newsandviewsjb

NEWS&VIEWS by Jacqueline Bennett

Posts from the “Music” Category

Led by Former Windham High Basketball Standout, “Dave & the Cadillacs” Raise Funds Elvis Style for Color Craze

Posted on October 5, 2015

Article & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   David Blay’s booming baritone voice resonated “Elvis” hits across Recreation Park Saturday, October 3 in Willimantic/Windham, Connecticut. Blay, lead singer for “Dave & the Cadillacs” and his oldies band turned out to help the “2015 Color Craze” raise money to buy athletic equipment for the newly established Charles. H. Barrows STEM Academy, located in North Windham.   Organized by Cynthia Lovely, Blay’s neice, “2015 Color Craze” featured a 5K fun run and walk. As a Booster Club chairperson for the Tuckie Road academy, Lovely suggested Color Craze to raise money for a school athletic program.   “The academy began as all elementary. It is now fully enrolled with elementary and middle school students and needs an…

Categories: Elvis Performers, Music, NEWS, STEM Academies

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Singing Valentines a Hallmark of Silk City Chorus

Posted on February 11, 2015

  Write-up by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   “Let me call you sweetheart, I’m in love with you ….” Who wouldn’t want to receive a romantic serenade of such timeless lyrics for Valentine’s Day?   For those in the Greater Hartford, Connecticut area, the Silk City Chorus continues its longstanding tradition this coming Friday and Saturday, February 13 and February 14, of offering a “Singing  Valentine” personally delivered by a “tuxedo-clad Barbershop Quartet” – sung in “magnificent 4-part harmony”. For $50., in addition to performing two love songs, they deliver a card, a fresh rose and a photo of the quartet singing to the recipient.   Singing valentines have become a hallmark of the award-winning, Manchester-based chorus that is a member of the 75-year-old non-profit Barbershop Harmony Society.   “We perform valentines at offices,…

Categories: Barbershop Harmony Society, Barbershop Quartets, Holidays, Love, Music, NEWS, Romance, Valentine's Day

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Behind-the-Scenes of “I’m Your Puppet!” Creative Collaboration – Silk City Chorus Barbershop Harmony & UConn Puppet Arts

Posted on January 20, 2015

Article & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   A first ever creative collaboration between two extraordinary and highly regarded groups, the Silk City Chorus barbershoppers and the University of Connecticut Puppet Arts Program, titled “I’m Your Puppet!”, is set to take center stage Saturday night, January 24, in Manchester, Connecticut.                               “This is the first time something like this has been tried by the Barbershop Harmony Society, an international organization. The Silk City Chorus (an 80-man chapter) has been working on the collaboration with Bart Roccoberton, director of the UConn Puppet Arts Program, and students from UConn for a year,” Neal Kellogg, director of marketing and communication for the Silk City Chorus, said during a behind-the-scenes interview…

Categories: Barbershop Harmony Society, Entertainment, Music, NEWS, Puppetry, UConn Puppet Arts Program

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Lonestar To Perform at Farmington Polo Grounds for Dream Ride Weekend

Posted on August 14, 2014

Write-up by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com     Lonestar, a premier national recording country music band is coming to Connecticut on August 23. The group, known for hits such as “Amazed”, “I’m Already There” and “My Front Porch Looking In” is scheduled to perform at the Farmington Polo Grounds in Farmington, 152 Town Farm Road, as part of the 2014 Dream Ride Experience Weekend. A limited number of concert tickets are said to be available at $30 each. All seating will be lawn seating. Parking cost is $5. Gates open about 4 p.m. and the concert is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m. Dream Ride is one of the biggest, if not the biggest of all annual multi-state charity rides. With start points at various…

Categories: Charity concerts, Country music bands, Law Enforcement Torch Run, Music, New England, NEWS, Special Olympics, Summer concerts

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Wild Bunch a Swiss Hit at Colchester Fife & Drum Muster

Posted on July 29, 2014

Article & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com The Wild Bunch, an American-style fife and drum corps from Switzerland was warmly welcomed at a muster held July 26 in Colchester, Connecticut. Led by the Colchester Continentals Fife and Drum Corps, the event began with a short parade onto the town green where performances from approximately a dozen groups was punctuated by the Swiss visitors. The day before, the Wild Bunch had taken part in a large muster in Deep River and their corps was scheduled to participate in another one near Old Saybrook the following day. Members, who hail from Basel, Switzerland, and an American from New York, praised the congeniality they said greeted them everywhere they went in the United States, as well as,…

Categories: American history, Fife & Drum music, Music, Musters, NEWS, Swiss American Fife & Drum Corps

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“In My Life” – My Favorite Beatles Song

Posted on February 10, 2014

By: Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb   In recognition of last night’s tribute on CBS to the 50th anniversary of “The Fab Four’s” arrival in America and appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show – here is my favorite Beatles song. Timeless, the music and lyrics are some of the most beautiful ever written.  “In My Life” There are places I remember – All my life though some have changed – some forever not for better – Some have gone and some remain – All these places have their moments with lovers and friends I still can recall – Some are dead and some are living – In my life I’ve loved them all – But of all these friends and lovers – There is no one…

Categories: Music, NEWS, Song Lyrics

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Congrats to George Strait as CMA Entertainer of the Year

Posted on November 10, 2013

George Strait is a classic. I missed the Country Music Association Awards (CMA) on November 6 but am so pleased Strait, one of my favorites, was honored with the Entertainer of the Year award as he prepares to finish out “The Cowboy Rides Away Tour” – his farewell to touring. Wednesday night’s 47th annual CMA win marks the third time Strait has taken an Entertainer of the Year trophy home. According to his on-line bio, Strait was born on May 18, 1952 in Texas. Among his long list of ever popular tunes are – “All My Exes Live in Texas”, “She’ll Leave You With A Smile”,  “Living and Loving Well”, “Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind”,  and of course, “Amarillo by Morning” –…

Categories: American icons, country music, Music, NEWS

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Popularity of Firefighters’ Peach Festival Continues in New Location

Posted on August 24, 2013

Write-Up & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb In its 64th year, the popularity of the Manchester, Connecticut 8th Utilities District Fire Department Peach Festival continued Friday night, August 23, as festival-goers turned out to enjoy their annual peach shortcake treat in a new location. Traditionally held across from the old firehouse on the corner of Main and Hilliard streets, this year the event was moved up the hill to the new firehouse which serves as the district’s headquarters.  It can be risky business to tamper with tradition and a successful tradition at that, but the move was said to be prompted by a desire to encourage the community to view the headquarters as the volunteer firefighter district prepares to celebrate its 125th anniversary in…

Categories: Entertainment, festivals, Food, Music, NEWS

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“Undercover” Continues Manchester Bicentennial Band Shell 2013 Summer Concerts

Posted on August 3, 2013

Write-Up & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb “Undercover” continued the Summer 2013 36th season of concerts at the Manchester Bicentennial Band Shell August 2 with two fun, hour long sets of oldies and Motown. The open air venue is located in front of an expansive lawn on the campus of Manchester Community College, in Manchester, Connecticut. Sponsored by Shady Glen Dairy Stores, the Friday night concert kicked off with “Give Me That Old Time Rock & Rock” followed by “Let’s Twist Again” which the lead guitarist noted still tops the Billboard as an all-time favorite. The first set included numbers such as “Wake Up Little Susie”, “Brown Eyed Girl” and country artist Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places”. “How Sweet It Is” and “Under…

Categories: Entertainment, Free concerts, Music, NEWS

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Impromtu Encounter With Silk City Chorus Leads to Beautiful Serenade

Posted on June 11, 2013

Write-Up & Photo by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com An impromtu encounter with the award-winning Silk City Chorus which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, resulted in a beautiful serenade sung just as one would expect – in perfect harmony….   “Let me call you sweetheart, I’m in love with you, Let me hear you whisper that you love me too, Keep the love light glowing in your eyes so true, Let me call you sweetheart, I’m in love with you.” One of New England’s premier groups of its genre, members of the Manchester, Connecticut-based, 80-man chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society gathered Sunday, June 9 for an annual barbeque at Nevers Park in South Windsor. “We’ll probably do some quarteting,” said member Dan Fontaine. The group was…

Categories: Barbershop Quartets, Connecticut Parks, Entertainment, Music, NEWS

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