 355 barbershop singers from 22 groups and five states and Canada to perform the National Anthems (both Canadian and American), entertain in the concourses during the game, lead the 7th Inning Stretch, and enjoy the ballgame with their families and friends!

Loring Harrop was the mastermind behind this effort. His chorus, the Great Northern Union (GNU), has been doing national anthems for Twins and Vikings games for a while, and decided to invite other barbershop singers from neighboring chapters.

Barbershoppers represented SPEBSQSA chapters from all over the LOL District: Minnesota (Windom, Bloomington, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, Fergus Falls, Faribault, Minnetonka, Mankato, Albert Lea, Fergus Falls, Faribault, Minnetonka, St. Cloud, Willmar, Winona, Rochester); Wisconsin (Black River Falls, Eau Claire, Polk-Burnett Counties, Dunn County, Superior, La Crosse); North Dakota (Fargo); South Dakota (Custer); and Saskatchewan, Canada (Saskatoon). In addition, Dr. Tim Peter, director of the Luther Norsemen, brought 50 of this year's chorus members from Luther College in Decorah, IA, to join the barbershoppers.

Some 355 barbershop singers from across the LOL District sang at the Metrodome
Director Pete Benson poses with 1970s Twins legend Tony Oliva in the warmup cave before taking the field

Production notes: These pictures aren't the greatest! I could only capture what I saw. Some of these I'd normally delete, due to blur from low lighting, but I figured I'd keep them to help show the mood and flow of the evening from arrival to gathering to warmup cavern to taking the field. I took all the photos with my new FZ20 digital camera, except for the shots of the entire group on the field, which were taken from the stands by my 13-year-old daughter with my old Olympus c2100uz. (Note: I tried to get a shot of each of each chapter's name on the Jumbotron in case you wanted to use it for a chapter web page or newsletter).

Enjoy,