The Chattanooga Girls Choir

Day 3
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
[Note from Amy: This report was phoned in by Tarbell Patton from the Navy Pier in downtown Chicago.]

After the events of last night (see addendum to yesterday's journal), it was decided to skip the city tour scheduled for this morning and let the girls sleep in a little. After a leisurely breakfast, the girls changed to get ready for the mass they would be singing at Holy Name Cathedral in downtown Chicago. [Click on the underlined words to see pictures of Holy Name.] Robert and his bus were supposed to pick up the group at 10:00 a.m., but when the time arrived, no Robert! Apparently the bus was having starting problems again. Finally the tour company sent a school bus to pick up the choir and take them to the cathedral with just 10 minutes to spare before the start of the service. The girls quickly took their places, regained their focus, and when the time came, sang Pergolesi's Stabat Mater better than they had ever done before. They were wonderful--you all would have been so proud! After the service, the cathedral's Associate Director of Music spoke to the choir and told them if they are ever in Chicago on a weekend, he would be thrilled to have them sing for the main Sunday mass. That was quite a compliment, considering the huge membership of this church! The director also showed them the cathedral's massive pipe organ [click for a picture] with over 5500 pipes, and John Wigal even had a chance to play the magnificent instrument.

The school bus then took the group to the Field Museum, home of Sue, the Tyrannosaurus rex, as well as many other wonderful exhibits. The girls had lunch in the museum's cafe and wandered through the many rooms, but as usual, there just wasn't time to see everything.

The next place on the agenda was Chicago's legendary Auditorium Theatre, a 4300-seat venue built in 1889, rumored to have the best acoustics in all of North America. After a tour by a friendly guide (who used to be a school teacher), the girls had the opportunity to sing from the balconies on either side of the room and hear the acoustics for themselves.

The group had a chance to rest their sore feet a bit after this, as Jim, the substitute driver, gave them a narrated tour of Chicago on his school bus. The bus came to a screeching halt, however, when Ariel's grandmother spied Harpo Studios where the Oprah Winfrey show is taped. For any die-hard fan of the show, it was a photo op that could not be passed up! After much laughter and teasing (and photos!), the bus continued on the tour, eventually ending up at the Navy Pier on the shores of Lake Michigan. The choir divided into groups with their chaperones and headed off for dinner on their own as well as souvenir shopping and riding the giant Ferris Wheel or the carousel. After dark, there was a fireworks show scheduled.

[Added on 6/24] The girls enjoyed the fireworks and got some great pictures of some of the chaperones sliding down the stair rails. Amy C. won the award for the most indelicate landing. After the pier, it was back to the hotel to turn in for the night.

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