Group Goes Caroling – Spreading Holiday Cheer
Members of the Oskaloosa Community Theatre spread out across the community sharing the holiday spirit. (photo by Andy McGuire)
by Allison McGuire
‘Twas three days before Christmas, and though I did need to finish shopping for a few notoriously hard-to-buy-for family members, I was searching for something even more elusive: the Christmas spirit. Like many others, 2016 has left me emotionally drained, and so far, not even steamed eggnog has moved me to fa-la-la-la-la’ing.
Luckily, I knew I’d be participating in my favorite seasonal activity that night. Singing Christmas music, for groups of two or two thousand, has given me many wonderful memories and lasting friendships throughout the years, so I was optimistic that OCT’s second annual Christmas caroling event could help me get in the spirit.
Our first caroling outing, in 2015, was spontaneous and a bit of an experiment: we gathered on the square and went door to door, singing for businesses and the holiday train riders at Santa’s Village in Penn Central Mall, then set up camp in Fareway’s parking lot, where we serenaded customers loading their vehicles. It was a fun, if frozen, night.
Exactly a year later, we gathered again in the square, this time with plans to spend a little more time indoors. But first, the six of us made the rounds of local businesses, singing while Oskaloosians got caffeinated at Kahawa Cup, shopped for last minute gifts at True Value and the Eagle’s Nest, and finished up another Thursday at the law offices. “Christmas caroling with OCT is such a great way to enjoy the holiday season,” says board member Rachel Singley. “It kind of forces people to stop and smile a little bit, which is a great way to give back to Oskaloosa. She added, “Plus, I love getting to sing these carols one more time each year.”
Then, we hustled over to the Oskaloosa Care Center, where we were the pre-dinner entertainment for residents. “I think there is something special about live performance that grabs people in a different way,” says Andy McGuire, president of OCT. “Seeing people reacting to the music and participating by giving requests for favorite Christmas songs felt very rewarding.”
While our Christmas caroling event is a good excuse for board members to get out and have fun together, we also see it as a vital part of Oskaloosa Community Theatre. Our mission statement is to support and produce opportunities for art and artists in the Oskaloosa community. This includes bringing music into people’s everyday experiences, whether by Christmas caroling or hosting a pop-up lip sync battle at the Peanut Pub. Time is often a barrier to participation in arts events, and so we work to create experiences in which audiences can commit only a small chunk of time and still be actively engaged. Guests at our Murder Mystery Dinner (hosted by the Book Vault in October 2016) were as much a part of the play as the actors, checking out the crime scene and improvising conversations so they could do their jobs as detectives, but they never had to come to a rehearsal.
We again witnessed art’s power to make strangers instant friends as we caroled door-to-door at Homestead of Oskaloosa. We had a blast singing requests where residents joined in and never missed a word while we consulted our lyrics sheets. Our time at Homestead included a visit to a special friend, Iola Cadwallader, who wrote the musical “Georgiana,” which many OCT members performed at the George Daily in July 2014. She showed us her newest piece, a lively and joyful Christmas song for choir, which we gladly sightread (and hope we didn’t butcher too badly).
Perhaps the best part of our night was running into two other caroling groups, a group from the elementary school and the St. Mary Catholic Church Instrumental Ensemble. Bruce Peiffer, who directs the group, says they typically rehearse for St. Mary’s Christmas Eve service and then head out to perform at various assisted living and nursing homes, as well as community locations when time permits. They graciously invited us to sing a few tunes with them as we were wrapping up our door-to-door caroling, leading to a raucous rendition of “Jingle Bells” and more reflective performances of “Away in a Manger” and “Silent Night.” Parishioners at St. Mary’s are in for a treat on Saturday night!
As we left Homestead to finish off the night singing carols at Smokey Row, I couldn’t help but amend that famous line of Buddy the Elf: “The best way to gain Christmas Cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” Oskaloosa Community Theatre hopes you’ll join us for caroling next year!
