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Singers visit five senior homes in five hours Date published: 12/15/2008
BY KIM BAER
The men of Masquerade were on a mission to spread Christmas cheer to seniors. They succeeded. The members of the barbershop quartet recently sang holiday songs at five Fredericksburg-area stops in five hours. Nursing-home residents tapped their feet to "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Jingle Bells." Some even sang right along. They laughed at the quartet's often goofy between-songs banter and they grinned when Bill Grosskopf, the group's bass, sang "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch." "You made our Christmas," Ann Miller, a resident of Hughes Home in Fredericksburg, called out to the group as they filed out after a performance. Earlier that day, the men had donned their performance apparel, which included Mardi Gras-themed vests, black pants and black shoes. They went through vocal warm-ups in the basement of Grosskopf's Spotsylvania County home, then piled into his white van. Masquerade is made up of Grosskopf, an engineer at Naval Support Facility Dahlgren; tenor Roy Foster, an Essex County minister; baritone Rick Cox of Richmond County, who's retired from the state Health Department; and lead Paul Hutnyan, a Westmoreland County teacher. The men don't charge for most of their performances. They do participate in an annual singing-Valentine fundraiser to help offset expenses. The quartet has been together for a few years, Grosskopf said, but this was their first five-stop singing blitz. "We thought this would be a good way to get to as many people as we could in a limited time," he said. In addition to Hughes Home, the group performed at Woodmont Nursing Home in Stafford County; Carriage Hill Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Spotsylvania; Golden Living Center in Spotsylvania; and Madonna House in Fredericksburg. First up was Woodmont, where more than a dozen residents had gathered in the cafeteria. Grosskopf made introductions, then the group launched into "Old Time Religion Medley." "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was next, followed by "Toyland." "What's your favorite Christmas carol?" Cox asked the audience. "I'll bet you've got a favorite." "Silent Night," answered an audience member. "The young lady wins the prize," joked Grosskopf. Some residents quietly sang along to the hymn. "How'd we do?" Grosskopf asked. A few residents clapped their approval.
Date published: 12/15/2008
What a great thing to do.
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