The Iowa State Fair is the biggest in the country, with 165 food items on a stick! and the butter cow. But the fair was expensive for a family of seven, plus Dad had had polio as a late teen and walked with a limp. The fairgrounds covered a lot of acreage, so we seldom went.
But the summer between 6th and 7th grade, we had to go. I was singing in an octette up on a real stage. We were singing at 1:00, and I was told not to be late. My 6th grade teacher, Mr. Cunion, had started a girls’ chorus after school, and I loved to sing, so I joined it. He taught us everything we needed to know about melody and harmony, how to always watch him, and how to blend our voices together. Since it was all girls, we sang two-part harmony, soprano and alto parts.
At the end of the school year, we gave a concert for the younger elementary students and had to walk over to the school in our red and white striped barbershop vests. My younger siblings were in that audience. Then Mr. Cunion announced in class the next day the eight girls he had selected to compete at the state fair. He did not say my name.
I turned twelve two weeks after school ended. In July I was off somewhere on my bike with the neighbor kids when my mom answered the landline. It was Mr. Cunion. One of the girls had a conflicting vacation, and would I take her spot in the octette? When I got home, Mom was excited for me.
I said yes and went to two rehearsals with the other girls to get up to speed on our two songs, This Land Is Your Land and You’ll Never Walk Alone.
The day of our performance, I was getting more and more nervous. My whole family came to watch and also to eat the food items on a stick. We found a lunch spot along Grand Avenue and sat in the shade to eat. But my stomach was not cooperating. I had a bad case of stage fright and nerves.
I hadn’t thought about that performance or my teacher in years. He was the one who got me into joining choruses and church choirs. Mr. Cunion, if you’re still on this earth, thank you for your joy of music and letting a somewhat introverted girl sing on a stage during the Bill Riley Junior Talent Show.
And thanks to my current director, who told us to come up with a good or bad music memory for our fall retreat yesterday.
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 