This morning Chorale members met at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Marion. A few volunteers had a wonderful spread of snacks and breakfast foods for us. After stocking up on pretzels, brownies, and fruits, we lined up in somewhat of a concert formation. The adorable children from the church’s daycare walked in together and we sang for them. After some impromptu dancing during “Skip To My Lou,” the kids gave us all water bottles and in many cases, some hugs for the road.
As we depart from Marion, we send a shout out to all the individuals and groups who made our visit possible: Tanyce Addison, Emmanuel Lutheran Church and all volunteering churches, welcoming host families, and our enthusiastic audience. Thank you to all who made our experience great!
-The Cardinal Chorale
After a fairly short bus ride, we arrived at a bank in Galion. This is where Josh Senn’s mother, a huge fan of the Chorale, works. We serenaded her and the bank staff with a bit of singing, and we were off again. This time the bus ride was longer, and we all enjoyed some much needed tacet time.
After what felt like the longest time, we arrived at Belden Village Mall in Canton. Singers enjoyed a meal, such as Chick-fil-A or Sbarro, in the ever fantastic food court. Jordan, Shawn, and Logan were sure to shoot straw wrappers at Mr. Snyder. Then, we lined up for another impromptu-but-mostly-planned performance. We stuck around just long enough to sing the America songs, and were off again.
From there, we went on a field trip at the Warther Museum in Dover. We received a tour of the whole museum, and there was plenty good room for all of the glory trains here. We saw and learned about all of Ernest “Mooney” Warther’s ivory and ebony train carvings. We also went to his wife’s button house, where there are many designs made of all of the buttons she collected. After singing a thank you to our tour guide and some other staff members there, we were on the road again.
Our last bus ride brought us to the Church of the Holy Trinity in Bolivar. After a brief rehearsal, we sat down to dinner. The church provided a little bit of everything, and it was AMAZING, especially the Reese’s Cup and Oreo cupcakes.
Soon we gathered outside to have the Chorale Circle, and then we were on our way back in for the concert. Singing together was great, and we were able to honor our Chorale Medal of Distinction recipient, Paula Cush, whom organized our visit to Bolivar, has been a longtime supporter, and even had five sons in the group! Soon we were singing farewell and were on our way to our host families’ homes, ready to get rested up for the next day.
Featured Singer of the Day: Merica Wolf, Alto I
Sandusky County, Ohio
Fourth year member
Favorite Chorale Song: “I like to listen to Plenty Good Room. My favorite song to sing is When I Hear Music. Specifically the alto part 
because it is CRISP.”
Favorite Part of Today: “I really enjoyed the Warther Museum a lot. I really appreciated the ivory trains. But, just for your information, I do not condone poaching or stealing ivory from elephants in anyway.”
Impact the Chorale has Had: “It has made me more open to getting to know people and has made me more self confident in my abilities.”
Future Plans: Merica will be a freshman at Ohio University this fall, and will be studying Psychology.