Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings

A group of Sacred Harp singers participated in an eight day/seven night chartered cruise through Inside Passage of SE Alaska, beginning in Juneau and ending in Sitka, Alaska. In addition to whale watching, glacier viewing, beachcombing, and other site-seeing activities, there was daily singing from The Sacred Harp, 1991 Edition and the B.F. White Sacred Harp, 2012 Cooper Edition.

Thursday, May 12

Pre-cruise evening singing, the Hanger Ballroom, Juneau

Steve Helwig called the class to order leading 39t. Leaders: David Ivey 155; Scott DePoy 277; Betsy Jeronen 548; Leslie Booher 163b; Paul Figura 452; Kathy Williams 276; Charlotte Ehrman 99; Shirley Figura 32t; Jerry Creason 77t; Patti Sontag 28b; Linda Sides 215; Jerry Schreiber 202; Liz Patton 313b; Dorothy Robinson 349; Les Sontag 178; Karen Ivey 203; Cornelia Stanton 473; Jeannette DePoy 300; Kari Lundgren 344; Roberta Strauss 436; Gail Doss 148; Anne Drexler 87; Susan Cherones 564; Karen Ivey 187 (for Richard and Kelsey Ivey).

Friday, May 13

Cooper Book singing prior to boarding, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, hosted by Reverend Gordon Blue, Juneau

Steve Helwig called the class to order leading 39 (CB). Leaders: David Ivey 414 (CB); Charlotte Ehrman 393 (CB); Lucinda Saue 463 (CB); Paul Figura 475 (CB); Les Sontag 239 (CB); Greg Saue 38t (CB); Gail Doss 38b (CB); Kathy Williams 140 (CB); Nancy Britton 286b (CB); Jeannette DePoy 63 (CB); Karen Ivey 410 (CB); Pat Temple 505 (CB); Linda Sides 571 (CB); Roberta Strauss 96 (CB); Cornelia Stanton 559 (CB); Leslie Booher 392 (CB).

Saturday, May 14

Glacier Bay, 4:00 p.m.

Liz Patton called the class to order leading 46. Cornelia Stanton offered the opening prayer. Kari Lundgren welcomed all to the cruise. Leaders: Kari Lundgren 350; Scott DePoy 274t; Dorothy Robinson 506; Mary Wright 35; Mary Skidmore 564; Charley Basham 532; Anne Drexler 335; Shirley Figura 318; Lynn Basham 218; Jerry Schreiber 538; Sylvia Friske 38b; Barbara Swetman 542; Betsy Jeronen 422; Pamela Minor 569b; Lucinda Saue 168; Paul Figura 38t; Cornelia Stanton 349; Karen Ivey 129; Les Sontag 86; Roberta Strauss 142; Linda Sides 448t; Barbara Swetman and Alice Haldane 159; Charlotte Ehrman 486. Susan Cherones offered the closing prayer. The class was dismissed.

Sunday, May 15

Tracy Arm, 4:00 p.m.

Pat Temple called the class to order leading 128. Kathy Williams offered the opening prayer. David Ivey conducted a class on women composers in the Sacred Harp. David spoke briefly about each composer, giving historical background and anecdotal stories. The class then sang the songs composed by women in chronological order. Leaders: Gail Doss 275b; Liz Patton 448b; Kathy Williams 406; Mary Skidmore 374; Lucinda Saue 345b; Mary Wright 112; Roberta Strauss 460; Shirley Figura 378b; Nancy Britton 426t; Kari Lundgren 438; Leslie Booher 367; Betsy Jeronen 26; Barbara Swetman 446; Mary Skidmore 534; Paul Figura 543; Mary Wright 545; Greg Saue 551; Steve Helwig 491; Sylvia Friske 77b; Cornelia Stanton 466; Linda Sides 504; Jerry Creason 348t; Jerry Schreiber 368; Dorothy Robinson 547. David Ivey remarked that six of these songs composed by women were in the top one hundred in terms of frequency of use, according to the Minutes Book. Kathy Williams offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Monday, May 16

Sons of Norway Hall, Petersburg, 11:00 a.m.

Steve Helwig called the class to order leading 369. Leslie Booher offered the opening prayer. David Ivey gave a brief overview of the Sacred Harp for the impressive number of Petersburg locals who came to experience the singing. The entire singing was recorded and broadcast on Petersburg radio station KFSK. Leaders: Pamela Minor 84; Scott DePoy 201; Charley Basham 174; Susan Cherones and Sue Menefee 300; David Ivey 45t; Charlotte Ehrman 147t; Lynn Basham 479; Les Sontag 31t; Karen Ivey 182; Jeannette DePoy 36b; Betsy Jeronen 440; Liz Patton 291; Jerry Schreiber 236; Leslie Booher 154; Cornelia Stanton 454; Pat Temple and the Sons of Norway Hall Cookie Ladies 72b; Kathy Williams 222; Linda Sides 480; Paul Figura 73t; Anne Drexler 99; Kari Lundgren 344. Leslie Booher offered the closing prayer. The class thanked the Sons of Norway Hall staff and volunteers for their generous hospitality, and class was dismissed.

Tuesday, May 17

Thomas Bay, 4:00 p.m.

Steve Helwig called the class to order leading 355 (CB). Steve Helwig offered the opening prayer. Leaders: Susan Cherones 132 (CB); Cornelia Stanton 500 (CB); Mary Skidmore 38t (CB); Dorothy Robinson 105b (CB); Barbara Swetman 463 (CB); Mary Wright 290 (CB); Patti Sontag 293t (CB); Gail Doss 137 (CB); Greg Saue 563 (CB); Karen Ivey 465 (CB) (for Coy Ivey); Charlotte Ehrman 518 (CB); Roberta Strauss 478 (CB); Kari Lundgren 210 (CB); Leslie Booher 319 (CB); Jerry Schreiber 485 (CB); Linda Sides 505 (CB); David Ivey 572 (CB); Cornelia Stanton 229 (CB). Steve Helwig offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Wednesday, May 18

Near Five Fingers Lighthouse, Frederick Sound, 4:00 p.m.

Charley Basham called the class to order leading 515. Roberta Strauss offered the opening prayer. Leaders: Lucinda Saue 178; Kathy Williams 200; Liz Patton 339; Ann Sibole 146; Scott DePoy 65 (for his parents); Pat Temple 59; Mary Wright 312t; Paul Figura 496; Kari Lundgren 353; Charlotte Ehrman 287; Shirley Figura 361; Les Sontag 86; Mary Skidmore 269; Roberta Strauss 441; Jerry Schreiber 553; Cornelia Stanton 150; Nancy Britton 472; Pamela Minor 312b. Roberta Strauss offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Thursday, May 19

Near Baranof Warm Springs, 4:00 p.m.

Steve Helwig called the class to order leading 373. Scott DePoy offered the opening prayer. Leaders: Lucinda Saue 65; Jerry Creason 278t; Charley Basham 183; Betsy Jeronen 215. Kathy Williams gave an overview of the history and significance of the memorial lesson. She spoke about those who have gone before, and the importance of what they have passed down to us.

The memorial lesson was conducted by Mary Skidmore and Leslie Booher. Mary Skidmore spoke for the following sick and shut-ins and led 330b on their behalf: Susan Harcrow, Charlie Derleth, Geraldine Sharpton, Norma Green, Nate Green, Coy Ivey, Ottis Sides, Velton Chafin, Willodean Barton, Janelle Davis, Ann Jett, Earlis McGraw, Robin Gillespie, Joanne DeVoe, Bill Davis, Edward Swetman, Toney Smith, Lavoy Smith, Eloise Wootten, and Louise Holland.

Leslie Booher spoke for the following deceased and led 163b in their memory: Ron Huss—California; Robert DePoy, Jacob A. Larsen—Georgia; Fran Ross, Tammi Ziola—Oregon; Loraine Bayer—Ohio; Janice Postman—Oklahoma; Oliver Kindig-Stokes—Pennsylvania; Roger McCarthy—New York; Litefoot—Alabama; Gwen Williams—Mississippi. Linda Sides closed the memorial lesson with prayer.

Leaders: Roberta Strauss 456 (for Geraldine Sharpton); Karen Ivey 430 (for Susan Harcrow); Jerry Schreiber 169 (in memory of Ron Huss); Linda Sides 225t; Pat Temple 473; Susan Cherones 209 (in memory of Litefoot); Steve Helwig 59 (in memory of Stanly Edwards); Kathy Williams 273 (for her mother); Dorothy Robinson 448t (in memory of Tammi Ziola); Greg Saue 143 (in memory of Leta Marshall); Cornelia Stanton 276.

David Ivey thanked the Memorial Committee for a fine job in honoring those who could not be with us and those who have gone on. David and the class also showed appreciation to the staff of the Baranof Dream cruise ship for their excellent service and attention to detail, and to the parent company, Alaska Dream Cruises, for their excellent service and organizational skill in making this cruise possible. David also recognized Kari Lundgren and Steve Helwig for their hard work in organizing and planning. Steve and Kari thanked Cornelia Stanton as the person who had the original idea of a Sacred Harp cruise. Steve Helwig and Kari Lundgren led 454 as the closing song. Susan Cherones offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Friday, May 20

Post cruise singing, Sitka Lutheran Church, Sitka

Kari Lundgren called the class to order leading 46. Steve Helwig offered the opening prayer. Leaders: Steve Helwig 560; Patti Sontag 268; Sylvia Friske 39t; Liz Patton 504; Mary Wright 480; Scott DePoy 201; Barbara Swetman 497; Charlotte Ehrman 157; Jeanette DePoy 475; David Ivey 530; Roberta Strauss 474 (in memory of Loraine Bayer); Lucinda Saue 503; Leslie Booher 535; Karen Ivey 67; Jerry Schreiber 362; Betsy Jeronen 564; Pat Temple 566; Tom Crane 288; Steve Helwig and Sue Menefee 48t; Les Sontag 49b; Mary Skidmore 245; Kathy Williams 208; Anne Drexler 87; Cornelia Stanton 318; Charley Basham 323t; Shirley Figura 213t; Nancy Britton 228; Sarah Beaber-Fujioka 82t; Paul Figura 282; Jerry Schreiber 347.

Kari Lundgren thanked the local singers in Sitka who came to sing with those on the cruise. The class thanked the local Sitka singers for their warm hospitality, and their extraordinary post-cruise dinner on the ground. Kathy Williams offered the closing prayer. The class was dismissed.

Cruise Co-directors—Kari Lundgren, Steve Helwig, and David Ivey