I’ve described my shape note adventures of the past two days on my Sacred Harp blog. Here are links to part one and part two. Probably not of great interest except to those shape note afficiandos, or those with an interest in traditional Southern culture.
Update 6/19: And here’s part three.
I’ve been curious about Sacred Harp for a while, but no one does it up here. Thanks for sharing a view from the inside.
Hey, I see from your blog info that you live in Anchorage. According to an online directory of Sacred Harp singings, there has been an annual Alaskan convention in October on the Friday and Saturday before the fourth Sunday of the month: “Alaska Sacred Harp Convention – United Methodist Church, Sitka AK. Info: Kari Lundgren.” See this Web page for more: http://www.mcsr.olemiss.edu/~mudws/annual.html — see below for Kari’s email address. I know Sitka’s a long way from where you are — but Sitka is also a lot closer than Birmingham, Alabama.
Not that it does you any good, there are also regular singings in Fairbanks and Sitka:
Fairbanks: Sundays – 7:00 p.m. Info: William Walters (907) 479-3796-Robert Sullivan, rsrbs@aurora.alaska.edu.
Sitka: Second Sundays – 3:30-5:30 p.m. – Sitka Pioneers Home Chapel. Info: Kari, (907) 747-4624 or coastal.rentals@yahoo.com
(see this Web page: http://www.mcsr.olemiss.edu/~mudws/regular.html#AK )
I was actually talking to some singers who went up to Alaska singings, and they said the singing was pretty good. I also heard rumors that someone was trying to start something in Anchorage, but at this point it’s nothing more than rumors.
There is a new singing in Anchorage, Alaska the second and fourth Sundays and an even newer singing starting in Palmer on the first Sunday. See sacredharpalaska.org for details.