Saturday, November 29, 2008

Bud's World

Director of Purchasing: Lois Bidder Instrument repairman: Anita Hammer Attorney: Gil T. Azell

A look back at Christmas in the ‘Good old days’ (Fredonia)
By Douglas Shepard Barker Historical Newsletter (Winter 1996)
The old days, for Fredonia, began in 1802/1803 with the arrival of Thomas McClintock and, for the oldest among us, run perhaps to 1900. To find out how Christmas was celebrated and recorded “in the beginning,” we turned to back issues of our local newspapers, the Chautauqua Gazette, beginning in 1817, and the Fredonia Censor in 1821. In the Censor of December 11, 1833, there was a small advertisement by the publisher and bookstore owner H.C. Frisbee, headed:
"Christmas & New Year Gifts":
Comprising the following interesting works, for sale at the subscriber's bookstore, viz.
The Pearl, or Affection's Gift, for 1834, with 8 elegant Engravings.
Youth's Keepsake, a present for both sexes.
The Little Girl's Own Book. / The Young Lady's Own Book.
The Young Man's Own Book. / The Young Lady's Sunday Book.
Humorist's Own Book. / Singer's Own Book.
And a great many others, pretty and cheap.
Call and see.


From the Choir Loft
Our next Sheridan Community Chorus planning session will be this Tuesday, December 1 @ St. John Bosco Auditorium @ 6:00. It was suggested that we have light “finger foods.” I looked up “finger foods” in the dictionary and found the following definition: [noun] … “food intended to be picked up with the fingers and eaten.” Now, if you eat like I do, that could mean any food group this side of hot gravy. But I think it means things like pizza, wings, cheese sticks, celery (?), etc. How that for a definition? We will be updating everyone on our future plans. We want to go Christmas caroling on Tuesday, December 16 @ 6:45 at St. Columban’s on the Lake. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact me.


New Horizons Band:

Wednesday (12/3/08): “Friday” lesson schedule
Friday (12/5/08): Ensemble rehearsals only (No band)

History of Christmas Carols
'The Christmas Song’ (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)
“The Christmas Song” is a classic Christmas song, written in 1944 by vocalist Mel Tormé and Bob Wells. According to Tormé, the song was written during a blistering hot summer. In an effort to “stay cool by thinking cool,” the most-performed (according to BMI) Christmas song was born..
“I saw a spiral pad on his piano with four lines written in pencil,” Tormé recalled. “They started, ‘Chestnuts roasting ... Jack Frost nipping ... Yuletide carols ... Folks dressed up like Eskimos.’” Bob (Wells, co-writer) didn’t think he was writing a song lyric. He said he thought if he could immerse himself into a winter frame of mind, he could cool off. Forty minutes later that song was written.

#1 Song on this date in history
November 30
1941 – ‘White Christmas’ (Bing Crosby)
1938 – ‘Begin the Beguine’ (Artie Shaw)
1931 – ‘Goodnight Sweetheart’ (Guy Lombardo)
1917 – ‘Over There’ (Nora Bayes)
1904 – ‘Sweet Adeline’ (Haydn Quartet)

History of Christmas Toys Timeline:
When a group of Minnesota teachers realized their attempt to make and sell garden tools is failing, they decide to use their extra materials to make toys. Their company has sold over thirty million of their toys and used up 120,000 gallons of paint on their signature yellow toy trucks. They name their toy trucks “Tonka Trucks” after nearby Lake Minnetonka.
NEXT WEEK: In 1956, Joe McVicker becomes a millionaire before his twenty-seventh birthday when he realizes his wallpaper cleaner will make an excellent toy. What toy is it?


Bud: (716) 934-7734, email: tubamanbud@gmail.com
For chorus or band schedule updates:
www.frombudsworld.blogspot.com

Christmas lights in Dunkirk...


As a "public service," just wanted to mention the wonderful Christmas light display in Dunkirk, NY in case you haven't heard about it. It's at 131 Willowbrook Avenue in Dunkirk at Tim Peterson's home.

He has 12,000 LED lights and 5,5000 feet of extension cords. (Makes mine seem pretty punny!) Lots of animation and presented to music, which you can hear over your car's radio.

They have their own web page with more information and pictures. You can even see the light presentation over the web.

The web address is www.chadwickbaychristmas.com

First time in church...


Mrs. Harrison took her three-year-old daughter, Jenny, to church for the first time.

After arriving, the church lights were lowered, and then the choir came down the aisle, carrying lighted candles.There was silence in the entire sanctuary until Jenny's voice was suddenly heard, loudly singing: "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you..."

Sheridan Community Chorus


Our next meeting will be this Tuesday, 12/2/08 @ 6:00 pm at The Saint John Bosco Auditorium (Route 20). We will be planning for our upcoming 2009 season.

We're asking you to bring "finger foods."

We are planning to go Christmas caroling on Tuesday, December 16 @ 6:45 pm at St. Columban's (Route 5 in Sheridan). If you know anyone who is “home-bound,” please let us know. Why not go caroling with us? It’s a blast!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Thanksgiving 8,000 calorie poem


May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
and your pies take the prize,
and may your Thanksgiving dinner
stay off your thighs!


~ Unknown

“An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day.”

~ Irv Kupcinet

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

My "To Do" list

Be Thankful...



Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
because it means you've made a difference.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks. Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.

"Life is short, Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably, And never regret anything that made you smile."

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Thanksgiving Divorce

A man in Phoenix calls his son in New York the day before Thanksgiving and says, “I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery is enough.”

“Pop, what are you talking about?” the son screams.

“We can't stand the sight of each other any longer,” the father says. “We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her.”
Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone. “Like heck they're getting divorced,” she shouts, “I'll take care of this."

She calls Phoenix immediately, and screams at her father, “You are NOT getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we’ll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing. DO YOU HEAR ME?” and hangs up.

The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife.
“Okay,” he says, “they're coming for Thanksgiving and paying their own way.”

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving trivia:
The first Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt restored the last Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day in the year 1939. FDR did so to make the Christmas shopping season longer and thus help to stimulate the economy.
The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade tradition began in the 1920's.
Californians are the largest consumers of turkey in the United States.
There were an estimated 272 million turkeys raised in the United States last year.
Top turkey producing states:
Minnesota: 46 million / North Carolina: 39 million / Arkansas: 31 million / Virginia: 21.5 million / Missouri: 21 million / and California: 16.8 million. These six states together will account for about two-thirds of U.S. turkeys produced.

Cranberries:
The U.S. will produce ~ 690 million pounds of cranberries. Wisconsin is expected to lead all states in the production of cranberries, with 390 million pounds, followed by Massachusetts (180 million).
New Jersey, Oregon and Washington are also expected to have substantial production,
ranging from 18 million to 52 million pounds.

Pumpkins:
There are approximately 1 billion pounds of pumpkins grown in the U.S. The value of all the pumpkins produced by major pumpkin-producing states was approximately $101 million.
Cherries:
If you prefer cherry pie, you will be pleased to learn that our
nation’s forecasted tart cherry production totals 294 million pounds.
Of this total, the overwhelming majority (230 million) will be produced in Michigan.

Name that instrument
(Answer to last week’s quiz) It is one of the most recent additions
to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th
century, when it largely replaced the ‘ophicleide.’ The answer is the instrument which was the single most important influence in the history of instrumental music. It is the perfect blend of power and grace. The answer is the Tuba.


Thanksgiving History
The first official Thanksgiving Proclamation made by the American colonies, which rebelled against the Crown of England was issued by the Continental Congress in 1777. Six national Proclamations of Thanksgiving were issued in the first thirty years after the founding of the United States of America as an independent federation of States. President George Washington issued two, President John Adams issued two, President Thomas Jefferson made none and President James Madison issued two. In 1789 Washington designated a national thanksgiving holiday for the newly ratified Constitution, specifically so that that the people may thank God for “affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness” and for having “been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed...” After 1815 there were no more Thanksgiving Proclamations until the Presidency of Lincoln, who declared Thanksgiving a Federal holiday as a “prayerful day of Thanksgiving” on the last Thursday in November.

Bud: (716) 934-7734, email: tubamanbud@gmail.com
For choir / chorus or church music updates:
www.frombudsworld.blogspot.com

Key to success


"The key to being a good manager is keeping the people who hate me away from those who are still undecided."

~ Casey Stengel

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Quotes to remember



"If life was fair, Elvis would be alive and all the impersonators would be dead."
~ Johnny Carson

"The first half of our lives is ruined by our parents, and the second half by our children."
~ Clarence Darrow

"Speak the truth, but leave immediately after."
~ Slovenian Proverb

"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow man, and I hate people like that!"
~ Tom Lehrer

"Always hold your head up, but be careful to keep your nose at a friendly level."
~ Max L. Forman

"Why do we play in recitals and recite in plays?"
~ Anonymous confused artist

"He can compress the most words into the smallest ideas of any person I know."
~ My father (describing me!)

Friday, November 21, 2008

Tuba Choir concert (11/23/08)



The Big Bore Brass Tuba Choir will be playing on Sunday, November 23 @ 3:00 pm at The First United Methodist Church (101 East Main - Route 20) in Westfield, NY.
Members include some of the finest tuba & euphonium players in Western New York state. The group will play everything from Christmas music to John Phillip Sousa marches. The concert is free and open to the public.
For further information, contact Bud @ 716.934.7734 or tubamanbud@gmail.com or the church office: 716.326.3243

Turkey Day forecast


Turkeys will thaw in the morning, then warm in the oven to an afternoon high near 190F. The kitchen will turn hot and humid, and if you bother the cook, be ready for a severe squall or cold shoulder.

During the late afternoon and evening, the cold front of a knife will slice through the turkey, causing an accumulation of one to two inches on plates. Mashed potatoes will drift across one side while cranberry sauce creates slippery spots on the other.

A weight watch and indigestion warning have been issued for the entire area, with increased stuffiness around the beltway. During the evening, the turkey will diminish and taper off to leftovers, dropping to a low of 34F in the refrigerator.

Looking ahead to Friday and Saturday, high pressure to eat sandwiches will be established. Flurries of leftovers can be expected both days with a 50 percent chance of scattered soup late in the day. We expect a warming trend where soup develops. By early next week, eating pressure will be low as the only wish left will be the bone.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Are you the best?


"Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever."
~Napoleon Bonaparte

"Anybody can win unless there happens to be a second entry."
~George Ade

Tuba Christmas


Low Notes & High Spirits

Christmas carols and bells mark the arrival of Christmas, but at yearly musical gathering across the US, a different sound rings in the holiday season. Dedicated groups of brass instrumentalists gather together to celebrate the beautiful, if unwieldy, instruments they play and to present familiar songs in a different, deeper setting.

Tuba Christmas brings out tuba, euphonium, and baritone players for lively concerts of holiday music and puts those big instruments in the spotlight. The celebration was founded by famed tubist and educator Harvey Phillips, as a tribute to his teacher, the late William J. Bell and the first was held at New York's Rockefeller Plaza in 1974. Players performed four-part arrangements of Christmas carols and hymns arranged for two tenor and two bass instruments -- the higher parts filled by baritones and euphoniums, and the lower ones by tubas and sousaphones.

The sound of Tuba Christmas is massive and melodious, with ringing high notes and deep bass. Many players deck their instruments with lights and ornaments and wear decorative hats and scarves.

written by Dave Allen - Nov/Dec 2008 issue of 'Making Music' magazine

Our Big Bore Brass Tuba Choir will be playing at The First United Methodist Church (101 East Main - Route 20) in Westfield, NY on Sunday, 11/23/08 @ 3:00 pm.
It is an impressively powerful group.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008


The New Horizons Band of Western New York will present their Fall Concert tonight (11/19/08) at 6:30 p.m. at the Fredonia High School Auditorium (425 East Main).
Get there early in order to get a prime seat enabling you to see me play the tuba.

The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.

~ Albert Einstein

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

If you like pun jokes...


A pastor who was badly overworked went to the local medical center and was able to have a clone made. The clone was like the pastor in every respect--except that the clone used extraordinarily foul language. The cloned pastor was exceptionally gifted in many other areas of pastoral work, but finally the complaints about the dirty language were too much.
The pastor was not too sure how to get rid of the clone so that it wouldn't look like murder. The best thing, he decided, was to make the clone's death look like an accident. So the pastor lured the clone onto a bridge in the middle of the night and pushed the clone off the bridge.

Unfortunately there was a police officer who happened by at that very moment and arrested the pastor for...

"making an obscene clone fall."

Thanksgiving exercise


EXERCISE FOR OLDER ADULTS IN PREPARATION FOR THANKSGIVING
Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side.

With a 5-lb. potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, and then relax.

Each day, you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.

After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb. potato sacks.

Then try 50-lb. potato sacks and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb. potato sack in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute.

After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each of the sacks.


Today's funny:
"Forbidden fruit creates many jams."

Thanks to Mikey's funnies

Monday, November 17, 2008

I resign...


"I sent the club a wire stating, PLEASE ACCEPT MY RESIGNATION. I DON'T WANT TO BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT WILL ACCEPT ME AS A MEMBER."

~ Groucho Marx

Stringed music machine (Animusic)



If you want to watch a great animated stringed music machine...
www.youtube.con/watch?v=JLBICSLL_uA