The 2016 Swingin on the River Show Choir Competition was held Saturday, February 27th welcoming several thousand guests to the Hastings High School. Eighteen choirs traveled to the competition, celebrating seventeen years of hosting this showcase for top Midwestern schools. The daylong event takes hundreds of volunteers months of planning to handle all the details from security to schedules to food and even a game room with ping pong and foosball tables to give the participants a place to gather while waiting for their turn on the stage. One of the coordinators, Angela Bruch, shares her reason for donating her time.
Although parents provide a huge part of the volunteer base, each Hastings show choir student is also required to spend the day helping out wherever they can. Kitchen detail dishes out pizza, sandwiches and homemade bars of all kinds, clean up squads take care of garbage and table clearing and the all important schedule dictates the comings and goings that often resembles a human ant farm.
Sherry Fox stopped just for a minute to let me know about her job as a Security Co-Chair. Safety is a top priority, but she also shared that another big return is seeing visitors appreciate our school facilities
Another highlight was a very special Ice Carving done by Hastings artist Tom Schiller. The unseasonable weather, however, shortened it’s appearance at the event.
KDWA will feature an expanded recap Tuesday on In Depth where we will feature more voices from those who were part of the 2016 Swingin on the River Showchoir Competition.
