They did it!  After spending a big day at Six Flags over Atlanta riding roller costers, watching shows, and enjoying a beatiful sunny day we gathered together for dinner and the awards ceremony.  With a score of 276 out of 300, we took home a GOLD!!!  We also recieved the award for the "Outstanding Choral Group" of the festival!  We will be bringing home a plaque, a trophy, and memories that will never be forgotten.  This has been an incredible trip and a wonderful group of kids and chaperones to travel with. 

We will be leaving Atlanta tomorrow morning at 8 in hopes to arrive back home in Springfield by 7pm.  Until then....

Good night,
Mrs. C

For more videos, please see the Kickapoo Choir facebook page. 

Wow!  What a day!  It seems like it has just started yet it has been so long since we left the rooms! 

We left the hotel and headed downtown Atlanta.  The first stop was Coca-Cola.  For the next couple hours, we saw Coca-Cola artifacts from several countries, seeing movies about the development, and ending in the tasting room where there are 65 different kinds of soda from all over the world to sample.  Two of the kids made it through all 65 kinds.  After Coca-Cola, the group split up touring Centenial Olympic Park, CNN, and riding the Sky View Atlanta (a huge ferris wheel 20 stories high overlooking the whole downtown). 

This afternoon was performace time.  We headed to North Cobb High School where the kids gave an incredible performance for their competition.  The judges were forced to pick on things that were completely subjective.  Everyone should be very proud of the performace of this choir!

The day ended at Stone Mountain.  Even though most didn't get the chance to make it to the top, we had time for dinner and saw the amazing firework and laser light show. 

After arriving back at the hotel tonight, Mr. C called an important meeting for everyone.  We gathered in one of the rooms for a delivery from Gigi's Cupcakes for the birthdays of Faith (today) and Kayla (tomorrow).  I don't think any of them will crash very soon after eating the cake and the mounds of frosting on top! 

Tomorrow is our last day in Atlanta.  We'll spend it at Six Flags ending with the competition results and awards banquet.  I will update tomorrow as soon as I can with the results.  As they have heard over and over though, it's not about the plastic trophy or the ratings on the paper but about the experiences they will always remember.  Be proud Springfield!  They are representing you well!

Until tomorrow,
Mrs. C

Here we are, the end of the second day of our adventures.  Today started with a short bus ride from Chattanooga to Atlanta.  Our arrival in Atlanta landed us at "The Varsity" for lunch which is an original restauant from 1928 just off the campus of Georgia Tech. 

Next we toured the birthplace and memorial for Martin Luther King, Jr.  We spent time seeing where he was born, raised, and preached.  Many took the time to go into the church where he gave a sermon, sat down in the pew, and listened as his recorded voice was speaking.  It was such a moving experience.  Before we left, the kids joined together to sing just outside the door of the visitor's center.  So many people stopped to listen, take pictures, and record them.  Many people were moved by their voices.  It was such an incredible sight and sound.

After checking in to our beautiful hotel we dressed up for a night at the theater.  We traveled to Fox Theater just off the famous Peachtree Street in Atlanta where we saw the Broadway cast perform "The Lion King".  What an awesome show! 

We just returned to the hotel for a night of rest before running tomorrow and finally the competition!  Wish them luck tomorrow, which I'm sure they won't need.  They sound amazing, are having a great time, and are an awesome group of kids to travel with.  We are so blessed to be part of such an amazing group. 

Good night for now,
Mrs. C

Good evening from Chattanooga, Tennesse.  As of 3:00am our adventures have begun for the 2014 KHS Chamber Choir tour.  The bus departed from Kickapoo at 3:00 and for the next several hours, not a sound was heard. 

We arrived in Nashville, Tennesse at 10:45am.  After getting warmed up, the kids sang their competition pieces for Dr. Tucker Biddlecombe, the Director of Choral Studies at Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University.  He was truly amazed at the sound of the choir.  We were entertained by stories and ideas as he helped the kids understand the music to a deeper and more personal level.  He gave several pointers to help them but said he was being extremely picky because they did such a wonderful job.  He ended the one and a half hour session with words of advise for the kids as they look to their future,  find what you are passionate about and go for it! 

After lunch in the sun and a short tour of Blair School of Music, we settled in on the bus again for a two hour drive to Chattanooga.  With stomachs full of pizza provided by the Choir Boosters, we are settled into our rooms ready for a good nights sleep before being Atlanta bound in the morning. 

I will try to keep you posted nightly about our daily excursions.  Thanks for following us on our adventures. 

Mrs. Cornelius