The Chattanooga Girls Choir

Day 4
Fri., June 23

After an 8:00 buffet breakfast, we got on the bus for a morning of sightseeing. Our first stop was at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, where the girls saw the hand- and footprints of past and current screen stars, including George Burns (and his cigar!), the very large prints of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Roy Rogers AND Trigger (!), the entire cast of Star Trek, and Marilyn Monroe. Many of the girls also went inside the theater, which was preparing for a 12:30 showing of Mission Impossible: 2 (yes, it's still an active theater). The screen is HUGE, at least three times the size of the typical multiplex screen, and the theater itself is roughly the size of the Tivoli in Chattanooga, except that Grauman's only has a small balcony area. On the way back to the bus, the girls got to walk part of the Stars' Walk of Fame, where brass and marble stars are imbedded in the sidewalk, about two-thirds of them with the name of a famous star of stage, movie, TV, radio, or music,and rest blank, awaiting the name of a future star. (Perhaps one of our singing daughters?)

The bus then took us to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. We had about 30 minutes to window-shop, mail postcards from the 90210 post office, and grab a soda at small souvenir store. Some girls tried to count the number of BMWs, Mercedes, and Jaguars that drove past (they lost count very quickly), some were surprised to see the Beverly Hill police driving black-and-white SUVs, and some decided they were out of their league when they saw valet parking for the Tommy Hilfilger store. It was an interesting experience.

The last part of the afternoon was spent in Santa Monica, where we had 45 minutes at a mall where the girls could buy lunch and shop briefly, followed by 45 minutes on Santa Monica Pier, a huge wooden structure with shops, street peddlers, restaurants, and even amusement rides like a Ferris wheel and a roller coaster. Even better, the view from the pier of the Pacific Ocean and the beach with the mountains rising from the coastline was breathtaking! Our time there went by way too fast, and soon we were on our bus again, heading back to the hotel so the girls could change for dinner and the evening concert. Unfortunately, on the way back we became part of one of L.A.'s famous traffic jams, so we ended up having dinner first (a VERY quick dinner at the Castle Garden Buffet Restaurant), and then the girls had a whole 15 minutes back at the hotel to change into their casual concert uniform.

Thanks to your efficient children, we arrived on time at Los Altos United Methodist Church in Long Beach. (We'll be back at this same church on Sunday so the girls can sing for the two services.) The concert began at 7:00, with the International Peace Choir taking the stage first. The Peace Choir is based in Long Beach and has been in existence for over 25 years. They are a choir dedicated to promoting world peace and brotherhood, and they have sung at many events across America. Tonight, they had about 30 members present, each dressed in a costume of a different country. The ages of the singers ranged from as young as 6 (!) to 17 years old, and they were very professional and entertaining as they sang songs about peace, love, and the celebration of diversity. They even did ethnic dances and sign language!

The Girls Choir was the second half of the program, and they sang beautifully (though several of the girls reported later that it was so hot up on stage that they felt faint -- it didn't show!). After the concert, the church hosted a reception for the choirs, and many people came up to tell us how impressed they were with the Girls Choir. Even some members of the other choir said that they wished they could have the rich sound and harmonies that our choir has. The kids in the two choirs sat together around tables and made friends -- it was really fun to watch! Your girls were great ambassadors for Chattanooga tonight.

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Morgan and Alyson check out the big hands of Arnold Schwartzenegger.

A mime entertained the girls on Santa Monica pier.

Betsy, Sally, Ashley, Jessica, Sarah, and Katherine enjoy the cool breeze and the view of the beautiful California coastline on the Santa Monica pier.

The International Peace Choir performs songs of hope, joy, and goodwill.

The Chattanooga Girls Choir sings the haunting "When I Am Silent".

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