Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings

Friday, August 23

Georgia singer, Lauren Bock, taught a singing school on the topics of accent and leader techniques. Lauren Bock led 166. The class sang 46, 49t, 86, 91, 342, 448t, 380, and 500. The class then had a town hall meeting concerning the upcoming revised edition of the Sacred Harp book, minutes provided separately to Lauren Bock.

Saturday, August 24

The 2nd annual Central Ontario Sacred Harp Convention took place at Friends Meeting House in Toronto on Saturday and at Detweiler Meeting House in Roseville on Sunday, and was held on the fourth Sunday and Saturday before in August. The Saturday session was brought to order by Heather Schramm and Lloy Cook leading 48t. Kim Kendrick offered the opening prayer. An Indigenous land acknowledgment was read by Chris Taylor. Community guidelines were read by Naomi Duguid.

Leaders: Jan May 276; Nicole Collins 540; Anne Evers 50t; Hugh Thomas 474; Chris Taylor 148; Marilyn Job 228; Em Ekelund 55; Tom Evers 229; Jen Davies 282; Pleasance Crawford 217; Joe Kwiatkowski 46; Kim Kendrick 34b; Jamie Yeats 501; Lloy Cook 503; Gerry Hoffman 216; Lois Hurt 515; Hollie Long 527; Naomi Duguid 504; Rachel Taylor 103; John Seaton 47t; Frances Miller 351.

RECESS

Charles Crawford brought the class back to order leading 84. Leaders: Steve Rogers 528; Heather Schramm 472; Nicoletta Rogers 354t; Michael Darby 112; Beth Todd 30b; Laura Ann Russell 542; Kerry Cullinan 571; Jean Seiler 299; Barbara Swetman 567; Joanne Fuller 349; Lauren Bock 428; Andy Ditzler 419; David Brodeur 314; Gillian Inksetter 556; Jen Davies and Rachel Taylor 344; Megan Bruce and Bridget Hill Kennedy 42. Kim Kendrick offered a blessing before dinner.

LUNCH

Anne Evers brought the class back to order leading 40. Leaders: Joshua Lant 212; Philippe Doyle-Gosselin 406; Ted Mercer 296; Emma Swartz 411; Bridget Hill Kennedy 380; Anne Missavage 475; Cecelia Kramer 444; Frank Griggs 377; Kathleen McDonnell 209; Marian Mitchell 106; Gerry Hoffman 564; Holly Long 208; Jamie Yeats 312b; Hugh Thomas 373; Jean Seiler 82t; John Seaton 37b; Lauren Bock 144; Gillian Inksetter 234; David Brodeur 301; Beth Todd 32t; Andy Ditzler 309; Laura Ann Russell 290; Joanne Fuller 73t; Michael Darby 133; Joe Kwiatkowski 268; Lois Hurt 146. Jen Davies made the treasurer’s report. Nicole Collins led 68b.

RECESS

Em Ekelund brought the class back to order leading 143. Leaders: Kerry Cullinan 113; Barbara Swetman 128; Rachel Taylor 163t; Bridget Hill Kennedy 440; Anne Missavage 66; Cecelia Kramer 191; Ted Mercer 410b; Emma Swartz 100; Philippe Doyle-Gosselin 371; Joshua Lant 416; Nicoletta Rogers 318; Marian Mitchell 202; Charles Crawford 546; Pleasance Crawford 174; Heather Schramm 99; Nicole Collins 454; Frank Griggs 182; Em Ekelund and Gabi Doiron 423; Kim Kendrick and Gabi Doiron 178; Chris Taylor 300; Marilyn Job 91; Naomi Duguid 547. The Secretary’s report for the day was made by Chris Taylor. Kim Kendrick offered the closing prayer.

Sunday, August 25

The Sunday session of the Central Ontario Sacred Harp Convention took place at Detweiler Meeting House in Roseville, Ontario, and was brought to order by Heather Schramm and Lloy Cook leading 178. An Indigenous land acknowledgment was read by Chris Taylor. Community guidelines were read by Naomi Duguid.

Leaders: Jen Davies 155; Charles Crawford 101t; Lloy Cook 178; Tom Evers 36b; Naomi Duguid 182; Kim Kendrick 122; Chris Taylor 47b; Marilyn Job 365; Joe Kwiatkowski 457; Em Ekelund 411; Frances Miller 440; Dylan Aiello 504; Pleasance Crawford 488; Cecelia Kramer 157; Jan May 362; Nicole Collins 384; Heather Schramm 93; Sandi Nemenyi 30t; Frank Griggs 532.

RECESS

Hanna Caruso brought the class back to order leading 335. Leaders: Laura Ann Russell 111b; John Seaton 277; Anne Evers 236; Joanne Fuller 460; David Brodeur 316; Kerry Cullinan 283; Emma Swartz 447; Jamie Yeats 39t; Hanna Caruso 344; Philippe Doyle-Gosselin 227.

Bridget Hill Kennedy spoke, and led 472 in honor of the following sick and homebound: Cindy Dymond, Dan Purdy, Jennifer Jones, Judy Clum, Len VanderJagt, Charlene Wallace, Corrone Bryant, Ruth Anne Bryant, Dorothy Connor, Glennis Farquhar, Peggy Redman, Sharon DuPriest, Madeleine Grieve, Norma Mincey, Judy Mincey, Don Bowen, Bernadette Ubertino, and Chris Holley.

Nicole Collins spoke, and led 84 to remember the following deceased: Charlie Kennison—New York; Nancy Grant and Clara Brown—Maine; Marlene Levine and Dick Levine—New Jersey; Karen Hojnaki and Michael Appert—Illinois; Tom Siess, Gordon Ekelund, Bruce Hodgins, Florence Shaw, Suzanne Gosselin, Edme Etienne, and Harold Shantz—Canada; Hugues Abanel—France; Paul Luther Wilson—Minnesota; Concetta Branson—Oregon; William Toole—Tennessee; Ruth Daniel and Eugene Forbes—Alabama; Harold Long, David (Dem) Frantz, and Marilyn Eichenlaub—Pennsylvania. Kim Kendrick offered a prayer. Andy Ditzler led 499. Gillian Inksetter led the class in singing the Lutheran Table Grace before dinner.

LUNCH

The class was brought back to order by Jan May leading 34b. Leaders: Gillian Inksetter 269; Jean Seiler 273; Gerry Hoffman 492; Rachel Taylor 480; Ted Mercer 186; Sunny Doyle 278t; Michael Darby 392; Barbara Swetman 571; Beth Todd 89; Jen Davies and Max Kelly 528; Anne Missavage 271t; Lois Hurt 551; Joshua Lant 181; Bridget Hill Kennedy 434; Marian Mitchell 306; Max Kelly 209. Jen Davies made the Treasurer’s report. Jan May led “Geneva” (HS 96) (in honor of the Mennonite congregation that built Detweiler House). Lauren Bock led 426b.

RECESS

The class was brought back to order by Gillian Inksetter leading 111t. Leaders: Joanne Fuller 192; David Brodeur and Andy Ditzler 424; Kerry Cullinan 451; Emma Swartz 187; Gillian Inksetter 383; Philippe Doyle-Gosselin 308; Barbara Swetman 484; Cecelia Kramer 485; Laura Ann Russell 300; John Seaton 49b; Joe Kwiatkowski 183; Ted Mercer 138t; Bridget Hill Kennedy 500; Jean Seiler 315; Joshua Lant 240; Gerry Hoffman 272; Rachel Taylor 101b; Sunny Doyle 274t; Michael Darby 142; Beth Todd 436; Anne Missavage 430; Marian Mitchell 168; Jamie Yeats 169; Lois Hurt 145b; Larissa Diakiw and Max Kelly 40. Chris Taylor reported, as secretary, that over the two days one hundred seventy songs were sung by forty-seven leaders on Saturday and forty-six leaders on Sunday, with eighty registered singers representing the United Kingdom, nine states of the United States of America, and three provinces of Canada. Following this report, announcements were made.

Lloy Cook and Heather Schramm led 347 as the closing song. Kim Kendrick offered the closing prayer, and the class was dismissed.

Chairmen—Heather Schramm and Lloy Cook; Treasurers—Jen Davies and Max Kelly: Secretary—Chris Taylor