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THE FOLLOWING IS A NEWS-GAZETTE STORY BY JENNIFER BAILEY

DANVILLE — The Danville Barbershop Chorus has been singing at Busch Stadium before Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals baseball games for the past six to seven years.

The group sang the national anthem in May, but the Memorial Day weekend game they had tickets for was rained out.

On Saturday, they will return with a smaller group due to some members having other commitments, to sing again and hopefully get their game in this time. It’s a doubleheader, and they’ll be singing at and watching the nighttime game that starts at 7:15 p.m.

Member Mark Lindvahl said the chorus has about 20 members able to attend Saturday’s game. Not everyone can make this one, including himself and his wife, Marty, who directs the chorus, due to a family reunion.

However, enough of the group can attend and they’ll have a repeat performance this year.

Filling in for Marty Lindvahl will be Assistant Director Tom Fricke.

When the chorus was last in town Memorial Day weekend, the full group of more than 40 made the trip.

There is some carpooling, as each one makes their way to St. Louis, in addition to family and friends.

“Jeff McMorris had a contact (with the Cardinals) and got us started,” Mark Lindvahl said. “We’ve been very fortunate.”

He said singing at the stadium is a unique experience.

“It’s great,” Lindvahl said.

While the group did sing the national anthem in May, the game itself ended up being rained out.

Lindvahl said the players were not all out when they last sang.

He’s said it’s quite the experience walking in their shirts from the right field fence to the bottom of the stadium and seeing all the action going on.

There’s also a children’s group that sings “God Bless America.” They practice in the hallway.

He said each group applauds for each other, and they hear the crowd clapping.

“It’s really a cool experience,” Lindvahl said.

The Danville Barbershop Chorus sells tickets to the game, at a discounted price, to have a Danville contingent at the stadium.

“It’s a really cool experience to just be in that ballpark and be around the players,” he added.

Most of the members stay for the game. They’re split between Cubs and Cardinals fans.

When they get to the stadium, they meet at 6 p.m. at Gate 1 and gather with Cardinals staff, prior to making their way down to the field.

Fricke said even though they’ve been there around seven years now, “it’s still an incredible feeling.”

While the stadium isn’t yet full at that time, with the crowd still getting to the game, there’s still a lot of people there, he said.

“It’s a great reception from the crowd. It’s a treat,” he said.

The group’s performance at the game is usually the end of the season for its members, after which they take a month or so off and then start preparing for their Christmas show.

Danville Barbershop Chorus Returning to Busch Stadium

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