The Ladybirds were notified about the Inwood Men’s Show to be held at Musselman High School in Inwood, West Virginia, on April 14th. A number of the group signed up to attend the show, but in the end, only Mary Schaver, Liz & Jim West, and Ellie & Frank Batchelor did so.

The Men Perform at Inwood

Mary said at one point, “Where else could I go for a dinner and an evening of entertainment for $10?” That is certainly true. We arrived in Inwood about 4:45 p.m. in time for the spaghetti dinner which was held before the show. We were among the first to arrive and Frank even helped John Fisher and his wife haul food for the Afterglow and presents to be used as door prizes into the building. Liz and Jim drove separately but joined us at our table when they arrived.

The spaghetti dinner was enjoyed by all. In addition to spaghetti there was garden salad, garlic bread, and beverages. Dessert was served at the Afterglow immediately after the barbershop show.

The Audience Gathers

It was amazing how the cafeteria of Musselman High School filled to near capacity quickly as people arrived to enjoy the festivities of the evening. By the same token, the auditorium also filled up rapidly as people finished their meal and went to get seated for the Barbershop Show.

The Men’s Quartet In Action

The Inwood Barbershoppers set up their show as a recording session. One of their men explained to the audience that they were “cutting an album.” He drilled the audience in clapping when he indicated clapping was called for. We practiced that and were complimented on being such a help to their recording efforts. A big lighted sign that read RECORDING flashed on every time they began a new selection and the narrator or announcer conversed with the tech guy who was “recording” each track on their album.

We enjoyed such songs as Shenandoah, Benny’s From Heaven (that is not a typo), and a comedy number performed by John Fisher’s quartet. That same quartet also sang Where Oh Where, after acknowledging the attendance of some of the Ladybirds from Cumberland, Maryland, in the audience.

The Children Sing

Announcements were made about CD’s and/or cassette tapes for sale by the Inwood Chorus and door prizes were awarded to lucky recipients immediately after the intermission.

Ellie Batchelor & Mary Schaver Enjoy The Show

At the end of the show, everyone was invited to attend the Afterglow in the cafeteria where the meal had been served earlier. We elected not to stay for the Afterglow because of the lengthy trip back to Cumberland; plus, the weather got really nasty as we made our way back home.