Trip Out East Day Four - 1979

Tuesday, June 12

We will perform at the Senate side of the capitol in Washington, D.C. at 10:00 a.m. - The rest of the day will be spent sight-seeing - We will stay with the Burke, Virginia families again this evening.

Journal: "We had a great time with the family . Me, Jeff, Dan W. and Tim W. We stayed with the ______. We stayed there two nights. They have a forienge exchange student. She was Jackie from Holland. Boy can she disco. There was Lori, Nancy, Scott. My glasses were hit by a soccer ball while play[ing] kickball. I forgot to mention the mother and father who were very nice. I did get my glasses fixed."

Trip Out East Day Three - June 1979

Monday, June 11

We are scheduled to sing at the National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., at 11:00 a.m. - We will tour the Washington area in the afternoon - We will arrive at the Lord of Life Lutheran Fellowship Church in Burke, Virginia at 5:30 p.m. - We will give a concert at the church in the evening and spend the night in church homes.

Journal: "We had to wake up at 5:30 this morning. I had to take a shower because my hair was dirty. We've went through Deleware and Maryland, and Baltimore. We've not yet made it to the National Cathedral yet. Philedphia was fun. We saw the Liberty Bell, Independance Hall. We sat for hours (our captian group) at Mcdonalds waiting for food to take back to the church we were staying at. Me, Jeff, David B. and Lonnie L. got in trouble for not, taking our showers with our captians groups."

Trip Out East Day Two - June 1979

Sunday, June 10

Arrive at Old First Reformed United Church of Christ, 4th and Race Streets, Philadelphia, at 9:00 a.m. - We will sing at the 11:00 a.m. service - The afternoon will be spent sight-seeing - We will sleep in the church.

Journal: "We slept on the bus last night. It was awful. I was on the floor, I couldn't turn, and I had to sleep on my stomach. We are in Pennsylvania now. We have to miss the service because we lost time last night and can't make it. It's about 10:00 right now. Most kids are dying of hunger. A lot of kids are sick too. Another kid threw up. Me and Nick Hall just played cards all this morning. We stopped at Howard Johnsons to eat. Jeff barfed. Not over the food, he was just sick. We still haven't made it to Philadelphia yet."

Trip Out East Day One - 1979

In the 1970's and very early 1980's I was part of the Metropolitan Boys Choir of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Every June just after school let out we'd go on tour. In 1979 we headed out east. Not too long ago I uncovered some photos from this trip that I found in the basement. A few days later I was poking around the attic and found some journal entries from that same trip. On this particular tour our director, Bea Speed, was adamant that we journal every day over the course of the tour. We were given a packet of dittoed sheets that were printed with the date and itinerary for each day of the tour. Here's the first entry [Note: Spelling is unedited and is as it appeared in the journal.]:

Saturday, June 9

Leave Mayflower parking lot at 9:00 a.m. - Spend the day on the bus -Spend the night on the bus, too!

Journal: "10 minuets after the bus departed. This kid in front of me and Jeff started throwing up. It stunk for a while to. Later we went to a department store in Rodcester to look around. Then we went to a Mcdonalds. I'm sick of it already. Then we had to switch buses. While waiting for the next bus our captians and thier groups had to make a marching show. Our group won. Then we just rode on the bus for a while and then we ate at the Madison Heritage House. It was good."