Actually, we had the week off, so I spent the extra time catching up on some much-needed sleep and checking a few things off the "honey-do" list. So, now that I
think of it, I might have actually lost sleep. My wife and I are trying to prepare our house for the baby. If I had known a baby was going to be this much work…
This past weekend we went north and east to the "Keystone State," Pennsylvania. Friday night we were just outside of Pittsburgh, singing at the Bible Alliance Church in
West Newton. From there we went east on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and up Interstate 81 to Hazleton. We ate some traditional Russian food (I'm not even going to
try to spell it), provided for us by our host Mike & Michele Klesh, and then performed our concert in a theater in downtown Hazleton.
We then headed down to the tiny mountain town of Kempton. We were privileged to sing again this year at the Blue Mountain Gospel Festival. For those of you not familiar
with this event, it covers two weekends every year near the end of August. Twila Rohrer and Garden Spot promotions bring in some of the best talent in Southern
Gospel. We were blessed to sing this year with the Christian Brothers Quartet, the Greenes, the Toney Brothers Quartet, and the Dixie Echoes.
Despite the chilly weather, we had a great time again this year. The concerts are held in an open-air pavilion at the Kempton Community Center, so you are at the mercy of the
weather sometimes. I even got to see some of my friends from back in Iowa. They now teach just a couple hours down the road in New Jersey. I was actually shocked to
see them because last year they didn't show up until the concert was over.
We always have a good time singing with other groups, because as we all criss-cross
the country, we rarely have an opportunity to spend any time with our colleagues. Speaking of such times, in a week we will be at convention. Be sure to check back
regularly, as I plan to make several column entries that week (cross your fingers).
Oh and one more thing. I caught some flack last week for picking on certain group
members. Now, I won't name any names, but I was lying down in my bunk on the way home Sunday night, trying to get some sleep, and I heard the tires screech and the
brakes lock up. To be quite honest, I was waiting for the impact. Well it turns out that our headlights had gone out! Kind of an important thing to have as you wind through the
hills of Pennsylvania. We found out that our low-beams still worked, so we made it home safely.
Don't forget to check in next week!
Will
