Monday, June 11, Waverly, NE to Adventureland, Iowa

Monday morning, June 11, we packed up and were excited for a much shorter bus ride. We left Waverly and drove across Nebraska with lots of farmland, across the Missouri River and into Iowa. We got to Des Moines and had an afternoon of fun at Adventure Land after being on the bus for two long days.

Thoughts from the ringers…

Yesterday, June 11, we all went to an amusement park called ADVENTURELAND. It was really fun! I got to ride on one roller coaster, and go swimming afterwards. The only downside was that the wave pool, supposedly the biggest in Iowa, was the smallest and least fun wave pool I’ve been to and my least favorite part of the water park. But in all tour has been really fun, and I’m assuming it will only get better from here!

                C.P.

As fun as amusement parks are in general, it was such a privilege to spend the day yesterday surrounded by people who are truly amusing even outside of a park filled with roller coasters and spinning rides. There was one particular ride called the “Underground”, and no one quite knew what to expect. It ended up being a rather cheesy mine scene rendered from old dummies and Styrofoam props, but simply because I was with friends (continually screaming, oohing and ahhing) it could be considered the best ride in the park. We have had so many fun experiences so far, and I am looking forward to many more this tour!

                -Emma

                Yesterday we went to Adventureland. It was kind of a mix of Disneyland and Lagoon, except really small and not super fun of rides. It was still a fun day, because of the people you’re with. The highlight of Adventureland was the water park. It had a ton of slides and “the biggest wave pool in Iowa”, which wasn’t that big. I still really enjoyed just hanging out with my friends and having a good time.

                                -Jake A.

Every day, Emma, Ed, and the neighing horse open the bank.

Crossing the Missouri River

Whenever the ringers are out, the sunscreen patrol has their backs (and arms and faces)!

Yes, they are really upside down!

The

Sunday, June 10, Waverly, NE

After another long bus ride through parts of Colorado and Nebraska, we arrived at First United Methodist Church in Waverly, NE. There is lots of rolling hills and farmland in Waverly, which is near Lincoln. This is Larry McGill’s childhood church, and there were family members of Larry that helped with hosting us and in the audience. Once again we enjoyed a great dinner, and even had vegan garlic bread. Wow! Larry’s parents were in the audience for the concert. The Wesley Bell Ringers played for their 50^th anniversary in 1993 in Waverly and Terry said that the choir can come back and play for the 75^th! If you look at the pictures, you can see there are lots of different emotions before a concert from scared to serious to silly. It was fun to talk to the people after the concert and show them the bells. We enjoyed our time in Waverly and are looking forward to traveling to West Des Moines, Iowa on Monday. It’s a shorter bus ride and we are going to Adventure Land on the way.

Mr. and Mrs. McGill

You never know what you're going to see at a host's home, like this 1950's Mercedes.

More thoughts from the ringers…

My host home in Nebraska was absolutely beautiful. The bed was so comfy and I stayed with Alicia there which was a lot of fun. They had all sorts of games and gave us each a bag of gourmet chocolate which was absolutely delicious. I slept like a rock which was exactly what I needed. I miss my family so much. My mom, Jody, and Dad George but most of all my little brother Kent, but being with all these nice people and making new friends everywhere I go helps me work through it. I’m loving tour so far.

                -Kay Mattena

Nebraska was so cool. Most of the day was spent driving which is kind of boring but it went by really fast for me. The church we played at had these stained-glass windows that looked so awesome. My host was the coolest guy in Nebraska. He told us all these crazy stories about ice storms and such it was pretty fun. Tour is awesome but I do miss my family. My mom, dad, and Mckinzi are all being missed but what do I do but be on this awesome tour.

                -Braden Nagata~

Ah, Nebraska. Once more this was a long bus day. But honestly these days are the best days. The church was on the tinier side, but otherwise it was very nice. Our host was pretty awesome. It was a farm house out of the town. It was nice and peaceful. I managed to get outside and go for a run, which was a lot of fun. So far, tour is great and shaping out to be a good one. 

                -Jon Williams

WBR Tour 2012 - Sunday - Thoughts from a few ringers. . . .

Being my first tour I was really in the blue about what to expect, but being here with my friends is some of the most fun I have had all year. I am lucky to be a part of an organization that is like one big family. Everyone is a apart of the family and no matter what your background is or who you are. The nature of the Wesley Bell Ringers is to welcome everyone with open arms just like they did for me and all of the other first year students. As we travel from Colorado to Nebraska it is so clear to me why I stuck it out this long. It has only been one day, just over 24 hours, but already I know that all that work was worth it. Just sitting on a bus with my new family is worth it. -Tim Hare-Diggs

This is my third tour and I'm really excited! So far we've had two eight hour bus days and they are surprisingly fun! You get the opportunity to spend lots of time with your best friends doing random things to keep you occupied. Last night's concert went really well and then Emma, Catherine, Larni, Shannon, Emily and I had a host home together! Our hosts were so nice and made us root beer floats and gave us dill pickle chips and M&M's! It was a great host home to start the tour off with! I can't wait for lots more! -Desiree' Jensen

This is my third tour and it's pretty awesome so far! These last two days have been loooooong, but I actually enjoy the bus days a lot. Playing Mario Kart with 7 other people on the bus is insanely fun. Our first concert went really well and the only real mistakes were random flukes. I'm excited for our next concert! -Alec Mittelstadt

WBR Tour 2012 -- Salt Lake to Longmont, CO



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Our first concert!

The first performance on the tour.

WBR Tour 2012 - Salt Lake to Longmont, CO
Saturday morning, 33 bell ringers and 7 adults and a lot of family members met at Christ United Methodist for the 47^th Wesley Bell Ringer Summer Tour. The ringers did a great job of packing all the equipment, uniforms and luggage on the bus. Pastor Jean came out and said a prayer with us and even gave us a care package. Thanks Pastor Jean! We had an uneventful 8 hour ride to Longmont, CO. We did pass a wild fire as we got closer to Longmont. Longmont is about an hour northwest of Denver on the front range of the Rockies. Once we arrived at Westview Presbyterian we were greeted by Beth and Robin. Beth is a member of Westview and Robin is a WBR alumnus who rang with Terry in 1967. We felt right at home. After a delicious potluck meal prepared by the members of the church, it was time for the concert.  There were several alumni in the audience including Annie Wallen, Christian and Dagney Kelsey (relatives of ringer Cassie) and even Rev. Ron and Pat made the trip up from Denver. Best of all was a large group from Pastor Jean’s previous church in Colorado. Not only were they warm and friendly, they were bell ringers!!! Afterwards, everyone headed off to their host homes for a good night’s sleep. It was exciting and a bit of a relief for the ringers to have their first concert under their belt. One of the first year ringers said “I smiled so much because I was proud of myself.” The ringers had a good night; we met new friends and connected with old.  This morning, we began another long bus ride. Onto Waverly, Nebraska!

WBR Tour 2012

Follow the Bell Ringers on the 2012 summer tour here! New blog postings will appear above this one. The tour starts in Longmont, Colorado, travels to Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Wyoming before returning to Salt Lake City. To see the full schedule, click here.