BY BRENDA L. HOLMES
NORTH SALEM — Just the facts
WHAT: “The Golden Era of Television”
WHEN: 4 p.m. June 27
WHERE: Hendricks County Senior Center, 1201 Sycamore Lane, Danville
When Donna Mae Lawson moved from Parke County to North Salem, one of the first things she looked into was joining the local choral club.
“I joined the Hendricks County group in 1981,” Lawson said. “Before that, I was in the Parke County group. So I have been a Choral Club member for about 36 years.”
The Hendricks County Choral Club is affiliated with Melody Makers of Indiana, the Indiana Extension Homemakers Association’s statewide chorus.
“My experiences here have been wonderful,” Lawson said. “We have so much fun. I really enjoy hamming it up.”
She said the shows always have a different theme and are enjoyable to watch and perform.
“We’ve done some rock and roll,” she said. “It’s always a lot of fun.”
Lawson said over the years there have been many changes, including different directors. Her sister, Marge Emmert, was the director for about 10 years.
“We have about 25 gals now, but a few have some health problems,” she said. “But in the past we’ve gotten down to five singers. We always managed to make it fun.”
She said the year they were just about the smallest they had ever been they put on an Elvis Presley melody.
“The Hendricks County Chorus started in 1939, so we are celebrating 50 years,” Lawson said. “The Melody Makers are in their 70th year.”
She said Melody Makers and all of the different choral clubs throughout the state were started by Dr. Al Stewart of the Purdue Musical Organization.
“I believe back then there were choral groups in 91 counties,” she said. “He did so much work and would travel to the different counties. Then they would have one large performance with all the singers.”
In the mid 1940s there were 3,500 ladies performing in chorus across the state. Members from the chorus were selected and sang in Europe, Canada, Florida, Washington, D.C., Idaho, California, and Oregon, as well as here in Indiana.
“They created these groups to improve the cultural welfare of rural women,” Lawson said. “It has a very interesting history.”
The Melody Makers are now under the direction of Dr. Scott Buchanan of the Indiana State University choral department. In 2008, there were about 500 members from 27 counties.
Miriam Rich is currently the director of the Hendricks County Choral Club. Anyone interested in trying out for the group may call her at 525-9746 or just stop by the weekly practice at 7 p.m. Mondays at the Hendricks County Senior Center.
Lawson, who sings the second soprano part, said she has enjoyed her involvement in the club and is looking forward to its next performance this weekend.
“Our director is very talented,” Lawson said. “She arranges the music and comes up with some very clever things.”
The upcoming performance is entitled The Golden Era of Television and is a collection of theme songs from television shows.
“We will be singing songs from ‘Gilligan’s Island,’ ‘The Brady Bunch,’ ‘Rawhide,’ and the kids will love participating in the ‘Sesame Street’ portion,” she said.
Lawson will be bringing back a character she has played before, called the “Char” woman. The performance pays homage to Carol Burnett’s popular character.
The Hendricks County Choral Club will be presenting The Golden Era of Television at 4 p.m. June 27 at the Hendricks County Senior Center. Tickets are $7 for dinner and entertainment.
brenda.holmes@flyergroup.com
