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Thanks to all for a wonderful tour!

Tim & Susan

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Epilogue

We can paraphrase James Taylor in order to describe our NYC tour: “Lord, we’ve seen food and we’ve seen rain…” The weather didn’t always cooperate on this tour - in fact, sometimes it was downright nasty - but even though our shoes (and clothes and hair and suitcases) were damp, it couldn’t dampen our spirits.

These 41 singers made their concert debut in Carnegie Hall. They sang for appreciative audiences from St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City to St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania. They moved the parents, the audience, and themselves to tears at the 9/11 Tribute Center. They sang in hotel lobbies, in buses, in restaurants, at the Today Show, at the Statue of Liberty and at Independence Hall. They brought recognition to Logansport, Indiana by being incredible musical ambassadors everywhere they went.

And beyond the singing, we saw incredible sights. From Broadway shows to the 9/11 Memorial, from the battlefields of Gettysburg to the Liberty Bell, from Central Park to Citizens Bank Park to Hersheypark, from Times Square to Rockefeller Center, we packed a lot of music, history, and fun into our ten tour days.

We rode buses, subway cars, ferries, roller coasters, and high-speed elevators. We logged tens of thousands of steps on our iPhone health apps and Fitbits. And we ate - pastas, burgers, boxed lunches, tacos, Colonial entrees, Brazilian meats, and more desserts than we care to count.

We made candy bars at Chocolate World, we made new friends at festival rehearsals, and we made memories that will last a lifetime. But most of all, we made music together. “Kings have riches, widely lain; lords have land, but then again, we have friends and song no wealth can buy.”

Thanks to all for a remarkable tour!

Here’s to song…

Tim & Susan

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Day 10

The final day of our tour dawned bright and clear with no rain in the forecast (yippee!). Continuing the tradition begun on the 2007 tour, today was Pigtail Day as proclaimed by our reigning Pigtail Princesses, Lorie & Courtney (who named Jessica as the Pigtail Princess for the 2019 tour). After packing up the suitcases one last time and turning in our vests, ties, and music folders, we thanked our fantastic Imperial Travel drivers, Keith and Steve, loaded the buses and headed to the zoo (wearing our pigtails & braids, of course.) Following the obligatory group picture, we set off in our chaperone groups to see the lions & tigers & bears (and otters, birds, manatees, & camels). After a taco bar lunch for the entire group, we had just enough time to finish visiting the various animals from around the world (and to pick up an ice cream treat or two), take a group picture of our chaperones & adults, and load the buses one last time and head for home. It's been a busy, rainy, but rewarding tour, but we're happy to be returning home to Logansport to share our tour experiences with our families first-hand. Thanks to all who made this a fabulous tour. This was an exceptional group to travel with - always on time, courteous, and having a positive attitude (even after getting drenched multiple times!). Oh, and they sing pretty well too! A special thanks to our incredible chaperones who gave up 10 days of their summer to keep track of our singers and help keep the entire tour running smoothly. We are often asked how we do these tours with so many parents along, but we can't imagine taking these students all over the country without their invaluable help and support. And, of course, thanks to the choir members whose behavior was exemplary and whose singing touched the hearts of all who heard them. We hope you will always treasure your memories of this tour - especially singing on the stage of Carnegie Hall! Best wishes to our 8th grade boys and high school graduates as they move on to the next chapter of their lives. We will truly miss you! And for everyone else, we look forward to our 30th anniversary season of LCC to begin in September! Enjoy the rest of your summer!

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Day 9

The weather is clear and there's the sweet scent of chocolate in the air on the penultimate day of our tour. We started our day with a song in the hotel lobby and then made the short drive to Hershey's Chocolate World. After a group picture (recreating the picture from the Vermont tour in 2007), the first item on today's agenda was a tour (complete with singing cows!) of how Hershey's turns cacao beans into delicious chocolate treats. We even received a free bite-size Hershey bar at the end of the tour! Following the tour, it was time to create our own candy bars. After donning aprons and extremely attractive hairnets, we each selected a white, milk, or dark chocolate base and then filled it with our choice of chocolate or butterscotch chips, cookie bits, toffee crunch, pretzel pieces, and crispy rice (and made the difficult decision whether or not to top our bar with rainbow sprinkles). We then moved to the production room where we could actually see each of our candy bars being created. Once the extras were added, each bar passed through the enrobing station where a thick layer of molten milk chocolate encased each bar. The cooling chamber came next and while the bars hardened, we each channeled our inner graphic artist and designed our own candy bar label. Once the label was designed, we headed to the packaging room where a laser machine imprinted our names on the wrapper of our individual bars. The candy was placed in a nice tin which was covered with our own label and we could then pose for pictures (still wearing the hairnets and aprons) with our chocolate creations! It was a fun morning! We had just enough time for some chocolate retail therapy before lunch (and dessert!) in the food court. Between the ice cream sundaes, designer shakes (KitKat shake, anyone?), cupcakes, cookies, and individual cheesecakes covered in every kind of Hershey's chocolate bar you can think of, no one left hungry. (And several of us left with sacks full of leftover desserts and treats for family and friends back home.) Back on the bus again, we settled in for a six hour drive through (literally!) the mountains of Pennsylvania en route to our final concert of the tour in the Columbus suburb of Bexley, Ohio. We arrived at Bexley United Methodist Church, changed into our concert outfits and sang our tour repertoire for the last time. It is always hard to say goodbye to our seniors and 8th grade boys, but it was especially difficult this year as 10 very talented students graduate from LCC. We wish these young men and women all the best in their future and hope they will continue to keep music central in their lives. Following the concert we set off for the Rodizio Grill in downtown Columbus for our farewell dinner. To say it was a feast would be an understatement! We dined on an assortment of salads (pineapple coconut slaw!), soup, hot & cold side dishes (try the quail eggs!), and an incredible array of meats - several cuts of beef, chicken (sweet & spicy, marinated, wrapped in bacon), lamb, sausage, ham, pork, chicken hearts (!) - all carved at our tables, along with huge skewers of glazed, grilled pineapple which was a crowd favorite. And if that wasn't enough, there was dessert as well (because we didn't get enough of a sugar high from all the sweets we consumed at Hershey!). After a song for the waitstaff, we boarded the buses and headed to our hotel for the night. (Our original hotel called right before the concert to inform us of an issue on their end that they resolved by placing all of us in a different nearby hotel for the night.) We're off to the Columbus Zoo for the final day of our tour tomorrow - and we get to sleep in a bit before our departure. Yay! It's been a great tour, but we're all looking forward to going home. Off to day 10!

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Day 8

We bid adieu to the City of Brotherly Love (and their less than lovely traffic) and set off for Gettysburg bright and early. When we arrived, we had time to visit the Museum of the American Civil War which was full of artifacts and memorabilia along with fascinating displays and audio stories that told the tale of the battle. Our entire group also had the opportunity to watch the documentary "A New Birth of Freedom" and view the amazing cyclorama. Painted by Paul Philippoteaux in 1884, the cyclorama is a 377 foot oil painting depicting the battle of Pickett's Charge - a conflict that forced the Confederate Army to withdraw to Virginia, ending the Battle of Gettysburg and helping to turn the tide of the war for the Union. We had boxed lunches in the cafeteria and had a few minutes to stop in the gift shop before beginning our guided bus tour of the battlefields. The tour consisted of driving to different sites throughout the battlefields and then getting out of the buses to actually visit the sites and learn about their significance during the conflict. The size and scope of the battlefields is incredible and it is overwhelming to think of the number of soldiers on both sides that fought and died here. More men fell in the Battle of Gettysburg than in any other battle on American soil before or since. The rolling hills are now covered in monuments to those who fought during the conflict in July of 1863, commemorating generals, common soldiers, and regiments from states who sent troops (including from Indiana). Both of our bus guides were excellent and we even had a chance to sing for one of the guides before the tour ended. Upon leaving Gettysburg, it was a relatively short drive to Hersheypark. The ever-present rain that has been following us on tour decided to show up once again, but it didn't last for long and we were able to ride several roller coasters, tower rides, bumper cars, and the terrifying and death-defying Frog Hopper - at least until the rain returned with a vengeance. Since the rides were closed due to yet another torrential downpour, we cut our visit short - but not before we all got soaked walking (or swimming, considering the amount of water) to the buses. Luckily, it stopped raining by the time we arrived at the hotel, so at least we didn't have wet suitcases to go along with our wet shoes (and pants, and socks, and hair...) We'll be returning to the Hersheypark area tomorrow to visit Chocolate World and then it's off to Columbus, Ohio and our final concert of the tour. And so far, there's no rain in the forecast...yet!

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Day 7

After a late night at the Phillies game (and an even later night in Philadelphia traffic), the morning of day seven came a bit too soon for many of us. Nevertheless, we were up and ready to head off to see the historic sites in downtown Philly. Upon arrival at the Independence Visitors Center, we split into three groups and set off on a tour of the historic area with our costumed guides. We passed by the Christ Church burial ground where Benjamin Franklin and four other signers of the Declaration are buried, the Quaker Meeting House, the Franklin Museum, Carpenter's Hall (which served as the headquarters of the war department at the time of the American Revolution), and the Betsy Ross house. The groups also stopped by Christ Church where most all of the founding fathers worshiped when they were in Philadelphia (George Washington, pew 58.). One of the groups also went into Christ Church where we sat in on a presentation about the church and then serenaded our guides. Following the walking tour, we were able to get a tour of the interior of Independence Hall, originally known as the Pennsylvania State House. The main building consists of two large rooms: the courtroom where those standing trial literally had to stand in an iron cage-like box during the proceedings; and the signing room, where the Declaration of Independence was debated and ultimately signed. After a group photo and the singing of God Bless America for an appreciative crowd, we were off for our lunch at the City Tavern. The City Tavern was established in 1773 and, like Christ Church, was visited by the majority of the founding fathers - Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, & Ben Franklin all dined there and George Washington held his pre-inaugural ball there as well. In fact, much of the food served there is based upon original recipes from Martha Washington (including the raspberry shrub vinaigrette on our salads). It was a delicious meal (and the waiters were cute too, according to our high school members). The afternoon free time was spent in our chaperone groups visiting the Liberty Bell, enjoying carriage rides, touring the U.S. Mint and taking afternoon naps in the shade by the visitor center. More slow traffic greeted us on our travels back to our hotel (really, Philly, you need to get your act together when it comes to your highway infrastructure), but we made it back with enough time to relax a bit before our catered meal in the hotel where we dined on Philly cheesesteaks and paninis (because how can you come to Philadelphia and not eat cheesesteaks?) Following supper, it was back into our concert uniforms and a short drive (no interstate traffic this time!) to St. Peter's Lutheran Church for our 7 PM concert. What an incredibly welcoming congregation! Even though we're all a little (or more than a little) tired, the students sang beautifully and the large crowd was so appreciative of our music. We were treated to a wonderful after-concert reception where we were able to meet and converse with members of the audience before heading back to the hotel for a well-deserved rest. It's an early morning start to day eight as we head to Gettysburg and Hershey. Only three days left!

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LCC sings God Bless America at the Statue of Liberty

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Day 6

Our final day in New York City began by packing up the suitcases and loading them on the buses (and picking up our Vera Bradley gifts from LCC alum - and current choir aunt, Leah). After a quick song for MCP representative, Oliver, we sent our luggage on to our pick up location in New Jersey with our drivers and boarded the subway one last time and to head for Battery Park and the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. We passed through security and then boarded the ferry to Liberty Island. The statue is certainly an awesome sight! Upon arrival, a few brave (and in shape) souls trekked up the 215 steps to the pedestal, while the rest of us took the elevator. We got to walk around the pedestal level that provided us with great views of the New York and New Jersey skylines. Descending from the narrow pedestal, we posed for some group pictures and then sang God Bless America for the appreciative crowd before splitting up into our chaperone groups to enjoy the rest of the afternoon. We all had enough time to explore Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty museum and then take another ferry to Ellis Island. Some of us were even able to find the names of our ancestors who passed through the Great Hall on their way to their new life in America. One more ferry ride took us to Liberty State Park in New Jersey where we said goodbye to the family members and friends who had joined us for just the New York portion of the tour. We boarded our buses (no need to swipe a MetroCard to enter!) and headed for Philadelphia. As we approached Philly, the torrential rain that seems to be following us on our tour showed up once again (as did tremendous amounts of traffic) but luckily, we were dry inside the bus and the rain had moved on by the time we arrived at our hotel. It was a quick check-in and then we were off to Citizens Bank Park to see the Phillies take on the St. Louis Cardinals. Enormous amounts of in- bound traffic slowed our progress, but we finally made it to the game and to our seats by the middle of the first inning. It was an entertaining game with lots of hits, a couple of home runs (by the Cardinals) and copious amounts of hot dogs, cheesesteaks, chicken fingers, fries, popcorn, ice cream, and Rita's Italian Ice. It was also Star Wars night, so lots of Storm Troopers, Darth Vaders, and the Philly Phanatic dressed as Obi Wan Kenobi entertained the crowd between innings. They even recognized the choir with our name on one of the stadium marquees during the fifth inning! The Cardinals tied the game in the ninth inning, but we needed to get back to the hotel, so we headed out before the game was over. (It ultimately lasted 10 innings with the Cardinals prevailing over the Phillies 7-6.) We ran into more traffic due to nighttime-only construction, but we finally made it back to the hotel and stumbled off to bed. Looking forward to visiting historic Philadelphia tomorrow!

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Day 5 - 9/11 Memorial & Tribute Center performance, St. Patrick's Cathedral performance

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Day 5

The weather forecast has improved and the rain has moved on! We set off early from the hotel to catch the subway downtown to the World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial. Amazingly, we were able to get all 98 of us on the same subway line. It was just a short walk past St. Paul's Chapel (which was used as a center for the rescue and recovery efforts for nine months after 9/11) and Trinity Church (now famous as the burial place of Alexander Hamilton and family thanks to Lin-Manuel Miranda) until we reached the 9/11 Tribute Center. There we met up with our three docents - including Steve Kern who is married to the former Rosemary Barnes, LHS class of 1972. The guides at the Tribute Center are all connected to the events of 9/11 in one of three ways: they are survivors, they lost a loved one that day, or they were part of the first responders/rescue effort. The father of one of our guides was a firefighter who lost his life that day. Another guide was a survivor of the 82nd floor of one of the towers and Steve was a Port Authority lawyer who made it down from his office on the 62nd floor. On our walking tour of the World Trade Center site, we were able to see the firefighters memorial, the survivor tree (the remnants of which were rescued from the site and nursed back to life) and, of course, the hauntingly beautiful reflecting pools with the names of the victims of the 1993 WTC bombing and all the attacked sites on 9/11 - in New York, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. As we walked around the memorial, we noticed white roses placed in some of the names. Those roses are placed in each victim's name on their birthday by 9/11 Memorial staff. We were also blessed to hear the stories from our docents of their own memories and experiences of that awful day. Following the walking tour, we were able to take a few minutes to see the exhibits at the new home of the Tribute Center. The video footage from September 11, audio stories from survivors and family members, artifacts found at the site, and a wall of photos of the victims were all poignant reminders of the tragic events of that day. But the fact that the Tribute Center guides have the courage to relive their memories as a tribute to their family members, co-workers and friends who died that day is an incredibly humbling and moving experience. Speaking of moving experiences, we were also fortunate to be able to sing for the staff and guests at the Tribute Center at the end of our visit. Much of our tour repertoire is based on the themes of peace, hope, and remembrance, so by the time we were finished with our short concert, there wasn't a dry eye in the room. We were especially moved by one of the survivors who told the students how touched she was by our music. It was an emotional and extremely memorable morning. We then travelled back to midtown Manhattan and enjoyed a group meal at the Hard Rock Café on Times Square after which we returned to the hotel to change into our concert uniforms and make our way to St. Patrick's Cathedral for our concert. What an incredibly beautiful church! With such a large number of chaperones with us on tour, we always have a ready-made audience, but it was rewarding to see so many tourists who just came in to look at the church, sit down and stay to hear us sing. (And Susan had a fun time playing the five keyboard organ!) Following the concert, the rest of the evening was free to enjoy our final night in NYC with our chaperones and friends. Some enjoyed a nice meal or went souvenir shopping, but the majority of the group took the opportunity to attend another Broadway show - Phantom, Wicked, Dear Evan Hansen, Hello Dolly, Anastasia, Lion King - you name it, someone in the group probably saw it. (Okay, not Hamilton. No one can get tickets to Hamilton.) What better way to spend our final evening in New York City than enjoying more great musical performances! The tour is halfway through! On to Day 6 and Philadelphia tomorrow!

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How do you get to Carnegie Hall? PRACTICE!