Sharing music...and plenty of joy

St. Cloud Area Fun Singers started performing in the ‘80s

By Nikki Rajala

Sandy Hurd, a member of the St. Cloud Area Fun Singers, doesn’t just stand there and sing a part. A volunteer at heart, she tells jokes, participates in skits, and chats up the audience afterward. Why?

“Because we bring so much joy to people,” she said. “Seeing the appreciative faces of our audiences is what I like most about being in this group. We like entertaining them and they look forward to us. Sometimes they sing along — we’ve seen patients with dementia humming or remembering words to our songs. That in itself is so rewarding. The Fun Singers is a much-needed ministry.”

The St. Cloud Area Fun Singers take time for a portrait. The then-director, Becky Adams, is in the back row at right. Next to her is Kathy Sauer, the group’s accompanist. Sandy Hurd is fourth from right.  Contributed photo

Sandy likes adding fun touches.

“For Christmas performances in the last few years, Janet Wheeler and I donned elf hats and adlibbed as we consulted a scroll of naughty-or-nice names. One spring, we sang ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame,’ so I invented a costume for an old-time vendor  to ‘sell’ boxes of Cracker Jacks and popcorn. I found a hot dog baseball hat and dug out my original Minnesota Twins Homer Hanky. People loved it.”

Cowboy songs just beg for cowboy hats, and the Vikings fight song needs pompoms,

Sandy explained.

“We write in our music exactly when to shake those pompoms. We wear red noses for ‘Rudolph,’ wave flags on patriotic songs and play kazoos for ‘McNamara’s Band’ on

St. Patrick’s Day.”

She organizes the jokes. And what organization!

“Each performance includes nine jokes — one to start off and two after each set we’ve sung. For every performance, even if we’re singing in different communities and the songs are the same, the jokes are special for that audience. I type them up for other singers to read, including a sticky note for when they share it. That way we all participate in helping the audiences laugh and enjoy themselves.”

Sandy Hurd becomes a vendor while the group sings “Take Me Out To The Ballgame,” at a recent performance. Contributed photo

To organize the jokes, Sandy has developed two huge binders full of jokes, separated by categories — Thanksgiving, Veterans Day, and Valentine’s Day, as well as children, marriage, blond jokes, and travel. Christmas has its own separate folder.

“When our previous director, Becky Adams, had us singing about the American west, I had to find cowboy jokes. I always try new ones on our group which gets us laughing too,” she said.

Becky recently retired after leading the group for 15 years. Stacy Ellen is the new director of the Fun Singers and they already have two bookings for December — eight is typical for the Christmas season.

“While singers might need to miss a time or two, both the director and our accompanist Kathy Sauer have to be there for every practice and performance,” Sandy said. “They put so much into it and receive stipends but we singers are all volunteers. As a recent board member, I’ve learned about all the decisions they make.”

Sandy joined the St. Cloud Area Fun Singers after a friend told her how much fullness participating had added to his life.

“It sounded like so much fun. Though I don’t read music, I’d been in church choir. My oldest sister also joined and we loved singing together until she had to drop out. I’ve been in the group the longest, going on 17 years,” she said.

The St. Cloud Area Fun Singers started entertaining audiences in the 1980s. They rehearse at Whitney Senior Center from September through mid-May, presenting about 30 performances throughout the year. After Christmas, they take a short break, returning in mid-January to prepare for spring performances. Members must be 55 or older; dues are $30 per year.

“The Fun Singers could use more men,” Sandy noted. “Now our back row has five guys and two women.”

The group currently has 25 singers, including three husband-wife combinations. Members come from St. Cloud and surrounding communities like Sartell, Sauk Rapids, and Cold Spring.

During the Christmas shows, the St. Cloud Area Fun Singers dress in matching red vests. But in the warm months, the group switches to colorful scarves and ties. 

“Our music isn’t difficult — we often sing the melody in unison, occasionally in four-part harmony. Some people are excellent singers. I’m a tenor and not that great, but I get the notes right. When I ask what the symbols or abbreviations mean, I write that on my music. ”

Their one-hour performances are intentionally casual. The Fun Singers begin with an opening song, introductions, and then a joke. Performances include five sets for a total of 15 to 20 songs.

“Most of our rehearsal time we’re singing, so we don’t always get to know about other’s individual lives. Still, because we work together, we’ll discover things in common with each other — and that’s part of our joy.”

The Fun Singers perform at senior apartment buildings, assisted living facilities, nursing home and care centers in the St. Cloud area.

Music isn’t the only thing the Fun Singers bring to their audiences.

“After performances, we visit with the people at that facility, which is an important way to connect with them. Sometimes I’m busy packing up stuff and miss the chatting, but once I saw a man whose walker had a pink bag. I recognized the fabric — I’d sewed that bag! In my spare time, I sew cloth bags and donate them to residents of care centers to attach to their walkers. So I went to talk to that couple and learned that the wife had first received the bag when she’d needed a walker, but she’d passed it on to her husband. I offered to deliver a second bag for him — plaid or striped, but not pink — and they were so grateful.”

After Sandy retired from the phone company 25 years ago, she became a member of the Telephone Pioneers. One of their volunteer activities was making cloth bags that are tied onto walkers.

“When Mom had received one, I realized how vital the bags were. I’ve now sewed 3,000 bags,” she said. “I’m always on the lookout for the right kind of sturdy fabric, especially patterns or colors that appeal to men. We take about 10 bags to each venue, and if someone’s walker doesn’t already have compartments, we offer them a bag. I can still spot my work — like that pink one.”

One more place folks can find Sandy: She hosts a monthly trivia contest for the Sartell Senior Connection. 

“We play with 90 questions in 15 categories. It’s not as hard as Jeopardy,” Sandy said. “People draw numbers to see which table they’ll be assigned to, so they meet new people — it’s a great way to connect with others and have fun.”