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WATCH: Wild Rose Harmonizers spread love and joy on Valentine’s Day

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The Wild Rose Harmonizers have been spreading love, good feelings, and sometimes embarrassing smiles, on Valentine’s Day for several years, and this year is no different.

The barber shop quartet has about a dozen singing events booked starting at 9 a.m. Valentine’s Day at residences, banks, and offices.

This year they have a similar number of performances scheduled as past years but only one quartet is going out instead of the usual two.

The group – part of the Wild Rose Harmonizers – Bob Smith, Keith Bolken, Fran Lavoie, Jeff Challoner (alternate) and Jim Wettstein (alternate) – will surprise the unsuspected wearing red and white suits, with a rose, introducing themselves and singing two songs.

“It’s usually a surprise,” said Ralph Wold, a Wild Rose Harmonizers member.

Let me call you a sweetheart is a popular song for Valentine’s, said Wold.

In past years, they have performed at schools for teachers, at medical offices, car dealerships, and homes.

When a woman asks for their services, for her husband or boyfriend, the singers tweak their songs to make it appropriate for a man.

The a capella singers, are part of the Barber Shop Harmony Society, comprised of about 15 to 18 members, mainly from Red Deer and some from Central Alberta. The men, mostly in their 60s or 70s, sing locally.

Wold said one thing that’s changed in the past 25 years is the men have gotten older.

“Those of us who joined 25 years ago are 25 years older now,” he said with a chuckle.

The group sings for Christmas concerts, birthday parties, and seniors lodges. They practice Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. at Davenport Church of Christ.

For more information, visit harmonizers.ca.



mamta.lulla@reddeeradvocate.com

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(From left) Jeff Challoner, David Crozier-Smith, Keith Bohlken and Fran Levoie performed on Valentine’s Day in 2014. Photo supplied by Wild Rose Harmonizers.
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