Vol. 48, Issue 8

Winner, PROBE International Bulletin Contest: 2011, 2014 and 2017

Although the Cardinal District convention held Sep-

tember 22-23 in Columbus, Indiana, was one where

Circle City Sound was not competing, the CCS guys

were still out in force! Jim DeBusman served as

head of the entire event, in his role as District VP of

Events (see his perspective in his article on page 4).

Kyle Kitzmiller played a key role as District Representative of Contest and Judging. Bob Kendall (dual mem-

ber with CCS and the Columbus/Greenwood chapter) was host committee co-chairman. Skipp Kropp and

David Zimmerman were presenters for two of the contest sessions. Gary Sicard served as Registrar.

The quartets and chorus contests saw many current and former CCS members cross the stage. Quartet

champions, Playlist (score 1859, 77.5%), contained (L to R in the photo above) former CCS members Joe

Bourne and Bryan Hughes, with Pat Garmire and Scott Trout). Second place quartet medalists, Seventh

Degree (score 1787, 74.5%), included (L to R) Ken Huber, Chad St. John, CCS member Joe Schmidt and for-

mer CCS member Kurt Vogel. In the Mix (fifth place, score 1753, 73.0%) included former CCS member Josh

Hughes, plus Nico Jose Bontones, Collin Hughes and Erick Hollander. The Rush (seventh place, score 1681,

70.0%) included current CCS members Steve McCullough, Don Brown, Sonny Griffith and Larry Anthony. In

addition, seven CCS members participated in the Ancient Cardinals (the Cardinal District Seniors Chorus) in

their debut performance. To cap off the weekend event, over half of those appearing on the QCA Show of

Champions and in the QCA Chorus were current or former CCS members. Great job, men!

CCS shines at the fall convention By Jerry Troxel, Editor of The BEAT

News and views from the Greater Indianapolis Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society October/November 2017

Our chapter mission:

To enhance lives by performing with excellence and encouraging singing within our community.

PLAYLIST

SEVENTH DEGREE

Page 2 October/November 2017 THE BEAT

Jerry E. Troxel, Editor Member, PROBE (Public Relations

Officers and Bulletin Editors)

129 Yorkshire Blvd. E

Indianapolis, IN 46229

317 891-1634 jerry@troxels.com

The BEAT is published monthly by

the Greater Indianapo-

lis, Indiana, Chapter of

the Barbershop Har-

mony Society, a proud

member of the Cardi-

nal District.

Chapter Leadership 2017

President

Kyle Kitzmiller

Secretary

Frank Bynum

Treasurer

Jerry Troxel

VP Chapter Development

Kevin Kellogg

VP Music & Performance

Scott Bradford

VP PR & Marketing

Craig Johnson

VP Programs & Events

Kevin Cline

Board Members at Large

Derek Bailer, Josh Hamilton,

Steve King

Immediate Past President

Greg Roembke

Director

Theo Hicks

Assistant Director

David Zimmerman

Circle City Sound meets every

Monday at 7:00 p.m. at Christ Lutheran Church

Indianapolis, Indiana 46219

Guests are always welcome!

Fear helps me share my love by Kevin Kellogg

VP Membership and Chapter Development

Often times in life we find ourselves faced with challenges. When

these trials face us, there are two schools of thought as to what the

fear we may face means. Either you can Forget Everything And Run,

or Face Everything And Rise. All my life I was the slacker who felt no

drive in any aspect of my life aside from sleep. Then I met the men at

Circle City Sound, and I felt a drive to become a better singer. When I

was asked to join the Membership team, I had no clue what I was

getting into. Yet again I merely scraped by, by showing up to practice

when the Membership VP asked me to.

When I was approached about taking charge of Membership for the

chapter, I was terrified, but when our President asked me to be the

new VP of Membership, I realized one thing—I could finally give back

to CCS what they had given to me. I hadn’t been much of a leader,

and I didn’t feel prepared to build a program from the ground up.

However, I was asked to do a job, so I made the decision to push

through.

It was time for me to face everything thing I used to be, every failure

I’ve faced, every person I have lost, and all the feelings I have ever

felt, and rise above them. I took this position and decided to put all I

have into this role because the chorus put all they had into me. This

job has helped me grow in

the past four weeks in ways I

never could have imagined.

Now I get to imagine new

ways to help Circle City

Sound step into our light of

excellence. Now I find myself

surrounded by men who feel

as I do about how wonderful

our chorus is.

This is just one of many sto-

ries of how the chorus has

given to us and now the

members have a chance to

give forward to the community. We can share what we love about

our chorus and our art form by bringing others into it. After all, the

spirit of Barbershop is to share the song!

October/November 2017 Page 3 THE BEAT

Five Years Ago (2012)

The Greater Indianapolis Chapter, its chorus, quartets, and members had a

great weekend, October 5-7, 2012 at the Cardinal District Convention in

Columbus, Indiana. Circle City Sound was crowned District Chorus Champi-

ons with a score of 80.8 and 67 men on stage. The CCS chorus also won the

right to represent the Cardinal District at the International chorus contest

in Toronto, Canada, in July 2013.

Replay (CCS members Kelly Andrews, Adam Winans, and Bob Kendall,

with friend, Steve Bogaerts) won the Cardinal District quartet champion-

ship with a score of 72.6. Comedy quartet H.A.I.R. (CCS members Jerry

Troxel, Randy Freeman, Jim Beehler and Terry Silke) won the Senior Quar-

tet Contest with a score of 65.4 and would represent the Cardinal District

at the Mid-Winter Senior Quartet Contest in Orlando, Florida in January,

2013.

Another honor the CCS chapter received was Instant Classic (CCS mem-

bers: David Zimmerman, Theo Hicks, and Kyle Kitzmiller, with younger

brother, Kohl Kitzmiller) being named the Cardinal District Quartet of the

Year for 2012. Four of the CCS quartets (Replay, Anthem, Forefront, and

Instant Classic) performed in the opening acts for the QCA All Star Show

which featured International Quartet Champions, Michigan Jake.

The CCS chapter board of directors met on October 17, 2012. The chapter's

checking account contained a balance of $51,096.89. The new members

accepted into the chapter were: Isaac Danforth, Sonny Griffith, Jimmy Hin-

kle, and David Hollingsworth. International Award Winning Coach, Theresa

Weatherbee, from Canada had been hired to plan a choreography package

for the Toronto, Canada, International Convention in July 2013 for the

chapter.

David Zimmerman and Theo Hicks had joined the CCS Music Team. Greg

Roembke had finished the script for the upcoming Holiday Christmas Show

at Arsenal Tech High School in December. The chorus would be performing

for the Indianapolis Junior League Holiday Bazaar in November at the Indi-

ana State Fairgrounds. (Notes taken from The Beat, Vol. 43, Issue 9, No-

vember 2012, Jerry Troxel, editor).

Calendar

of Events

CCS Christmas Show Saturday, December 2

2:00 pm and 7:00 pm

Beech Grove High School

5330 Hornet Ave.

Beech Grove, Indiana

CCS Christmas Party Friday, December 8

Woodland Country Club

Carmel, Indiana

Singing Valentines February 13 and 14, 2018

Indianapolis Metro area

Cardinal District Spring

Convention and Contests March 23-24, 2018

Columbus North High School

1400 East 25th Street

Columbus, Indiana

CCS Annual Show June 9, 2018

7:00 pm

Location TBA

Harmony University July 22-29, 2018

Belmont University

Nashville, Tennessee

Cardinal District Fall

Convention and Contests October 5-6, 2018

Members: For detailed infor-

mation on all chapter perfor-

mances check your Yahoo!

Group emails or go to: www.circlecitysound.org

and visit the

Members Only section

The deadline for the Decemb-

ber issue of The BEAT is Wednesday, Dec. 6.

Send articles to:

jerry@troxels.com

Strolling down harmony lane A monthly look back at our chapter’s history

by Lew Gillespie, Chapter Historian

Secure the future of Barbershop harmony through your

generous gifts to the Harmony Foundation. Provide

additional support to your chapter and district with the

Donor Choice option.

www.harmonyfoundation.org

Page 4 October/November 2017 THE BEAT

The Eight Steps

to “YES!” Stairway to Excellence

Which step are you on today?

How well are you progressing?

Have you ever had so many obstacles

put in front of you that you wondered if

a project you were working on would

ever be successful? Well, we just had a

Convention with those hurdles and

more.

Here are some things that happened

along the way: Our first choice for a

hotel was closed and later torn down, a fire in our

first venue’s auditorium forced us to move to anoth-

er; we even had to change the date of our conven-

tion. These were just a few of the many changes the

leaders of our district dealt with preparing for our

very successful Fall Convention.

Did I say successful? Yes, I did. We heard some great

singing from many quartets and choruses on stage

both Friday and Saturday. The audience was most

receptive for every contestant including our own The

Rush, and Joe Schmidt in Seventh Degree.

Everyone who attended felt they had really enjoyed

themselves. The competitors and judges were very

pleased with the overall convention. Over 360+ in

attendance made for a great audience—hallelujah!

The Columbus East High School was a fine facility for

our Convention. Kevin Welsh, the stage manager,

was the best. In addition, the Columbus

Greenwood Chapter was outstanding as

the host chapter. Co-chairmen Brian

McBlain and Bob Kendall, along with

many members of the chapter, did a

superb job doing the many things need-

ed to help the Cardinal District have a

successful weekend.

Over 30 members of Circle City Sound were there in

various capacities and very supportive in assisting

the Columbus Greenwood chapter. Well done; well

done, indeed.

Some thoughts about the upcoming new year:

Cardinal District's Spring Convention will be in Co-

lumbus, Indiana at Columbus North High School. The

headquarters will be the Hilton Garden Inn once

again. The dates are March 23-24, 2018. I know CCS

will be singing.

2018 Leadership Academy will be January 7 in Co-

lumbus, Indiana. If you are a Chapter Officer, you

might want to set this Saturday aside. This is a very

comprehensive one day training session for our

chapter leaders throughout the Cardinal District. It

will be held at Columbus North High School. You will

not be disappointed you attended this.

What a successful fall convention! By Jim DeBusman, Cardinal District VP Events

October/November 2017 Page 5 THE BEAT

WHY are we going to Harmony University 2018 as a chorus?

WHY should YOU go to Harmony U with us, even though it will cost you time and mon-

ey?

BOTTOM LINE: What’s in it for you, what’s in it for the chorus, and will it be worth it?

Only you can determine your own WHY. But let me share my own WHY and see if these

resonate with you as well.

WHY HU FOR ME?

• Because I am a lifelong learner.

• Because I am a lifelong singer.

• Because I want to improve not just as a singer but also as a Barbershopper and a leader in my chapter and district.

• Because I get to choose my own classes to meet my current desire for knowledge.

• Because I want to learn from the best.

• Because, for me, it is even a better investment of my time and money than attending International.

• Because I enjoy hearing from our Society leaders and discussing with them the future direction of BHS.

• Because it is an interactive experience – not just theory and lecture.

• Because it is inspirational and recharges my Barbershop batteries

• Because my voice matters to my chorus, and I want to be all I can be, and that helps my chorus be all it can be.

• Because you can never have too many Barbershop bags, water bottles and t-shirts. (But my wife and I don’t agree on

this point).

WHY HU AS A CHORUS?

• Because I want my chorus to continue on its path to excellence, in the areas of singing, performing, community involve-

ment and leadership.

• Because we have an exciting trajectory and HU will help our chorus to accelerate on its path to excellence. It’s CCS

University on steroids!

• Because we will have the opportunity to be coached by a team of the very best coaches in the Society for several hours

each day, all week.

• Because we will have the opportunity to perform for the entire Harmony U and gain new fans.

• Because we will be receiving coaching on our new 2019 International Package.

• Because our musical growth will be exponential, directly correlated to the number of guys we have participate in HU

2018.

• Because it will be a team-building and bonding experience for us. Those who don’t go will be missing out on something

we will be talking about for years to come.

• Because we will gain experiences that we will not gain anywhere else. We will be transformed, in ways small and large,

and we will come away from HU a different – and by that I mean, better - chorus.

The WHY of Harmony University By Jerry Troxel, Editor of The BEAT

July 22-29, 2018

Page 6 October/November 2017 THE BEAT

In Memory of

Dana Lynn Bailer

1961—2017

Dana Bailer passed away peacefully on Satur-

day, September 16. Dana had many connec-

tions to our chapter. Her late father, Don

Bailer, had been a member of our chapter for

many years. Her son (Joe Siefker), her broth-

ers (Kevin and Kurt Bailer) and her nephew

(Derek Bailer) are current CCS members. We

as a brotherhood of singers mourn with the

Bailer family this unexpected loss.

Dana had been an Incentives Administrator

for the past 29 years at Eli Lilly in Indianapo-

lis. She was a member of the New Beginnings

Community Church in Waverly, Ind. She lived

in the Mooresville area for 30 years and in

Waverly for 20 years. She is survived by two

daughters (Samantha Holdorf and Alexis

Hesik) and a new granddaughter (Olivia Lynn

Hesik) in addition to her son, Joe.

Dana enjoyed playing the piano as well as

singing with the family. Her brothers tell of

her incredible musical talent as a pianist. Her

beautiful piano playing and singing will be

sorely missed but fondly remembered at

their future family gatherings.

In its 51st year, this year’s event was held Saturday, Sept. 9 on the spacious grounds of the Indianapolis Mu-seum of Art.

CCS sings under the new Penrod tent

Scott Bradford leads chorus warm-ups in the IMA parking lot

October/November 2017 Page 7 THE BEAT

To enhance marketing of CCS, Craig Johnson will set up the

purchase of ad placements in the Arts in Indy Section of the

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Program. Cost of $800 to

come from the Marketing Project Fund.

The board approved the donation of old CCS mixer/amplifier

equipment to Church of The Saviour United Methodist

Church.

Due to increased expenses with International Contest and

lower than expected ticket/sponsorship sales we are current-

ly over budget. Therefore the path forward for 2017 financially means that we must meet our budget goal for

the Christmas shows and find some other sources of income. To that end, Craig Johnson is proposing an Ad-

vanced Planning Group to make a plan for increasing sponsorships for 2018. Planning to begin this Oct/Nov.

and be ready by Feb./March. He also suggested capitalizing on recognition of the 70th Anniversary (May 4,

2018) of Greater Indianapolis Charter. To increase revenues at the Christmas Shows, Kevin Bailer has agreed to

head up the Silent Auction. Outreach Team planning ideas included the suggestion that CCS involve itself in

activities that “push our brand” and focus more on paying performances.

Membership VP Transition – The board has accepted the resignation of Steve Erdosy as VP of Membership. The

board has approved Kevin Kellogg to serve as interim VP of Membership

Christmas Show Ticket Prices for the 2017 Christmas Shows will be as follows: Early Bird pricing will be: $15 –

regular seating, $25 –premium seating. Cutoff date for Early Bird purchasing will be November 1st. After the

cutoff date, the pricing will be $20 – regular seating, $25 – premium seating. Tickets for children 8 or younger

will be $5 for either regular or premium but must have stated section ticketing. Ticket purchasing will be han-

dled through Eventbrite.

A venue for the 2018 Christmas Show is still being sought, as is a venue for the 2018 Annual Show. The Palladi-

um will not be used due to a drastic increase in price of use. In search of a venue for our Spring/Annual Show,

Kyle has found that Pike Performing Arts Center has confirmed that they are already booked for that time.

However, they confirmed that in February, they confirm the schedule from July-June, so we can check with

them for 2019 this coming February.

Request for permission to contact possible Annual Show guest artists for 2019 & 2020 was given. Possibilities

are: The Ladies and Pratt Street Power for 2019 and The Newfangled Four for 2020.

For the good of the order – Jerry Troxel mentioned the Guest section in the CCS Web page which gives much

improved information regarding the tracking of guests from first visit through membership.

President Kyle Kitzmiller reported that contracts have been completed and signed with Theo Hicks and Dave

Zimmerman.

Chapter Board Meeting Summary by Frank Bynum, Chapter Secretary

Page 8 October/November 2017 THE BEAT

Gold Sponsors ($500) Natural Wood Solutions

Secure Today Financial

Skipp and Nancy Kropp

Thrivent Financial

Silver Sponsors ($250) Ameriprise Financial

Applebees

Chick-fil-a

The Exercise Coach

Robert and Helen Glenn

John and Linda Hicks

J.L. Fox General Contractors, Inc.

Mascari Cleaners

Provider Financial (LPL Financial)

Roembke Family

Bronze Sponsors ($150) The Boyds

Scott and Carla Bradford

Classic Cleaners

Handyman Services by Jimmy Hinkle Duane Henry and Micci Richardson

James and Teresa Hinkle

Jimmy Hinkle Customer Service-ology

Instant Classic

Steve, Vicki, Kylie, and Kade McPherson

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

Jerry and Pam Troxel

David Zimmerman

Partner Sponsors ($75) Frosty Beverley

Tom and Bonnie Bradley

China Garden

Christie Vision Center

Capital City Chorus

Crown Trophy

Norman and Mari Dew

Edward Jones

Ben and Penny Geesa

Harp Strings

George Houk

Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance

JE Brown Electric Inc.

Vic Kendall

Kyle Kitzmiller

Jane and Greg Roembke

The Rush Quartet

Schneider’s Bar and Grill

Jeff and Sue Spires

Sports Plus

State Farm - Keith Eberg

State Farm - Beth Prince

Theo Hicks Music

John and Elaine Weiss

Patron Sponsors ($25) Larry and Marti Anthony

Derek and Tonisha Bailer

Bolden’s Dry Cleaners

Frank and Sheila Bynum

Terry and Vicki Bynum

Kevin and Sarah Cline

Steve and Becky Cline

Dr. Candace Corson

Jim and Barbara DeBusman

Lewis and Kay Brennan Gillespie

Joshua Hamilton

Craig Johnson

Steve and Pat King

Larry and Olivia Klein

Dwight Nash and Marilyn Rafter

Dan and Becky Pritchard

Vaut Shot Photography by Brent Vaught

Proud sponsors of Circle City Sound June 2017—May 2018

October/November 2017 Page 9 THE BEAT

Late Shift

2014 Cardinal District

Quartet Champions

(L to R): Tim Martin (TE), Andrew Myer

(LD), Adam Winans (BS), Bob Kendall

(BR)

Contact: Andrew Myer,

(765) 532-1552

Photo by Ann McAlexander

Instant Classic

2015 International

Quartet Champions

(L to R): Kohl Kitzmiller (BR), Kyle

Kitzmiller (BS), Theo Hicks (LD), David

Zimmerman (TE)

Contact: Theo Hicks,

(248) 345-2396

Photo by Shawn York

The Rush

(L to R): Sonny Griffith (BR), Larry An-

thony (BS), Don Brown (LD), Steve

McCullough (TE)

Contact: Larry Anthony,

(317) 459-6239

Photo by Miller Photography

Our Chapter Quartets

Your chapter offers a big THANK YOU to the following

members and their families who have generously

supported the Harmony Foundation through their

gifts to the Ambassadors of Song program or the

President’s Council and have also sent a portion of

their donations back to our chapter. During the peri-

od January through June 2017, these members sent a

total of $2,786.18 to the Greater Indianapolis Chapter

through their Donor Choice options.

Tom Bradley

Jeff and Kathleen Broadfoot

Steve and Becky Cline

Jim and Barb DeBusman

Dave Fouts

Randy Freeman

Paul Gabriel

Gary and Linda Garitson

Phil Griggs

Duane Henry and

Micci Richardson

Jimmy and Teresa Hinkle

George Houk

Scott and Christy Hutchison

Craig Johnson

Vic Kendall

Steve and Pat King

Brad and Ann McAlexander

Steve and Cindy McCullough

Steve and Vicki McPherson

John McQuistion

Dwight Nash

Greg and Jane Roembke

Jim Sauder

Patrick Stevens

Jerry and Pamela Troxel

John and Elaine Weiss

Page 10 October/November 2017 THE BEAT

“I Saw Three Ships (Come Sailing In)” is a

traditional and popular Christmas carol from

England. The earliest printed version of this

song is from the 17th century, possibly by

Derbyshire, and was also published

by William Sandys in 1833.

The lyrics mention the ships sailing into

Bethlehem, but the nearest body of water is

the Dead Sea about 20 miles away. The ref-

erence to three ships is thought to originate

in the three ships that bore the purported

relics of the Biblical magi to Cologne Cathe-

dral in the 12th century. Another possible

reference is to Wenceslaus II, King of Bohe-

mia, who bore a coat of arms “Azure three

galleys argent.” Another suggestion is that

the ships are actually the camels used by

the Magi, as camels are frequently referred

to as “ships of the desert.”

The Songs We Sing:

“I Saw Three Ships” from Wikipedia

10/2 Bill Chisler

10/4 Scott Bradford

10/7 Kyle Kitzmiller

10/18 Josh Hamilton

10/22 Brad McAlexander

10/23 Terry Bynum

10/23 Steve Massengill

10/25 Steve McPherson

10/25 Joe Siefker

10/26 George Houk

10/29 Harold Mathews

10/29 Joe Schmidt

11/4 Kevin Cline

11/6 Jerry Troxel

11/8 Bob Kendall

11/13 John Hicks

11/18 Marc Hagn

11/20 Jim Beehler

11/20 Jason Spires

11/21 Geno Newcombe

Chapter statistics as of October 1, 2017

Chapter members: 114

Average years of service: 20

Number of active chorus members: 66 (58%)