The Golden Chordsmen Tour Southern England Following a visit of the Plymouth, England Club to the US where most of their members stayed with us for a weekend, the Golden Chordsmen explored the potential for a trip to England. Through Plymouth, we got in touch with clubs in Crawley and Bournemouth. Concert were set up in July of 1991 with all three clubs as well as accommodations for most of our members in their members homes, minimizing lodging expenses. Only on the final couple of days, did we all stay in a hotel to see the sights of London. Many thanks to Connie Delehanty for providing the pictures. The trip started with the visit to Bournemouth, on the the Southern coast of England, south west of London. We intermixed tours of castles and other high points with rehearsals and the concert. But mostly, we enjoyed the hospitality of our gracious hosts -- getting to know new friends that many still communicate with today. Arrival at Bournemeouth, greeted by members and local TV coverage. The our part of each concert included some props from our recent show about putting out a newspaper. Several quartets also from the chorus and from several English clubs rounded out the show. But again, the real fun was the afterglow where we got to sing with our new English friends. Golden Chordsmen Director Al Fennell and the Director of the Bournemouth Chorus at the afterglow with the chorus dolls to remember the event. We traveled west from Bournemouth to Plymouth by way of Bath and Westminster, where we all got to see the Roman baths and the local cathedrals. At Plymouth, it was old home week as we met the folks who had stayed with us earlier who would now be our local hosts. Again, a chance to get to know them better was a key highlight. But we also had several parties including a formal reception with the Lord Mayor of Plymouth. Ernie Salvator, Pat Iorillo and John Finkbiner meet the Lord Mayor of Plymouth. Our local hosts took us around the area, including the spot where the pilgrams departed for America. Lots of parties and rehearsals were capped by a great show and an afterglow to remember -- not only was the singing hot, but so was the temperature. But what great gang singing with these folks. We had a sell-out crowd for a show with the Plymouthaires and several quartets in this grand hall. After touring to the furthest west point in England and getting to see the countryside, we headed east to Crawley. (They still use thatched roofs, which work very well.) All the way through the English countryside, we had excellent tour guides to help us "translate the language". In Crawley, we met yet another group of great local hosts. We put on a show there with another great afterglow. Our helpful guide gets us oriented. Steve Delehanty and John Finkbiner outside a castle in Crawley. After all the singing, we troupped up to London for a couple of nights in a hotel and days of touring. Most did the standard tour of the Tower of London, Buckingham Castle, and Piccadilly Circus. At night, we took in the famous theater shows. Some of us ventured on a boat ride down the Thames to Greenwich where you can straddle the 0/24 time zone. On our way to the airport, Al Fennell directs us in a final song. E-MAIL: The Westchester Chordsmen Back to the Westchester Chordsmen Home Page