A fitting way, top start that final day of tour. We load up the van this morning to head to Trinity United Methodist Church in Cartersville for worship, and the Ozzy Osbourne power ballad, Mama, I'm Coming Home is the first song on the radio. We are in indeed coming home in every sense. It was another good stop in Cartersville and good to see old friends from the mission trip. Worship this morning was packed and many were sad they had not attended the concert after seeing what they missed. We also had  a great Shallowford contingent for the concert last night who came up to support the choir and see one more show. 

It was finally Senior Night! Emily and I took the seven Seniors out for a night of putt putt, go karts, milkshakes and fun. A great group of kids that we will really miss. Luckily, many of them will still be around Atlanta next year! Can't wait to see all you faithful readers in just a few short hours for the Homecoming Concert. 

Yesterday was the much anticipated return to Brentwood, TN and Brentwood United Methodist Church. We sang here in 2009 on our way to Boston and the kids have been dying to come back ever since. The church was and is incredibly hospitable and the home-stays are particularly posh. 

On the way in to town, we drove the kids through downtown and Music Row to give them a glimpse of the home of country music. It was a beautiful day in Nashville and Broadway was bustling on a Friday afternoon. We had another wonderful BBQ dinner (BBQ tour > lasagna tour) including some great banana pudding and had an opportunity to explore the church before the concert. 

There were a lot of youth from Brentwood in attendance including some members of their traveling youth choir who are preparing for their singing mission trip to Uganda next week. Emily is great friends with their director James Wells and a couple others in the music ministry at Brentwood so we were able to work it out to collaborate on a couple songs. Together, the combined choirs, some 85 strong, performed Walk Humbly With Your God and We Abide (videos below) which made for a powerful ending to another great show. 

At Shallowford, we are used to seeing a large group of teenagers sing, but to have two groups from different places come together to tell the same story through song was particularly moving. In a world where teenagers are often overlooked, and rarely get the benefit of the doubt, hearing them sing about the importance of their role in the world, especially their role in bringing about change and progress, brought tears to many eyes. 

After the concert, it was off to home-stays. This morning we reluctantly boarded the buses, sad to leave, but anxious to be one step closer to home. Today we arrive in Cartersville where we will sing at Trinity United Methodist Church who we met on our youth mission trip last year in Cincinnati, OH.

Check out more photos from the concert in the photo gallery.  

It was bittersweet to leave behind the best hotel of the tour so far, but it was on to bigger and better things. Or at least things closer to home. We got up this morning and hit the road adding a couple more states to our total. A pit stop in Illinois later, we were in Kentucky. As you can see it was DRESS DAY so all the girls were dressed for the occasion. 

We arrived in Paducah just in time to, you guessed it, EAT. This time at the Kentucky Oaks Mall and surrounding area. We met up with Emily's parents, our hosts for this stop.After the mall, we stopped at Noble Park for some frisbee, spike ball, and other park activities. It was cool and well shaded and a good chance to relax. Some took walks, others read, played cards, etc. 


We owe huge thanks to both Broadway United Methodist Church and First Presbyterian of Paducah for making this stop possible. First we unloaded and rehearsed at Broadway and then headed over to FPC for a BBQ dinner (this time Kentucky style). Then back to Broadway for the concert. 

Between the two churches, it was another good turn out and a great space to sing in. The proud parents were in the first row. Once again, we are all in home-stays tonight including 9 of us at The Grand Lodge. 

Tomorrow it's off to Brentwood, TN. 

More pictures and videos from today in the photo gallery.

Yesterday was another day off from singing. We left Jeff City headed for St. Louis. First stop, the unbelievably free, St. Louis Zoo. Once again cooler temperatures were our friend as we had a beautiful day to enjoy walking around outside. Highlights at the zoo included large cats, apes, and sea lions. Ruth and Katharine Kilcrease met up with us for the day!

After the zoo we were Arch bound. We had a couple hours to walk around the city, stroll along the river, and grab a bite to eat before our scheduled tour of the Arch. It was a tight squeeze into the tiny tram cars but we planned our rides up perfectly as we got to the summit just in time for sunset and spectacular night time panoramas of the St. Louis skyline from 630 feet above the city. 

It was our first full day without rain since Birmingham and a good thing since we spent so much of it outside. The kids are now rested (ha) and ready for our last push as we sing four times in the next three days. We're headed for Paducah where we will connect with Emily's parents where we will certainly receive a warm welcome! 

Oh, and it's dress day. 

More photos from the day below. 

Good riddance to the Ramada Inn! What an adventure though. When the ceiling tile broke through during breakfast, we knew we were escaping not a moment too soon. We hit the rainy roads for another short drive to Jefferson (Jeff) City, MO. After a stop at a "mall" we met the Reverend Henry's and Samuel along with some of the kids from FPC Jeff City at the church and they led us down to Central Dairy for some top notch ice cream made in house. 

After being well fed, we sang to a packed house at First Presbyterian who had surely heard about our group from a proud mama and papa. It was nice to finally be in their neck of the woods since they always come south. We also had a few family members in the crowd tonight which is always a nice surprise. There were lots of young kids in attendance and it's always fun to see the ways kids react to the music, and equally entertaining to see our singers react to the kids and their expressions. 

We have officially crossed the halfway point now so lost items are being shipped to our final destination, the rookies are totally out of money, and some of the boys are starting to ripen. 

We are very grateful to all be in home-stays tonight and are hoping for dry weather tomorrow in Saint Louis. Below are some videos from tonight's performance. 

Today was a play day. We virtually had the park to ourselves for much of the day with the threat of rain and cooler temperatures keeping most people away. We got a little wet but the shorter lines were well worth it. The ride of the day, as you can tell from the pictures, was the slingshot! After almost ten hours of fun we headed back to the hotel for some pool time and earlier bedtimes?? (wishful thinking) 

Tomorrow we hope to outrun the rain as we head to Jefferson City for another evening concert. 

We were fairly eager to leave our hotel behind this morning, and departed for Village Presbyterian in Kansas or Missouri. Still not exactly sure where we are. 

We received a warm welcome from "Tommy" Are, Jr. and his congregation as we helped lead worship at the contemporary service. Tom spoke fondly of his days at Shallowford while admitting that both the choir and our polo shirts have improved tremendously since he sang years ago. He specifically mentioned that the ability he had to sing the faith at a young age undoubtedly played a large part in getting him where he is today. 

While we didn't present the full program the selected pieces fit nicely into a service crafted around the Tower of Babel story from Genesis, speaking to a world in which Christ continues to break down walls, and work against people, even people like us, that operate from an understanding of God that is too small. 

After church it was off to Winstead's, the local diner. Think Steak and Shake meets Zesto meets molasses. Okay, in all fairness the seventy of us were probably the largest crowd this restaurant has seen for quite some time. The food, once we got it, was actually pretty good but it was basically a nearly three hour comedy of errors. Luckily the kids were all in good spirits, we really had nowhere else to be, and the Skyscraper Shake was pretty phenomenal. 

After lunch, we still had a few minutes of daylight so we headed over to Antioch Park to blow off a little steam before our evening performance. It was a great park with lots of activity and a perfect way to unwind. 

Finally, Grace Covenant pulled out all the stops for us. The grills were fired up when we got there, people were running everywhere to get dinner ready for us, and the worship space was both beautiful and alive. We gathered together with some of their youth for a KC brisket dinner and birthday celebration for Abigail before singing for Chris and Samuel along with a hundred or more others. Tonight, we are 100% in homestays for the first time on tour thanks to their tremendous hospitality.

Tomorrow it's off to Worlds of Fun for a day of play. 
 More pictures from the day here. Check back later for videos from tonight's performance. 

Often times, if we're lucky, there is not much to report on travel days like yesterday. We got on the bus at 8:45am in Memphis, TN and got off the bus in Kansas City, MO at 6:45pm. Add in 11 bathroom/lunch/pit stops and you have a full day. Space Jam made its annual appearance yesterday. Truth or dare was played (don't worry it was the 7th grade version). And naps were had. All in all an easy but long day. 

We arrived in Kansas City to our "eclectic" hotel where if nothing else, the Shallowford group is guaranteed to fly under the radar believe it or not! This morning it's off to sing and worship at Village Presbyterian in KC. 

I leave you with this short movie I put together to give you a glimpse into life on the road on choir tour. Enjoy. 

This morning we left Birmingham and Alabama behind as we headed towards Memphis. First stop, Central BBQ where a feast awaited. They had a room already set up for us with an all you can hog buffet ready to go. It was a toss up between the wet and dry ribs. 17 ribs later, Bart Turney still hadn't decided which ones he liked better. 

As we waddled out of the restaurant the kids headed for the bustling streets of Memphis filled with the sounds of the blues and crummy souvenirs. And then this happened:

Some of the kids had enough sense to get in out of the rain while others reveled in the opportunity to run through the soaked streets of Memphis. I'll let you decide which choice your kids made. Nonetheless we all made it back to the bus just as the rain was letting up. Cold, soaked, and tired it was time to go sing. 

During the course of a tour, there always seem to be certain audiences that bring out the best in the choir. Thankfully, with the odds stacked against us, this afternoon was one of those times. We arrived just several minutes before showtime and pretty soon the men at the Salvation Army Rehabilitation Center began to file in. And they kept coming! By the time the choir took the stage, there were between 150 and 200 men ready to party. 

Whoops, hollers, and Amens could be heard coming from the crowd for the entire hour and the choir responded with an impassioned performance as they delivered words of hope and inspiration to a room full of men on the road to sobriety. It was one of those magical performances in which giving, the choir received so much. They left with a real sense of pride, an appreciation for the enthusiasm of the audience, and a new found understanding of the importance of the message in this year's program. 

With renewed energy and excitement, it was off to our first mall food court of the tour for dinner and shopping. 

Visit the Photo Gallery for more pictures and videos from today's events. 

We knew we were going to have to get creative when we planned a first day drive of only two and a half hours from Atlanta to Birmingham. But the kids would have lots of time to run around in the grassy quads of UAB, to dip in and out of quaint, Southern shops filled with nic nacs, and to satisfy their sweet tooth at the local soda fountain and old fashioned candy store. We knew we were in trouble when we arrived in the section of town known as Five Points (an hour early I might add after the time change) where apparently all people do is eat. No shops, no grass, no old town charm. Instead it was full of fast food staples like Chick-fil-a, Firehouse Subs, Jimmy Johns, Waffle House, etc. It was almost as if we were caught in the middle of a movie set where seemingly the same group of extras might appear from around any corner at any moment and we were the only people that didn't belong (and of course wearing matching t-shirts). 

But in true choir tour fashion, we invaded the Starbucks patio where intense games of UNO were played, fortune and tarot card reading skills were mastered, and many, many four word caffeinated beverages were consumed. Thanks to the shade of several trees and a fairly steady breeze, we managed to survive the afternoon before heading off to Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church for our first concert. 

Upon arrival it took a few minutes for the rust to wear off, but then youth were scurrying around taking care of jobs, showing new kids the ropes and falling into the familiar routine. 

After putting away 22 or the 25 pizzas, it was time to sing. It wasn't exactly standing room only but there were close family friends, and grandparents in the audience tonight as well as a local choir director that we met in town today that came to check us out. Certainly a respectable first show. Tonight we are scattered throughout homestays and a hotel, young and old paired up with their "tour buddies." Tomorrow it's off to Memphis. 

More more pictures and videos from tonight's performance visit the Photo Gallery section or click here.