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Park Singers: A blend of talent and commitment
By Sue Harrington During the past 13 years, the Decatur Park Singers have undergone gradual changes. Beginning as a small ensemble with one microphone and guitar, the group is now performing with a sophisticated sound system made possible by financial backing from the Rotary Club, other community groups and individuals. With only two weeks of rehearsal, our current 11-piece band is capable of producing sounds right off the Top 40 charts. Our show, while remaining "high energy," has become professional in appearance with an intimacy between performer and audience. We entertain on street corners, in parks and at county fairs and city festivals from one end of the State to the other. We have traveled as far as Knoxville, TN, to the 1982 World's Fair, billed as one of the finest amateur groups in the country. Our traditional end-of-the-summer benefit concert takes place at Millikin University's Fine Arts Center, one of the best auditoriums in the State. Since our group has now assumed the task of raising funds to provide recreation for the handicapped individuals of our community, people who have attended many of the free concerts weekly pay admission to our benefit performance in support of the group and its work. Through our tapes, records, television and personal appearances, we have reached more than a million people. Their response has made us self-supporting, and has enabled us to fully support recreation for the handicapped people of Decatur. Because of the Decatur Park Singers, Decatur has one of the finest recreational programs for the handi- Illinois Parks and Recreation 14 January/February 1985 capped. It includes "A Very Special Arts Fair," which is a pre-vocational training program using the arts. We also cosponsor with Archer-Daniels-Midland three "Best of Summer Stock" (B.O.S.S.) musical theatre programs for more than 200 children from first grade through high school. All of these are staffed by members of the Park Singers who volunteer 12 to 15 hours a day, six to seven days a week, including evenings and weekends, to sing with the group. The Park Singers have entertained more than a million people. Everyone wins with the Decatur Park Singers! The individual's expertise on the job and in performing raises the quality level of all the programs we touch. In addition, the standard of excellence required of every singer has caused a mutual admiration and respect within the group, overriding petty jealousies and cliques which are the downfall of many performing groups. Among these people I work with so closely for only three months of the year, I have found lifelong friends, companions and confidants. The Singers work 15 hours a day, six to seven days a week. Through the Park Singers, I was employed in the B.O.S.S. program choreographing and directing. Now entering my seventh summer with the Singers, I am a full-time supervisor at the Recreation Department specializing in our cultural arts program. Heavily involved in the Decatur Park Singers' program, I now see the Singers from not only a performer's perspective, but also from an administrative point of view. It is a year-long project to prepare for the summer months. Making contacts and bookings, raising funds, choosing tunes, writing music, keeping up with equipment needs and coordinating uniforms begins as soon as our last concert is played. Replacing Park Singers who move is one of the most difficult tasks before us. Hundreds will audition, but only two or three will be chosen to join those who return from last year. We are looking for more than talented singers and dancers. We are looking for individuals whose personal characters demonstrate at the very least cooperation, a good attitude and the willingness to work long hours every day. They must have a unique vocal quality as well as the ability to blend chorally. Most importantly, however, they must perform their summer jobs with excellence whether they are involved in one of the B.O.S.S. programs, as an office worker or in supplying equipment to the parks. We demand musi- Talent, a good attitude and a willingness to work are prerequisites.
The Decatur Park Singers have performed for thousands of persons at statewide festivals. They have also generated funds to support the Recreation Department's Unique Programming for Handicapped Individuals (UP/HI) Division and other summer music programs for youths. Illinois Parks and Recreation 15 January/February 1985 clanship, sightreading, and a quick ear for musical harmonies. Even under these conditions we can afford to be selective. The number of applicants was so great in 1983 that we started another group called the Young Park Singers. High school age students who are very talented, but who are simply not ready to be a Park Singer in musicianship or performance, received training by members of the Park Singers. They work on developing skills needed to gain confidence, stage presence and performance quality. In this way we assure the continuation of the Decatur Park Singers for years to come. Our most recent programs stemming from the success of the Park Singers are the B.O.S.S. PLUS production for children through the fall and winter months, and our Greater Decatur Choral (cosponsored by WAND-TV) for mature voices throughout the Channel 17 viewing area. Both are musical performance groups though very different from our Park Singers. We strive to make music a year-round experience for all age groups and styles. From every perspective, the Decatur Park Singers' program has been a valuable investment over the years. Being a Decatur Park Singer has little or no monetary value to the performer, but there are many rewards that cannot be measured in dollars and cents. As a recreational program it provides continuous free entertainment and recreation for the public. Those programs which result directly from the success of the Decatur Park Singers are of benefit to every participant and spectator, disabled and non-disabled alike. The value of the time, effort and money put into the Decatur Park Singers has been proven worthwhile many times over. Everything that I have put into the program since that summer of 1979 has been returned to me with interest. It will remain one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences of my life. EDITORS' NOTE: Anyone wanting additional information about the Decatur Park Singers should contact Sue Harrington, supervisor of cultural arts, Decatur Park District Recreation Department, P.O. Box 383, Decatur, IL 62525 (217/422-8535). ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Nyoka Sue Harrington is the supervisor of cultural arts for the Decatur Recreation Department. She joined the department in 1981 as choreographer of the "Best of Summer Stock" summer theatre program for teenagers. She has also been an instructor for dancercise and creative dramatics for children and the director of the department's Storyteller Theatre. She has a bachelor of arts degree in theatre from Anderson College in Anderson, IN. Illinois Parks and Recreation 16 January/February 1985 |
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