Local barbershoppers are planning to deliver the message of love through song again this year.

Saturday, February 09, 2002

Local barbershoppers are planning to deliver the message of love through song again this year.

Members of the Harmony Junction Chorus will again offer singing Valentines on Valentine’s Day. Last year, the quartet, The Harmonizers, sang to 43 women and one man between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

&uot;We had 32 requests going into the day, then we were asked to do 12 more,&uot; said member Greg Smith.

&uot;It was a lot of fun,&uot; he said, adding the recipients of the Valentines had the full range of emotions, from simply standing and listening to tears.

Smith said the group performed &uot;Let Me Call You Sweetheart&uot; everywhere from private homes to banks and other workplaces.

&uot;It really got people’s attention,&uot; Smith said. &uot;Pretty soon a crowd would gather. I think it was just as much fun for other people there as it was for the people getting the Valentines.&uot;

This year, another quartet, also made up of Harmony Junction members, will take part of the requests, Smith said.

People who want to book the group to sing to someone special can call 373-4205. For $25, the recipient will get a song, a red rose and a Valentine card. The singers are formally dressed in tuxedos.

&uot;We will try to get it at the time they want it,&uot; Smith said. &uot;If they’re flexible on the time, will try to work it into stops in the same area of town.

&uot;We put on over 100 miles just criss-crossing Albert Lea last year,&uot; he added.

The singing Valentines are a fund-raiser for Harmony Junction Chorus, which uses the money to pay a director and for other expenses such as copyright fees.

Harmony Junction Chorus was chartered in 1981 in Albert Lea and merged with the Fairmont, Minnesota chapter in 1990. The group’s annual chorus shows in Albert Lea, Blue Earth, and Fairmont, as well as special Christmas performances, have brought a capella and barber shop harmony songs to thousands of people in the area. Harmony Junction Chorus was the guest chorus this year at the Alden-Conger dinner theatre.

The group’s annual chorus show will be on Saturday, March 2.