SJBC On Tour

Day 11 - Closing Time

2009-06-28T21:58:00.000-07:00

The boys arrived to Our Lady of the Atonement Parish at 8:15 am this morning to sing their final two Masses of the 2008-9 season. After such a warm reception last night, it was no surprise to us to have such an enthusiastic congregation, genuinely excited about the boys' presence. The clapped after each selection - even during the Mass - and again gave the boys a standing ovation after their three postlude pieces. Fr. Bob Remark (a former pastor of Mr. Heywood's from a different parish) acknowledged the boys in his homily by talking about their openness to let the spirit share their gift of music with those around them, allowing them to move and inspire others. He also took time to recognize the graduates for their years of service to the choir, as well as the staff who work so hard to help the boys achieve their fullest potential.

Boys were treated to receptions after each liturgy and then a lunch after the later Mass. At one of the receptions, they received a gift from a Member of Parliament (the equivalent of a House Representative) - a Canadian flag and Canadian pins that the boys sported in their white shirts for the remainder of the day. After lunch, it was time to bid farewell to their new brothers and sisters from Atonement Parish.

After lunch the boys checked in to the Riverside Radission Hotel for their final night of tour. First item on the agenda - some pool time! The boys took part in relay races, making whirlpools, some ball games and other typical pool affair. Others sat in the hot tub and took some time to relax before dinner. The boys dressed up in their blacks and whites and spent some time walking along the Detroit River enjoying the view of the Detroit skyline. They then headed to a restaurant for a dinner of either chicken fingers, burgers or a Mexican chili pizza.

They all headed back to the hotel for the final official activity of tour. The boys met in one of the hotel conference rooms and voted for this year's Leadership Award winner. They then received SJBC wristbands, which they had been giving away to other young people over the past 11 days, but not finally have one of their own. They also received their funny individual awards, picked by the staff and the 8th graders. The graduates then each had a few moments to share a few words with the younger boys, talking a bit about their SJBC experience and how much it meant to them. Tears were shed by just about everyone as old stories were retold and life lessons were shared. Mrs. Weber had the final word thanking the boys for all they've done this year. It really has been a pretty special year.

After all that, it was time for some more swimming! Mr. Heywood and Mr. Kleespie gave the boys a little extra swimming time for the last night of tour, and finally got everyone to bed (or at least in their rooms!) by 10:00 pm. Tomorrow, we head home to Saint John's. See you soon!

Day 10 - Curtain Call

2009-06-27T21:22:00.000-07:00

The journey home continued today with the boys bidding farewell to their hosts from Port Hope. After spending time in larger urban centers like London, Toronto, Kingston and Ottawa, it was nice for them to get a taste of life in small town, semi-rural Ontario. The boys were treated so kindly by their hosts here and had an incredible time at the beach. Now it was off to the final leg of their tour.

Today's bus ride was a curtain call of sorts, as the boys passed towns and sites they had visited while heading east. They waved goodbye to Toronto, the CN Tower, and London, now heading west to Windsor. But first there was the small (well, not so small) matter of Niagara Falls. The boys arrived at the falls for lunch and were excited to see them. We passed the American Falls (Rainbow Falls) first - very impressive! As we continued the walk to the Canadian Falls (Horseshoe Falls) the boys were even more impressed with the size and magnitude of this natural wonder. They had some time for shopping and then eating lunch in one of the grassy areas around Niagara, blessed with the company of many seagulls who thought maybe the Port Hope host families had packed a lunch for them too.

Then it was back on the bus for another 3 hours and 45 minutes and on to Windsor. The boys were greeted enthusiastically by parishioners from Our Lady of the Atonement Parish. They were treated to a nice dinner before heading into the church for a quick sound check and then back to the Parish Center to get dressed for their final concert of the 2008-9 season. This was an especially important concert for the 10 boys for whom this would be their final concert as members of the Concert Choir.

The concert started at 7:00 pm, and the boys could not have asked for a better audience for their final performance. The crowed cheered enthusiastically after each performance. Since this would be the graduates' final concert, they decided to sing "Loch Lomond" for the crowd. They performed it better than they had ever done before, and received an immediate standing ovation from the audience. The entire choir received an equally enthusiastic standing ovation at the close of the concert and walked off stage with heads held high and proud faces. What an incredible final concert.

The gig's not over though. Tomorrow morning the boys have their final Masses of the 2008-9 season, followed by a luncheon, some rec time on the Riverfront here in Windsor (facing the Detroit skyline), their final formal dinner and the graduates' farewell.

Oh - and Happy Birthday to Josiah Beretta who turned 13 today! Mr. Heywood searched his face for first signs of pimples and zits, but alas, to no avail. Mr. Kleespie led another rousing edition of "Happy Birthday" during his daily episode of KTL-Kleespie. Hope you had a good one, Josiah!

Day 9 - Beach Party!

2009-06-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

Finally! The boys got a chance to sleep in this morning as they didn't have anywhere to be until 10:00 am. And where did they need to be at that time? The beach! How lucky. The boys spent the morning, lunch and the early afternoon at Victoria Beach in Cobourg. Morning activities included swimming (in freezing Lake Ontario!), soccer, castle/fort-building, scaring away seagulls, and the usual burying of choir boys under the sand (only up to their neck though!).

After their fun day at the beach the boys headed to Trinity College School for a venue rehearsal. TCS is a private Anglican boarding school which has a very nice chapel where the boys' concert was to be held. The campus was truly beautiful and the boys regretted not having the opportunity to play frisbee or football on the school grounds. However, business first! After a short rehearsal the boys engaged in a choral exchange with singers from St. Mark's Anglican Church in Port Hope and St. Mary's Catholic Church in nearby Grafton. All the choristers rehearsed "For the Beauty of the Earth" together in preparation for the concert tonight.

Everyone then headed over to St. Mark's for a lasagna dinner before preparing for their concert. The small town crowd thorougly enjoyed the performance, providing the boys with a standing ovation at the concert's end and once again after the encore. Early to bed tonight as it's another early start tomorrow - a long bus ride to Niagara Falls, followed by a longer trip to Windsor, the location of tomorrow night's concert. Until then - peace!

Day 8 - Bonjour! Comment allez vous? Ca va bien!

2009-06-25T19:42:00.000-07:00

The boys left Kingston early in the morning to head to the nation's capital - Ottawa - directly on the border of Ontario and Quebec. After a two and a half hour bus ride, the boys deboarded in front of Parliament Hill - essentially Canada's White House. Here the boys learned a lot about the political history of Canada, the relationship between the English and the French, and about the different houses of Parliament. Perhaps the coolest part of the entire tour was the Parliamentary Library which was an amazing room containing many important books, such as the first published copy of Harry Potter in Canada and Audobon's Birds of America, which is worth $13 million! The library was the only part of the building that was original, since the building had undergone several fires, but the library was always protected. Mr. Kleespie suggested that Canada should find better fire-prevention techniques.

After a quick lunch at the Food Court in the Centre Rideau, the boys shopped for a short time before boarding the bus again for their next destination. Port Hope is a small town on the shore of Lake Ontario, about one hour east of Toronto. The boys were greeted by Mr. Randy Mills, organist and choir director at the Anglican Church in Port Hope and the Catholic Church in nearby Grafton. Mr. Mills also teaches Music at Trinity College School where the boys will hold a concert tomorrow night.

The boys are now safe with their host families. So far I've heared of pizza parties and ping pong tournaments so I'm sure they are having a great time. Tomorrow is a day at the beach in nearby Cobourg, a choral exchange with singers from the local churches and then a concert in the evening.

Day 7 - Kings and Queens

2009-06-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

The boys had another early morning as they arrived at St. Michael's Choir School with their host boys. At about 8:30 am, they bid farewell to friends, both new and old, from SMCS and started their trek to Kingston to begin their second half of their Canada tour. After a previous attempt on Monday to show a DVD on the bus, Rick (our bus driver) and the staff finally got the machinery working at the boys watched "Wall-E" on their way to Kingston.

Upon arrival, the boys had a lunch followed by an impromptu soccer match in City Park. The final score was 1-1 and Mr. Heywood even showed his old soccer form by scoring one of the goals! The boys then headed to Fort Henry, an historic site built around the time of Canadian confederation as protection for the city of Kingston. The boys went on a guided tour led by students of the Royal Military College and Queen's University who spend their summers in military training or community service at the Fort. The boys learned a lot about a soldier's life during the 19th century and were amazed by some of the facts they heard. Their visit to Fort Henry closed with a parade and demonstration that included the firing of a very loud canon!

After Fort Henry it was time to check in to the Confederation Place Hotel. Pumped to finally be spending some time together in a hotel, the boys were excited to go swimming in the hotel pool. Unfortunately, the pool was closed for renovations, so plans had to be changed fairly quickly. The boys watched some TV and did some quiet recreation in their room before eating dinner in the hotel dining room. After dinner, the boys took a walk along the beach and practiced skipping stones (or breaking rocks... different boys like different actitivies!) for a while. Inspired by the nature scenery around them, the boys sang "Mi'kmaq Honour Song" in an outdoor setting - something they had never experienced before. After the beach, the staff treated the boys to some ice cream before heading back to the hotel for a night of rest.

Tomorrow is off to Ottawa and a visit to Parliament Hill in the morning, before starting the journey back home in the afternoon, ending up in Port Hope where they will have a concert on Friday.

Day 6 - Operation: Toronto

2009-06-23T18:23:00.001-07:00

This morning the boys of SJBC got a taste of what it might be like living in a big city. Boys woke up early in the morning to begin their travel to St. Michael's Choir school. They travelled via light rail, subway, bus and car, sometimes taking as much as 90 minutes to get to school. Things are a bit different living in the big city! All the boys made it safely to the downtown school by 8:30 am for warm-up.

The choral exchange between St. John's and St. Michael's begin at 9:30 am with the SMCS Junior Choir (grades 5-6) performing first, followed by their Senior Choir (grades 7-8). SJBC closed off the collaboration performing some of their favorites. The boys sang *very* well, even in such a challenging acoustic. Unfortunately, St. Michael's Cathedral has carpet all over, deadening the sound and making it not as live an acoustic as other cathedrals in which the boys are used to performing.

After singing, the SJBC boys played soccer with the Grade 7/8 boys from SMCS - a rematch of their game in Hradec Kralové last summer when St. Michael's handily defeated St. John's 7-4, albeit the Americans were outnumbered 60-35. This year they were only outnumbered 40-25, and so only lost 3-2. Nonetheless, the boys were thrilled for the opportunity to play some soccer and to interact with their Torontonian friends.

he afternoon saw the boys journey to the Ontario Science Centre where they observed various exhibits, got to play around with different gadgets, try some sports activities and see living lizards and snakes (many of which scared the bejeebus out of both Mr. Heywood and Mrs. Janku). The boys headed home with their host families shortly before 4:00 pm to engage in various activities - some were going swimming, some having BBQs, and some were even going to a Jays game!

Happy Birthday to Wynston Tacheny who turned 12 today. Wynston received not one, but two beautiful renditions of "Happy Birthday", one while in the choir school and the second while on the bus during our daily episode of KTL-Kleespie. We've had four birthday so far - lots of reason to celebrate!

Day 5 - Up and Away

2009-06-22T19:56:00.000-07:00

The boys bid farewell to London, Ontario this morning - a city that has been so welcoming to them. The boys enjoyed visiting Mr. Heywood's hometown and departed by saying thank you to his mother who had done so much to help make their visit special. The boys presented her with an SJBC sweatshirt with the words "Choir Mom" on the back, then gave her a huge group hug!

Then, it was on the road, headed to Toronto. It was quite the adventure maneuvering the bus through the busy streets of Canada's largest city. The boys arrived to the gym of St. Michael's Choir School in the heart of downtown Toronto and had a quick lunch before an afternoon of shopping and sightseeing at two other major Toronto venues.

The boys walked through downtown and observed City Hall - including a rather tame protest by city workers who started going on strike this morning! They then spent 90 minutes shopping at the Eaton Center, Toronto's largest shopping complex, the third largest in the country, and Canada's busiest tourist attraction with over 1 million visitors each week. The boys then walked for 45 minutes to visit the CN Tower, where they were able to take lots of pictures of the great view of Toronto from over 1,500 feet high! Perhaps the coolest thing for them was visiting the glass floor where they could see all the way down to the ground. Cool!

The boys headed back to St. Michael's by bus and met up with their host families. Boys travelled to their Toronto homestays via different methods - some car, some bus, some subway - in true Toronto fashion. Some of the boys who were being picked up a little later played a game of basketball with Mr. Heywood and some of the St. Michael's boys. Patrick Blee even made a basket from half court!

Anyway, the boys are safe with their host families and are hopefully resting up for their only performance commitment in Toronto - a choral exchange with the St. Michael's boys tomorrow morning. Happy Birthday to Benjamin Zimring, who turned 13 and received a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" while on the bus. Ben also made some great hoops during the basketball game in the gym!

Day 4 - Summer Splash

2009-06-21T21:40:00.000-07:00

It was another early morning today as the boys arrived at Holy Family Parish at 8:15 am. The boys treated the staff to stories of elaborate breakfasts that made the staff wish they were staying with some of the host families. The boys ministered at the 9:00 am and 11:00 am Masses, receiving standing ovations at the end of both liturgies. While all the boys performed extremely well, of special note was a duet by Justin Klassen and Josiah Beretta singing "The Lord's Prayer (Our Father)" as a special song for Father's Day.

The parishioners of Holy Family were very kind to the boys, preparing them a lunch in the Parish Hall and then taking them to East Park to spend the afternoon. Activities included water slides, mini-golf, go-kart racing, bumper cars, batting cages and a climbing wall. "The Bullet" seemed to be the water slide of preference, although Mr. Heywood avoided it, claiming that it always gave him a rather uncomfortable wedgie when he rode down it as a kid.

After the day at East Park, the boys went home with their host families to enjoy some dinner and some final activities for their last night in London. The city has been exceptionally kind to us and we are so grateful for their hospitality and the warm reception. Tomorrow it's off to Toronto and to different adventures.

Happy Birthday to Paul Hartmann II (14 years old) and to Lucas Bonkrude (also 14). Also, we hope all of our dads back home had a wonderful Father's Day. We miss you!

Day 3 - Show time!

2009-06-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

What a successful day! The boys had their first chance to sleep in today, eventually meeting at 10:00 am at Holy Family Parish for a rehearsal and day of fun activities with Amabile boys. The boys reviewed their music for Mass tomorrow and had a combined rehearsal with 50 of the Amabile singers in preparation for their big concert tonight.

After rehearsing, the boys were treated to a nice lunch and an afternoon of sports. Nothing like a gym full of 60 sweaty middle school boys! Anyway, the boys were thrilled to have a soccer rematch with Amabile (which ended in a very diplomatic 3-3 tie). They showed off their great basketball skills and enjoyed exercising their dodgeball muscle a little too.

After a quiet and restful afternoon, the boys showed up at St. Peter's Cathedral Basilica for their concert with Amabile. A lot of people turned up for the concert and they proved to be an extremely supportive crowd. The boys sang their first 9 sacred songs (ranging from chant to the "Sanctus" and the "Ride On, King Jesus") before Amabile took the stage to do 6 of their own. The second half began with the boys singing with organ and then two joint pieces with Amabile - "Dona nobis pacem" and "Imbakwa" which wowed the crowd. SJBC then closed off the program with their world music and Canadian folk songs. The standing ovation was almost immediate and the boys felt really good about their performance.

After the concert, the boys said goodbye to their Amabile hosts and greeted their new host families from Holy Family Parish, where the boys will sing at the 9:00 am and 11:00 am Masses tomorrow morning. After that, it's a day at the water park and finally some R&R. We hope things are going well at home. Peace, and God bless!

Day 2 - Peter, Paul and Mary

2009-06-19T20:09:00.000-07:00

After a long day of traveling yesterday, the boys were good sports about waking up early this morning in order to attend a choral exchange with 5th, 6th and 7th grade students from St. Mary's Choir and Orchestra School in London. Although it took a while to warm up, the boys got into a good singing mode and really impressed the students and their teachers. Everyone's favorite was the "Mi'kmaq Honour Song". The students loved the animal noises. Other favorites were "Praise His Holy Name" and "J'entends le moulin". The 120 students sang one final song for our choirboys - "Blessing", which the boys knew, so they joined in.

The boys then boarded the bus and headed to downtown London for lunch in Victoria Park. Unbeknownst to the staff, a Children's Festival was taking place in the park, so the boys participated in several youth-oriented activities after lunch... some maybe intended for a younger audience, but they enjoyed it nonetheless.

Mr. Heywood led the boys on a tour through downtown London, showing them the major churches (such as Metropolitan United and St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral) and buildings (including One London Place, the tallest building in the city). They travelled to the Covent Garden Market for a short time before heading back in the direction of the park to rehearse at St. Peter's Cathedral Basilica, they site of their concert tomorrow night. Good sports for the entire day, the boys dealt with a new set of challenges during rehearsal and sang exceptionally well. It's going to be a great concert.

Tomorrow is a rehearsal day with Amabile at Holy Family Parish (where the boys will sing on Sunday), followed by a soccer re-match. I'm sure many of you remember the famous, dramatic tale of the Amabile-SJBC penalty kick-off in the Czech Republic last summer. St. John's will be looking to exact its revenge.

Day 1 - Planes, Trams and Automobiles

2009-06-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

One could not ask for a smoother first day. The boys of the Concert Choir boarded the bus and departed Saint John's campus shortly after 9:00 am CDT. With all the boys having been on an SJBC tour by plane before, the trip to the airport was no big deal... although riding the tram seemed to be a fairly exciting affair, even if only for 90 seconds.

After a fairly turbulent but satisfactory flight, the boys landed in Detroit Airport. It was so pleasing to arrive at the Ground Transportation center and see the Saint John's bus waiting for us. It almost felt like home! The thirty minute drive to the border was uneventful up until the crossing of the Ambassador Bridge. Once we passed the sign that said "You are entering Canada", the air seemed to get a little colder and the boys unconsciously started saying "eh" a lot more frequently. The border crossing was fairly easy. The boys never had to do anything - Mr. Heywood, Ms. Weber and Mrs. T went into to Immigration center and sorted everything out in under 2 minutes. Smooth sailing!

Next was a further two hours on the bus en route to London. The boys were treated to rural scenery that looked hauntingly familiar to Stearns County. At about 8:00 pm EDT they arrived in the Forest City - London, Ontario - and were greeted enthusiastically by boys from the Amabile Boys' Choir. The boys met up with their host families and went away to spend their first night in Canada with their new friends. The staff headed to a Guest House that used to be a women's monastery. (It's gorgeous by the way!)

Tomorrow morning the boys have their first singing engagement. Yikes! It's a choral exchange with the singers from St. Mary's Choir School. It should be fun. Girls go to that school. The boys always like to do things with girl singers once in a while too. I'm sure they'll all spend some extra time doing their hair tomorrow morning. Wish us luck! Peace, and God bless.

Electricity to Internet

2009-06-14T19:05:00.000-07:00

I'm keeping this short because unfortunately it's our last night on tour. I'm sad that I wasn't able to blog as much as I had planned. We have had a great time the last few days during our residence at Storm Mountain in Rapid City, South Dakota. As I look back at those days and our technology troubles, I thought to myself, "Why do I suddenly feel like we're really 'roughing' it without Internet? Since when did electricity start to be defined by a wifi signal and whether our cellular devices work?" A sign of the times for sure.

In the last few days we have seen Crazy Horse, Mount Rushmore, a gold mine, Dinosaur Park, and much more. One day Mr. Kleespie somehow convinced us all to try out the Chuckwagon for lunch, and it was a sight. The people at Storm Mountain are incredibly nice and accommodating. They took us on tours of their gold mine and beautiful campus. They also provided the boys with some s'mores one night with an awesome fire. On our way to mass last night at the Cathedral in Rapid City, we ran into some pretty bad weather. The boys got a bit antsy as the ran started to pour as we left Storm Mountain for the church, and once on the road, large sizes of hail started to come down. Our awesome bus driver Laurie got us through the mess and we made it safe and sound and on time for some rehearsing before singing. With no knowledge of 'Cruiser Night', we then attempted and after half and hour succeeded in finding the Pizza Hut we ordered our dinner at. Once there, we had a great meal and the boys built up quite the appetite after their great performance at the Cathedral. This morning was quite early because of needing to get up and pack our bags to check out of Storm Mountain and drive into town to sing at Blessed Sacrament. The people and parish at Blessed Sacrament rocked and the boys sang well once again, providing for a great last performance of their 2008-2009 season. We stopped at a McDonald's and Arby's for lunch (the boys got a choice, not both). There was a long bus drive ahead of us to what we thought was the Big Bend Dam, but after not computing the time change into our schedule, the Dam didn't work out, but the boys didn't seem to mind, knowing there was a pool and water slide awaiting them at the Days Inn where we are staying tonight. Dinner was provided by Marlin's Roadside Restaurant across the street from the Days Inn, but to our delight, after seeing it was connected to a gas station, Marlin's was great! The boys had great choices for meals and it was very tasty. It's been a great trip and as I'm writing this, the boys are having a snack and soon will head to bed for our last trek home. On behalf of the staff, I think I speak for all of us that the tour was a great way to end a much successful Junior Varsity 08'-09' season. Peace.

Wait, we're singing today?

2009-06-10T21:05:00.000-07:00

Until our "exchange" concert this evening with the Singing Boys of Sioux Falls, we were doing so many fun recreational activities it seemed we had almost forgot why we were on tour; singing! We started the day here at the Ramkota Hotel, where the boys got a great deal on an outstanding breakfast buffet with eggs, french toast, cereal, donuts, bacon, and fruit. After scraping their plates clean, though some had to come back to the table to be reminded of their leftover food they were about to waste, the boys returned to the pool for a last 'hoo-rah' before packing up and picking up their rooms to check out of the hotel. We checked out and boarded the bus for Falls Park, a great tourist spot in Sioux Falls with awesome natural wonders. As we got of the bus we noticed some not-so-wondrous things such as the smell of the Falls and the overwhelmingly cold and windy weather we had. Mr. Kleespie, Mr. Horner, and Ms. Weber went to check out what there is to do at the Falls as Mr. Fujii and myself played games of frisbee and soccer on the grass. We took a group picture sitting on the rocks at the Falls and also took at trolley ride through the downtown area of Sioux Falls, which was a nice break from the wind.

After looking around at the rushing waters, we set up camp under a roofed picnic area and had sandwiches and fruit for lunch that the staff prepared this morning. The next destination was the Great Plains Zoo. Though the staff made a few jokes about what the zoo might have to offer, it came through and delivered a great place to spend our afternoon. The zoo was not very busy at all and is quite small so it was a great place to give the boys a bit of freedom to do what they wanted, but keep a very close eye on them at the same time. After an hour of roaming the park and pointing and taking pictures of the animals, we gathered in the entrance of the zoo once again. Mr. Kleespie assigned groups of boys to find three animals they would like to learn more about, giving their scientific names and other facts about the animals. During this time, the staff took a break on some picnic tables at a cafe inside the park and Ms. Weber attracted many groups of boys after feeding her trail mix to the free-roaming peacock. Some boys bought a few things at the gift shop and then all the boys changed out of their khaki shorts and into their khaki pants and black shoes for our event with the Singing Boys of Sioux Falls tonight. After that, we boarded the bus, parked in a lot, and had some nap time in the bus, something the staff was in need of as well.

We arrived at First Presbyterian Church and had a great potluck dinner provided by the parents and staff of the Singing Boys of Sioux Falls. There was plenty of pasta, salad, fruit, chicken, and dessert to go around. The boys played some games led by the conductors of the SBSF. Mr. Horner did some warm-ups with the boys and talked about what pieces they would be singing at the concert, and before we knew it, the concert had begun. The boys did quite well, and the audience seemed receptive. The SBSF sang after our boys and they did a great job, even with a smaller group than they usually have because their season is officially over already. Our boys met their host families after the concert and off they went. The families seem great and the boys though tired, were excited to stay with their hosts. As for the staff, we've made our way back to the Ramkota, taken some time to relax, watch T.V., use the exercise facility, and deliberate on the plans for tomorrow. On our long trip to Rapid City tomorrow, we'll stop at Wall Drug, which is sure to be an event. Hope all is well at home. Peace.

And so it begins...

2009-06-09T17:26:00.000-07:00

As we pulled away from Collegeville today and embarked on our St. John's Boys' Choir Junior Varsity Tour to South Dakota, it was only minutes before we heard, "Are we going to watch a movie?" We first watched a safety video required by the bus company. A video that made us feel like we were on a plane much more than a coach bus. After that, Pixar's The Incredibles seemed to suffice for our first movie choice, even for the staff member.

It was a slower beginning to the day with a long drive ahead of us and small city roads to maneuver like in Claire City. The boys made it through with the movie and a snack of cookies and water at as we rolled on. Sadly, the movie got stuck a few times, leaving us no option but to forward it (a few boo's ensued). Our first stop was for lunch at Camden Minnesota state park, where the boys could stretch their legs and their stomachs and breathe some fresh air. We had a few boys that forgot a sack lunch, but we had plenty of other singers and staff members that gave up their unwanted items. The weather wasn't great for playing outside, a bit wet and overcast skies. We boarded the bus after Mr. Kleespie challenged three separate lines for who could be the most behaved before heading onto the bus. We continued on our journey.

We took some time to be completely silent on the bus for a little while, during which I fell asleep. It wasn't long and we were in Sioux Falls, South Dakota! We pulled up to the Ramkota Hotel and Ms. Weber and Mr. Kleespie headed inside to check our group in. The boys got their keys to their rooms and you can only imagine the excitement and anticipation that followed. One boy was so overwhelmed that his luggage was left in the middle of the hallway, something I sternly corrected him for after I stumbled upon it. After getting settled in our rooms, it was only obvious that the boys needed to try out the swimming pool. The Ramkota has a great water-slide and obstacle course resembling something I used to watch on Legend of the Hidden Temple on Nickelodeon when I was a kid. The boys seemed to have a great time as well as Mr. Horner and Mr. Kleespie, who put on their trunks and joined in on the fun.

After a lengthy break in the pool, the boys got out and got dressed to get ready for dinner. We decided to go to a place called Valentino's, a pizza/pasta buffet right near the hotel. The price was rather good and the food was exceptional as well. There was lots to eat, including a full salad bar, which we made the boys go to first, before diving into the pizza, pasta, desert streusels, and yes, ice cream. After everyone seemed stuffed, we made our way back to the bus and back to the hotel. The boys are now swimming once again and we soon plan to have some music rehearsal time because after all, we are here to sing and make music. Rooms are to be quiet by 9:30 and silent 9:45, with hopefully everyone fast asleep by 10:00 (including the staff members). It has been a long day, but one full of relaxation and fun activities. Tomorrow we plan to sight-see here in Sioux Falls and later meet up with the Singing Boys of Sioux Falls to eat dinner and sing together, after which the boys with meet their host families. Remember to keep track of us on twitter.com/sjbchoir. I'll try my best to keep posting! Peace.

JV departs for South Dakota

2009-06-09T09:01:00.001-07:00

The Junior Varsity Choir of The St. John's Boys' Choir departed for their 2009 Summer Tour to Sioux Falls and Rapid City, SD. Parents stood on the Abbey steps and waved goodbye to their kids, many of whom were embarking on their first trip with the choir. Over the next 7 days the boys will engage in a choral exchange with the Singing Boys of Sioux Falls and visit historic sites such as Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial. Accompanying the boys are Mr. Horner (conductor), Mr. Fujii (accompanist), Ms. Weber (executive director), Mr. Kleespie (programs director) and Mr. Loehr (music assistant).

Updates will be posted to this blog daily (or close to daily). You can also follow the boys activities on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sjbchoir.