Visit to St. Johns
The bus pulled in Monday at 1 p.m. and was met at the St. Johns middle school by the 14 hosting families. Equipment was stowed at the school in preparation for the Wednesday night concert, but the rest of Monday and all of Tuesday were set aside to get to know each other and see some mid-Michigan sights.
Rain threatened, but in the end a pool party hosted by Ellen and Doug Hoard drew many of the band and choir with their host brothers and sisters.
Tuesday evening was a cookout hosted at the home of Rose and Neil Feldpausch in Fowler. And many of the young people also came out Wednesday morning to experience the cathedral sound of singing in the 90′ steel silo at the farm of Carole and Gene Livingston.
Then after the Wednesday afternoon rehearsal at the City Park in the performance shell, everyone got themselves ready for the evening of music at the weekly Concert in the Park series, which concluded with Mayor Dana Beaman presenting a proclamation that July 15, 2015 honors the youth choir and band from the Foerdergymnasium in Flensburg, Germany.
Finally the group gathered their things Thursday morning for the ride to the airport after their three city tour of south and mid-Michigan: Constantine, Caledonia, and St. Johns. About 24 hours after waving goodbye, they will be approaching their homes in north Germany on the border with Denmark.
Flensburg Youth Band and Choir is named on this day to be specially honored by the City of St. Johns
Afternoon rehearsal finale
Birdland
Viva la Vida