Day 2-- Sanford, NC to Williamsburg, VA

On Day 2, Flat Springs, our own pastor's home church, fed the group another delicious meal and the bus boys loaded the bus again for the drive to Virginia. In Colonial Williamsburg, we were able to wander through the historic streets (and some even marched in a parade) before singing a concert in the church where George Washington and many of our other founding fathers worshiped.

“As a historically inclined individual, Williamsburg stuck out to me as a desirable destination from the get-go. After checking in and setting up, we toured the town and saw demonstrations of period careers such as spinning and weaving as well as paying a visit to the cobbler. There were several reenactments of Political/Independence debates outside the capitol. After a visit to the authentic Starbucks in town, we made our way to the church for warm-ups. The acoustics in that building were amazing, a whisper would carry across the room. The concert went great. We were told beforehand that people may leave to see other night activities in town, but no one left during our concert. After a great meal of pizza, we made our way back to the hotel and crashed. Williamsburg was an exhilarating experience even for those of us whom history does not interest.” –Aaron W.

“Old Williamsburg was fun to visit and extra special when some of us got to march in time with the Fife and Drum Corps!”—Vicky G.

Day 1-- Forsyth to Sanford, NC

After bittersweet good-byes to parents, siblings and dear friends, the youth were on their way to sing “Just South of North.” On the bus, everyone finds ways to entertain themselves along the way as they anticipate arriving at our first stop in Sanford, NC. The good people of Flat Springs Baptist Church supplied the youth with a delicious meal and church members graciously hosted us in their homes.

(Scroll to the bottom of the page each day for a slideshow with more pictures.)

“On the first day we went to Flat Springs. This church was in North Carolina. This was our second longest day on the bus so when we finally arrived, we were extremely tired. For this stop, my family followed us to NC because this church was in my dad’s home town. So this stop was special for my dad. Before the concert, we ate spaghetti, then we warmed up and had Bible Study. Once we were completely ready we started to get in our lines for the beginning of the concert. During this concert the audience was all paying attention. This was a good first stop for Choir Tour 2010. After the concert, we went to host homes. Woody and I ended up rooming together.” – Caleb W.

Pre-Tour 2010

Before leaving for Tour 2010 to Virginia, the youth choir rehearsed on Sunday afternoons, led Sunday morning worship services about once a month throughout the year, hosted a Dinner Theater and held a pre-tour concert at the historic Rose Theater in Forsyth.

Day 9-- To Pelham, GA & Home!

For our final day of Tour ’09, we had to get on the road early to make the long drive from New Orleans to Pelham, GA for an evening concert. Long travel days give us a chance to catch up on sleep, have Bible Study on the bus, finish the Spades tournament, talk, sleep, write inter-bus mail to each other, read, sleep, listen to I-pods, and even work on the website (thanks to 3G!). We look forward to the occasional Truck Stop or Rest Area to move around a little (or play Frisbee if you are a teenage boy!), and we anxiously anticipate our lunch break, taking turns asking Glenn “when are we gonna eat?”

As it turned out, our lunch stop was in Mariana, FL, Glenn’s hometown, so we had the privilege of getting to visit Glenn’s childhood home where his great-aunt and great-uncle currently live. They came outside for a “mini-concert” of about 4 songs that the youth can sing a cappella. What a treat! Later, the good people at FBC Pelham enjoyed the full concert and treated us to a delicious BBQ dinner afterwards.

Daily Journals

Last night we sang at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. We got there kind of early so after setting up we just sat around drinking water. I was supposed to play preservice so I got settled in and used to the piano. All of a sudden, Glenn and some other youth came walking out of a room carrying another piano. I was like, “What?” So as it turns out, Glenn wasn’t happy with the piano I was on. They soon got it figured out because we started singing right after the switch. We opened a little differently by singing about 4 songs standing around the listeners instead of just one. I liked it like this because we could watch the rest of the choir and it sounded pretty neat. The concert went well and the church was gracious enough to feed us after. They were so excited about feeding us a “real New Orleans meal” that they fed us jambalaya.
-Hannah W.

Day 8-- In New Orleans

Happy Birthday, Hannah! Wednesday morning after Bible Study, Hannah was surprised with a Birthday Beignet! We then visited a few souvenir shops before having a fun cooking lesson and lunch at the New Orleans School of Cooking. We enjoyed making and eating Crab & Corn Bisque, Jambalaya, Pralines, and Bananas Foster. We then went to the Poydras Home, a very nice retirement facility, where we enjoyed time to meet the residents before performing a concert for them. The youth then had about an hour and a half break before going to perform a concert at St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

Daily Journals

Wednesday night we held a concert at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. As we do at every concert, we go and talk to the audience. I looked around, saw about 20 people, and started talking. We had about 20 minutes to talk, so I made my way around the room until I saw an elderly (there you go Glenn) couple. The woman was in a wheelchair and the man was right beside her helping her get situated. I thought to myself, “Oh no, is she going to be deaf?” If you have ever experienced it, talking to deaf people is a really hard task. But when I looked into her eyes, I saw youth and spirit like she was 25 years old again. Her husband’s eyes were the same way. So I introduced myself, talked about the choir a little and her husband pointed to the program and started talking about “Bridge Over Troubled Water”. So, I started explaining New Voice to them and it was like that song triggered a thousand memories. So they started talking, ninety-to-nothing. You could tell they had been together for a while, and that they were made for each other. They both picked at each other and made jokes and even sometimes completed each other’s sentences. So during the concert, New Voice was called down to sing their songs. And while we were singing “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, I sneaked a peak at the couple. I saw them holding hands and singing along with us and the woman gave me a really big smile as the man gave me a thumbs up with his free hand. I almost started laughing right then. After the concert, I went back to the couple and they started giving us so much praise. It felt like I was at home because they reminded me so much of my Grandma Sue and Grandpa Terry. I think that concert was the best we ever had, just because of that couple.
-Aaron T.

Day 7-- Seguin, TX to New Orleans, LA

Tuesday is a travel day, with approximately 7 hours spent on the bus. Everyone finds plenty of ways to keep busy and entertain themselves. We enjoyed a break/lunch stop in a mall food court in Beaumont, TX. Upon arriving in New Orleans, Taylor H. met us at the hotel just in time to go to dinner. Glenn took the seniors out for a special evening while everyone else walked around the French Quarter and to the Riverwalk in search of food.

You know you are in Texas when there is a tractor on display inside the Mall instead of a car.

Daily Journals

As we walked down the colorful streets of New Orleans exploring Jackson Square and the French Quarter, I realized the cornucopia of different cultures that reside in this city. The French, the Creole, the Cajuns, and a variety of other Americans of all races were combined to make the distinct New Orleans flavor. This trip provided insight into the many different people God has created. I realized if everyone was the same, life would be stagnant and uneventful. Diversity is a gift which is brought together under the beautiful heart of God.
-Cassie H.

This was my first choir tour and I had a lot of fun. I think I’m going to keep on with choir until my senior year.
-Macy M.

Day 6--The Alamo to New Braunfels, TX

After a busy day yesterday, Monday is just for fun. This morning the youth were able to sleep late, visit the Alamo or go to the Riverwalk to eat and shop. The afternoon will be spent at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in New Braunfels, TX.

Daily Journals

On Monday, June 8th, we went to the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in New Braunfels, TX. We arrived there around 3:00 and stayed until 8:00. We all split up into groups. There were 2 parts of the park, Schlitterbahn East and West. My group consisted of Woody, Daniel, Obi, Will, Caleb and myself. We had loads of fun. The rides were tons of thrill. The first half of the day, we stayed at Schlitterbahn East. Our favorite ride was the Soda Straws. It was really fast. But around 5:30 we took a shuttle bus to the other park. We all had a fun time at both parks.
-Brian C.

The Riverwalk (in San Antonio) was amazing. Our hotel had an exit that opened right onto the Riverwalk. It was so much fun to be allowed to go out to dinner and have time to shop. My group went to dinner at this amazing steakhouse and we had so much fun.

-Rachel H.