5 Questions & Answers
Butler County is filled with a variety of people doing interesting things. This weekly feature offers snapshots of some of them and their interests by asking them five questions. The latest installment appears below.
———
As a founding member of The Greater Cranberry Barbershop Chorus, Jim Sams has delivered more than 100 singing valentines. According to Sams, 62, of Butler Township, the 22-member chorus divides into quartets to fill its valentine orders, but performs other times throughout the year.
Here are other facts Sams shared:
QUESTION: How do you order a singing valentine?ANSWER: This is a nationwide program sponsored by the Barbershop Harmony Society, which our chorus is a chapter of. (Sometimes) they'll call from a different part of the country. They just (Google) “singing valentine.” They can see what chapter is located in the area they want to send a valentine to, and then they can contact us on our toll-free number.
QUESTION: Where do you deliver the singing valentines?ANSWER: Anywhere from the Butler downtown to the North Hills area. The 12th, 13th and 14th we'll go anywhere. We've delivered to offices, to homes to nursing homes to strange places like in the middle of a choir practice at a church.
QUESTION: Do you take requests?ANSWER: We do have a repertoire we can pull from, but (that's) mostly when we're out doing programs. For Valentine's Day we sing two love songs: “Let me Call You Sweetheart” and “Heart of my Heart, I Love You.” All we use is our pitch pipe to get us started, and away we go.
QUESTION:
What is the ratio of men to women recipients?ANSWER: I'm sure that 95 percent are women, but there are a few of those daring wives who will order one for their embarrassed husbands.
QUESTION:
Do you sing to your own valentine?ANSWER: My wife teachers at Moraine elementary School in Prospect, and we've showed up in her classroom before, too — a number of times. ... The kids get a real kick out of it.
