In This Issue

• Celebrate your chapter BOTY
• SoCal Novice/HS Quartet Contest - Feb 6
• NorCal Novice/HS Quartet Contest - Feb 27
• Singing Valentines
• High School Quartet Contest
• Contest Registration
• Singing For Life Deadline
• Webcast Update
• Amtrak it for Reno
• District Spring Prelims and NE Division Convention
• Harmony For Lunch Bunch at Reno
• Classes at Reno
• Division Conventions
• Inquiring Minds Want To Know
• Heard Over The Back Fence
• Chapter Leader Monthly To Do
• Calendar and Links

Celebrate your chapter BOTYs

If your chapter honored a man as a Barbershopper Of The Year, the rest of us would love to hear about it. Just have a chapter officer log into the FWD Members Only Area and click on Submit Chapter BOTY Information.

SoCal Novice/HS Quartet Contest - Feb 6

This fun event is just a few days away on Saturday, February 6, and there is still time to register to compete. It's a fun place to be the audience too and the newbies need you there cheering them on.

Learn all about it at SoCal Novice Contest on the Westminster website.

NorCal Novice/HS Quartet Contest - Feb 27

There's plenty of time to get ready for the NorCal Novice and High School Quartet Contest. It's held in the city of Ripon a few miles south of Stockton. The website for all the details is at NorCal Novice. High School quartets get a free ride.

Singing Valentines

For many barbershoppers the best day of singing in the whole year is while delivering Singing Valentines. The emotions experienced vary widely by both the recipients and the singers.

When your quartet is through with your deliveries, please share your experiences with us all by sending your story to the Far Western District Webmaster for posting on the FWD site.

If you can't wait to read some Seriously Sentimental Stories, just click on Valentines Story Archive right now.

If your chapter is delivering Singing Valentines you can register your chapter's plan at SingingValentines.com. You can locate chapters here that will make deliveries to your loved ones in cities across the nation.

High School Quartet Contest

If you have never watched a High School Quartet Contest you have really missed out. It is impossible to guess what you will see and hear.

On Saturday, March 20, at 2pm (or so) at Reno these quartets will once again take stage and it will be a kick. There is no charge to attend and it is open seating, so get there a bit early if you want to be up close.

If your chapter has never sponsored a high school quartet, you have missed out again. There is nothing like sitting in the audience cheering Your Quartet on. It's not too late for your chapter to get connected with a local high school to get a quartet formed. Help them find a couple easy songs. Give them some coaching help. Spend a few dollars on expenses for them. Then sit in the audience and then ... well, you know what to do then.

The quartets sign up online at HS Quartet Contest.

Contest Registration

Registration is now open for all Spring contests on the Society's ebiz site. Go to BHS ebusiness and log in. Then click Contest Entry and follow the instructions.

Singing For Life

The enrollment period for Singing For Life is about over. This is a community service program for the society and every chapter is encouraged to participate. Check it out at Singing for Life Program.

Webcast Update

The webcast for the Spring District convention has been cancelled due to a scheduling conflict. We'll try again for the Fall Contests.

Amtrak it to Reno

For a hassle free and very weather tolerant trip to Reno go by train. Our Reno hosts have arranged a 10% discount for our convention goers and if you are 62 or older the standard discount for seniors is 15%.

The Reno Amtrak station is just a block from the headquarters hotel. The contests will be in an auditorium just two blocks from the hotel. There are plenty of restaurants within a 3 block area. You can have a car-free and carefree time at Reno.

District Spring Prelims and NE Division Convention at Reno

Not only will we have our International Quartet Preliminary contests, the weekend is combined with our Northeast Division Chorus and Quartet contests. Add to that the High School Quartet Contest plus some fun classes and it makes for a full and enjoyable weekend. There will be lots of lobby and hallway singing too.

Then add to that all the local attractions and you may need to arrive early and leave late to get it all in. The Reno chapter created a Come to Reno flyer to help give a sense of the variety you can enjoy.

Go to the Convention Website for registration forms and tons of information about this fun weekend.

Get your registration in by February 17 and you'll get in on the Early bird rate.

Harmony For Lunch Bunch at Reno

HFLB will meet from 11:30am to 1pm at The Wild River Grill , 17 South Virginia Street. It is on the ground floor of the Riverside Hotel directly across from the Pioneer Theater and two blocks from Harrah's Hotel, the host hotel for the convention. Lunch will be $10 including tax and tip and will be served to us in a private area suitable for much singing.

The HFLB is a great way to begin the Convention part of the weekend. You'll get your pipes warmed up, meet some new friends, sing a bunch of songs, and enjoy a nice meal. Is your quartet competing Friday night? Here's the perfect place to sing in front of an appreciative crowd.

Classes at Reno

There will be two tracks of classes on Friday afternoon at Reno. They'll start at 1pm and be over by 4pm to give you plenty of time to find some dinner. One track is well defined, but the second one awaits some responses from instructors. It may be Tag Singing Marathon hosted by three different leaders.

Time	Track 1	Track 2
1pm	Beginning Woodshedding	TBD
2pm	Form quartets for a contest	TBD
3pm	Impromptu Quartet Contest	TBD

The Impromptu Quartet Contest at 3pm is always a fun time. Quartet singers arrive at 2pm to find the other parts, choose a wild quartet name, then register. At 3pm they sing one song for the specially assembled judges—the audience. Com join us for the fun.

Watch for the March 1 issue of eNews for the final list of classes.

Division Conventions

The division conventions are all defined and the host chapters are all in place. Now it is your turn. You will find all the conventions and contests defined on our website at www.fwdconventions.org.

Inquiring Minds Want To Know

What are the rules to enter a Division Contest?

Our new FWD Director of Contest and Judging, Ron Black, says the rules are simple:

1. Make sure every quartet or chorus man is a paid-up BHS member as of the contest date
2. Make sure every quartet man is registered at BHS in the quartet, or every chorus man is a member of your chapter.
3. Do the CJ-20 Contest Entry process on the ebiz.barbershop.org site (under Contest Entry).
4. Every man must purchase a convention registration from the host chapter.

The incredibly definitive account is recorded in the FWD Statement of Policy (2010 draft edition) in section 8.3 starting on numbered page 15 or PDF page 23.

Send all questions to Keith Eckhardt, FWD Webmaster, at webmaster@spebsqsafwd.org.

Heard Over The Back Fence

The man who has been a FWD quartet champ the most times is Raymond Davis, tenor extraordinaire. His four quartets were Special Feature(1990), Applause!(2000), Q(2003), and Late Show(2006). The FWD online directory shows the following men with three wins each: Bill Merry, Bill White, Craig Ewing, Fraser Brown, Jim Meehan, Joe D'Amore, Max DeZemplen, and Scott Kidder.

Derick Sturke, our new FWD Social Activities Chairman, and his lovely wife Rachel held a fun Soup and Song event at their home in Oakdale recently. OK, Derick, now that you have all that experience with gobs of singing and tons of food, what's your next BIG step?

Richard and Bettelu Briel are celebrating their 60th Wedding Anniversary and Richard's 50th year singing Barbershop Harmony. All of their friends from over the years are invited to their big party on February 20. Click on Briel Party for all the details.

Keep those rumors and random data flowing to enews@spebsqsafwd.org.

Chapter Leader Monthly To Do