Note to
our readers:
November/
December 2019
VOLUME 1 | NO. 15
Senior Connections HJ.COM
This is a combined
November/December
issue.
Delano-based Senior Singers brighten
people’s days with song
HEIDI MIRTH
Staff Writer
Lively piano music
and familiar lyrics
“We are actively
seeking new members
drift into the hall-
of all ages to come and
ways of the Delano
practice and perform
Senior Center every
with us. If transporta-
Monday morning.
tion is an issue, potential
The comforting,
members should con-
tact the senior center
toe-tapping
songs
for arrangements [at]
that fi ll the air in-
763-972-0574,” said Nick
clude “Shenandoah,”
Neaton, community ser-
“Down By the Riv-
vices director for the City
erside,” and “Danny
of Delano.
Boy,” to name a few
– traditional folk,
patriotic, and gospel
tunes that have survived the test of time.
The singers are the Delano Senior Singers, a
choral group made up of about eight members
from the local community.
The group, which is currently seeking more
members, has been performing in the commu-
nity for roughly the same amount of time as the
Delano Senior Center has – since 1982.
Members enjoy each other’s company and sing-
ing together, but the group is about more than
having a good time.
“We have a purpose to the group,” said one
member, “to share the music with others;” par-
ticularly those who may not get a chance to hear
such music often, like nursing home residents
and the disabled.
The Singers perform at senior centers and nurs-
ing homes throughout the area, from Delano, to
The bass/tenor section of Delano’s Senior Singers rehearses “Shenandoah” at a fall rehearsal.
Buffalo, to Watertown, and beyond.
Karen Otto, accompanist for the group, en-
courages people to come try it out, even if their
schedules are busy. She says people should “come
when they can,” especially if they can make it to
performances.
It’s a casual group, and the songs are simple
and familiar, easy to learn even for those less
confi dent in their musical abilities.
“I like them all,” said one member about the
song selection. “I like anything I can sing.”
The Senior Singers sing a wide variety of songs,
mostly old favorites, though their style changes
somewhat with the seasons, Otto said. There is
an emphasis on love songs around Valentine’s
Day, Irish tunes near St. Patrick’s Day, and of
Senior
Connections
PHOTO BY HEIDI MIRTH
course, Christmas songs in the winter, though the
group likes to keep at least a few patriotic songs
in every lineup.
Songs the group has chosen for this fall include
“She’ll be Comin’ Round the Mountain,” “Let
There be Peace on Earth,” “This Land is Your
Land,” and “America the Beautiful.”
“We choose songs the older people might
know,” Otto said. “Sometimes [nursing home
residents] sing along with us,” added another
member.
Veteran Larry Wahala said his favorite song
the group sings is “God Bless America.”
More DELANO SINGERS on Pg 3
is distributed to:
Annandale | Buffalo | Cokato | Darwin | Dassel | Delano | Glencoe | Howard Lake | Hutchinson | Kimball | Lester Prairie
Litchfi eld | Loretto | Maple Lake | Maple Plain | Mayer | Montrose | Mound | New Germany | Norwood Young America
Rockford | Silver Lake | South Haven | St. Bonifacius | Waconia | Watertown | Waverly | Winsted