DANVILLE — Four members of the Hendricks County Extension Chorus recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to perform at the National Memorial Day Choral Festival.

Peggy Baumann, Donna Mae Lawson, Martha Rodgers, and Miriam Rich were chosen to be a part of the Melody Makers of Indiana delegation.

The Hendricks County Extension Chorus is affiliated with Melody Makers of Indiana, the Indiana Extension Homemakers Association statewide chorus.

The Melody Makers of Indiana is directed by Scott Buchanan, choral director at Indiana State University. He held auditions for choral clubs across the state.

“Scott held tryouts and four from this chorus made it,” Baumann said. “We performed at the National Memorial Day Choral Festival, which was held May 27 though 31.”

Buchanan then directed the mixed chorus of more than 350 voices for the Memorial Day performance.

While in D.C., the group also did some sight seeing and attended a service at the World War II memorial.

“There was a brief ceremony and a wreath laying,” Baumann said. “Their soloist didn’t show up, so we sang the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ for the service.”

She said they then placed a wreath by the Indiana stone on the WW II Memorial.

“There were two ribbons on the wreath,” Baumann said. “One that said the Melody Makers of Indiana and one that said the Indiana State University Chorus.”

Ted Arthur served as the festival accompanist. He’s the associate conductor of the Purdue University Glee Club.

Rich is in her 10th year as director of the Hendricks County group. When she took over as director, there were five members. Now there are 32 active singers.

She said being chosen to represent Indiana was an honor.

“We also had a chance to sing with a famous tenor, Anthony Kearns,” Rich said. “We had some pretty intense rehearsals. And we performed with people from across the country.”

The mixed choir performed “Introit and Kyrie,” “Offertory,” “Sanctus,” “Pie Jesu,” “Agnus Dei,” “Libera Me,” and “In Paradisum.”

“Then we did an encore of ‘God Bless America,’” Rodgers said. “Now that gave me goose bumps.”

Lawson said the trip was tiring but that it was well worth all the hard work.

“I hadn’t made a trip like that since I was a teenager,” she said. “But it was a privilege to be chosen.”

Members of the Hendricks County Extension Chorus are now preparing for their upcoming show “Crazy ‘Bout Ya, Baby!” It will be at 3 p.m. June 19 at the Hendricks County Senior Center, 1201 Sycamore Lane, Danville. Admission is $5. For more information or tickets, call 496-1959.

The local club will also be performing with the Melody Makers of Indiana at 7:30 p.m. today at the Elliott Hall of Music at Purdue University.

Anyone interested in trying out for the group may call Rich at 525-9746 or just stop by the weekly practice at 7 p.m. Mondays at the Hendricks County Senior Center.

brenda.holmes@flyergroup.com