Linda Shannon-Hills
So much enthusiasm and joy came out of the Ranch House Sol Ballroom as our annual group singing moved from the Bistro to a much larger venue. On Friday, December 14, after the Holiday Parade, over 150 people descended on the ballroom to order their beverages of choice and find a great table with their friends to sing along together. A new twist for this year made the singing easier to follow along. Up on the stage was a large screen displaying all the words for the songs shown at the appropriate time. We were accompanied by Barbara Drury on keyboard. Having the words and music created an electric atmosphere in the room, singing the beloved Christmas songs as well as a few Hanukkah songs of the season under the direction of our musical leader, Alastair Stone.
The big hit of the evening was when Alastair assigned the various tables to sing the various verses to the 12 Days of Christmas. Each table took their jobs seriously but still had so much fun and lots of laughter.
Before the carol singing began, attendees had an opportunity to hear the music by Kerstin Seifert, Kathy Becker and Ernie Wolf on flutes with Barbara Martin on recorder. It really set the stage to bring everyone into the spirit for caroling.
A special thank you goes to Alastair Stone for his leadership, organization and enthusiasm of this event with special help from HOA management and staff. We thank Carol Andrews for running the computer with the words on the slides and are so thrilled to have Barbara Drury’s talents on the keyboard. A big applause goes to all the participates that joined us in the ballroom. Another great year of holiday celebration.
Wishing you a wonderful New Year.