Make this Valentine’s unforgettable: Heart of Georgia Barbershop Chorus sings songs for your sweetheart

HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — With the calendar turning to February, there’s a few things we all need to prepare for. Though we can most likely anticipate more cold coming our way, spring is soon to set in March — flowers are sure to bloom, and trees should see new shoots.

Along with that new breath of life, a holiday is nearing: Valentine’s Day. Those new blooms are sure to come in handy.

If you haven’t already decided how to best treat your valentine on Feb. 14, the Heart of Georgia Barbershop Chorus has you covered. On Valentine’s Day, their quartets will travel all over Middle Georgia to sing love songs and pass out flowers and cards for those who participate in their fundraiser.

Don Hall, vice president of the chorus, provided The Journal with more details.

The Heart of Georgia Barbershop Chorus spends their time throughout the year singing at local long-term care and hospital facilities, bringing music to patients in nursing homes and similar locations. They also open local little league games, and sometimes are featured at local events, like the annual Museum of Aviation marathon earlier in January.

They do this, Hall said simply, because they love it.

“We love to sing,” Hall said. “We support the barbershop harmony idea. You get to love barbershop singing — you use no instruments, it’s all acapella singing and the harmony is just unreal when you get into it. A quartet barbershop, if you get it just right, you can hear five people singing.”

The singing valentines are the one fundraiser the organization holds each year. For a price ranging from $45-$110, the barbershop chorus will send a quartet to meet your loved one wherever they are, sing them two love songs and give them a rose and a card. The prices are based on the time slot they have to meet:

– The basic price is $45, and allows the quartet to go to your location anytime between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m;

– The standard price is $50, and allows for a four-hour window when the quartet can make way to the specified location;

– The premium price is $60, and allows for a 30-minute window;

– If there are three or more people at one location, $50 should be added to the above price.

All the funds collected will be pooled together. A portion of those funds will go back into the Heart of Georgia Barbershop Chorus, and allows them to purchase music and supplies. The remainder of the money is donated to Heart of Georgia Hospice, and is used however the organization needs.

In a typical year, the two quartets may sing for 15-20 individuals.

To schedule a quartet this Valentine’s Day, call (470) 208-7464.

“We’ve gone to schools, we’ve gone to hospitals, we’ve gone to nursing homes, regular homes — one year we did about four or five for guys who were deployed overseas,” Hall said. “That’s kind of tough. You gotta sing with tears in your eyes ’cause the lady’s sitting there [with] tears running down her face and you’re singing Valentine’s songs.”

To learn more about the Heart of Georgia Barbershop Chorus, you can visit their website at www.hogchorus.org. The group is always welcoming new members, and meets on Monday evenings for rehearsal at the Centerville United Methodist Church.

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