Today was a long bus day, broken up intermittently by stopping to buy something (usually edible). The ride itself was punctuated with loud laughter from the middle of the bus, where a computer game enraptured quite a few of the choir. We left Caldwell soon after 9, and finally arrived in Richmond, Washington close to 4 pm. There was no trouble locating our destination, as Ben Walley is from Richland and Tyrell Wilde from just down the road. We were met at the Chief Joseph Middle School by our local contact, and immediately moved into setting up the shell onstage and getting ready for rehearsal. Well, no...first we stood outside and basked in the 80 degree day; just a little different from our blizzard in Provo only two days ago. Then we took our luggage in and gathered on the stage. Each new situation requires different adjustments in staging and sound, but the choir is getting seasoned now.
Chief Joseph Middle School When the rehearsal ended, we gladly took the opportunity to walk a few blocks to the stake center where dinner was being served. It felt very good to stretch our legs and be in the sun; that’s a combination that’s hard to beat! The wonderful sisters of the Richland Stake had a delicious meal ready for us, and it disappeared in no time.
There was just enough time to get ready for the concert and take care of whatever duties we had. I watched a swarm of elders and sisters show up to usher the concert, then watched people arrive by the dozens. By the time the concert began, it was nearly a sell-out. That is always a fun audience to sing to! They liked it enough to stay even though the air conditioning couldn’t keep the heat out, and programs were used as fans as much as for reference. There is no happy medium anywhere in life.
The concert was met with great enthusiasm, especially when our local celebrities in the choir were acknowledged. And two encores were performed. The choir will sleep well tonight if they don’t visit with their hosts too late—our one-night-stays can be challenging as there isn’t much time to become acquainted with our host families. We continue to be amazed at the great hospitality we are shown.
