Tour 59 - Day 12 - Woodbury, MN to Fargo, ND

Every year the choir has a picnic and today was the day. We were lucky because Tom and Sally Loken, former chaperones and WBR parents have a pontoon boat they shared with us. We went to the beach at Lake Carlos State Park and rented some kayaks. Tom and Sally met us at the beach with their boat. So fun! Tom took different groups of ringers out and they were able to jump off the boat and have a good time in the water. Others kayaked, played on the beach, rested, and generally had a great time. We are so fortunate the weather cooperated and Tom and Sally were available to bring some extra fun. 

After our fun day on the lake we headed to Fargo. You betcha! We arrived at the beautiful First Presbyterian church which Molly played at in 2018. They had some really good sloppy joes for dinner. 

There are a lot of bell choirs in the area so we had an audience full of people who appreciate bells. They had lots of questions about the choir. One audience member is trying to get us booked at his church the next time we’re in the area. It never gets old hearing how impressive the choir is. 

Tour 59 - Day 11 - Cable, WI to Woodbury, MN

Today was another big day because we got to experience the Mall of America! We had some ringers who had a list of stores they wanted to check out; others wanted to do the rides at the indoor theme park. This mall definitely had a little something for everyone.

After spending our money it was time to make our way toward Woodbury and The Grove. The host for this evening, Jean, is the director of several bell choirs. After great crowds during the last 10 days we were running a little low on programs so the staff was helpful and made some copies for us which was very much appreciated.  

In Cable we played in a hall but tonight we played in a large sanctuary. We are able to set up in any type of location but this one had a lot of space to spread out.

We had dinner with our hosts which was nice. Normally we it's just the choir and occasionally people who helped prepared the dinner but this time the hosts came early so we got to visit before the concert.

Former ringer Paula Cattlett Miller was in the audience tonight. We love it when former members come to see us.

We also had Suzy and Ani's cousins and Rachel and Sophi's great aunt in the audience.

This concert had a lot of bell choir members in the audience - no pressure! We were able to deliver a good show with a very appreciative audience. And, another standing ovation!

Tour 59 - Day 10 - Milwaukee, WI to Cable, WI

Today was a lot of driving but Wisconsin is a beautiful state and everything is so green - we all enjoyed the scenery! There were lots of lakes with little resorts and cabins on the water. 

On the way to Cable we drove by the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. They have some pretty big fish there!

 

Cable is a delightful little town, home to Suzy and Ani’s grandparents. It is known as "Trail Town USA" because of the cross-country skiing and bike trails. We played at the Cable United Church of Christ. They have a 24/7 food pantry available to anyone who needs assistance. All of the churches we have visited do so much for their communities and this was no exception. 

We had a yummy dinner of different casseroles, watermelon, and cookies. AJ did the thank you tonight and got a big laugh when he said his favorite part was dessert.

After dinner we had a little bit of downtime before the concert. 

Everyone who walked in saw all of the bell tables up close and they were impressed. Getting to see the bells up close before the concert starts is a treat:

It seemed like the entire town of Cable came to the concert. We had a full house. 

We got another standing ovation. Cable was impressed with what a group of teenagers could do. The choir walked outside before answering questions and were treated to a beautiful sunset:

Madi talked to some members of the audience and showed them how to ring the bass bells. Lifting those bells gives people a whole new appreciation for how difficult it is.

Suzy and Ani's grandparents were the organizers of the concert in Cable and they did such a good job!

Cable is a beautiful place and audience members asked us to come back again. They enjoyed the concert and we loved playing for them.

Tour 59 - Day 9 - Okemos, MI to Milwaukee, WI

After a restful night in Okemos with lovely hosts, we got everything packed up and got on the road again, this time to Milwaukee. 

We stopped at Aldi for lunch since we don’t have those in Utah. We were also close to the Niles Tower so some of us checked it out. 

After lunch we head to the Milwaukee Public Market. This was a fun foodie stop with all sorts of brats, spices, desserts and drinks. We couldn't find the Laverne and Shirley street but hardly anyone on the bus knows those old TV shows anyway...

          

After that stop went made it to our host church, Brown Deer United Methodist. They were waiting for us and had a taco bar with all sorts of toppings. They also had a wide variety of soda, 3 kinds of cake, and ice cream cones. They spoiled us!

We had a nice audience, including former ringer Larni Emery, who drove in from Chicago. Always nice to see alumni in the crowd. 

We ended the concert with a standing ovation. 

A cute member of the audience put an offering in a handmade envelope:

We stayed at the church tonight so we made ourselves comfy:

In the morning the church set us up with a breakfast of eggs, yogurt, cereal, fruit and oatmeal before we got back on the bus toward Cable.  The church went all out to host us and it was very appreciated by everyone.

Tour 59 - Day 8 - Bloomfield Hills, MI to Okemos, MI

We had some fun host homes in Bloomfield Hills. One home had a lake behind their house so a few ringers took advantage of it and took a quick dip while Liz lifeguarded:

One host was a volunteer fire fighter so he gave some ringers a tour of the fire house:

The home that hosted 11 had no problem getting us to and from church because they had a 15 passenger van that fit all of us and our luggage and bags:

Our delightful church contact, Karin, made everyone a breakfast to go bag we could have on the way to our next adventure, the Ford Innovation Museum. 

Our favorite cheerleader, Wendy, joined us on the road trip from Bloomfield Hills to Okemos. She read our morning devotional:

We made the short drive to the Ford Innovation Museum and The Village. We had 5 hours there and we needed it! So many interesting things to see plus there was a car show featuring fun cars and campers from throughout the years. 

After our fun day at the museum we made our short drive to Faith Lutheran in Okemos, Michigan. This church is all about inclusion and community. They stock 2 micro pantries on their property as well as another at a library. They also house young refugees on site and help them transition living in a new country. They do so much for their community and it was a delight to play for them.

They had a baked potato bar ready for dinner before the concert and it was delicious.  We got dressed and ready for the concert:

Terry is up to no good, trying to get kids to laugh:

The crowd gave us a standing ovation. There were some members of a community handbell choir at the concert and they enjoyed seeing what a group of teenagers could do. 

Okemos Lutheran is full of very nice people. Thanks for hosting us!