Club and society meetings

Class Reunion Notices

<p>BUTLER TWP. &#8212; As the last strains of &#8220;You&#8217;re a Grand Old Flag&#8221; faded away, activities director John Williams turned to special guests Trooper David Peters and Trooper Anthony Petroski on Tuesday afternoon and asked if they&#8217;d like to hear an encore of any of the patriotic songs the Butler Tabernacle Choir had just sung for them.</p><p>The state troopers asked for a reprise of &#8220;America the Beautiful,&#8221; and about 20 residents of The Gardens at Butler nursing home launched into &#8220;Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain,&#8221; ending with the familiar chorus &#8220;America, America, God shed his grace on thee and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;It was wonderful,&#8221; Peters said afterward. &#8220;We really appreciate them going out of their way to sing for us.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;This was their first concert,&#8221; Petroski said, &#8220;and it was our honor to be here.&#8221;</p><p>Williams started the choir for residents at The Gardens at Butler about two months ago, and said he can tell participating brings them joy, especially when they sing songs from their youth.</p><p>The group specializes in older songs such as &#8220;Let Me Call You Sweetheart&#8221; and &#8220;Oh, Susanna&#8221; as well as patriotic numbers and hymns.</p><p>&#8220;I just love to see the smiles on their faces,&#8221; Williams said.</p><p>The activities director invited troopers from the nearby Troop N Barracks in West Hazleton to hear a patriotic concert as a thank-you for their service.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m a big supporter of the state police,&#8221; Williams said. &#8220;They put their lives on the line to protect the community.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;They have a hard job, keeping the community out of trouble,&#8221; agreed Jill Polermo, one of the residents who remained after the concert to practice hymns with the choir.</p><p>&#8220;Singing is like an outlet,&#8221; she said. &#8220;If you&#8217;re feeling bad, you can sing and you&#8217;ll feel happy.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I love music,&#8221; said fellow resident Marcy Broyan, who remembered some of the hymns from her days as a member of the choir at Good Shepherd Church in Drums.</p><p>Soon the group was singing &#8220;Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,&#8221; &#8220;Amazing Grace&#8221; and other religious tunes, with Williams setting the pitch.</p><p>&#8220;Let me do it,&#8221; Williams cautioned resident Sandy Blackwood, who tried to start one of the songs. &#8220;You&#8217;re too high.&#8221;</p><p>Most of the singers were in wheelchairs, yet, if bystanders closed their eyes and listened, they wouldn&#8217;t be able to detect any infirmity in the residents&#8217; voices.</p><p>Before the rehearsal ended, the group sang a song called &#8220;In the Garden&#8221; that has become one of their favorites. Its lyrics include the refrain &#8220;and he walks with me and he talks with me and he tells me I am his own &#8230;&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Let&#8217;s finish with &#8216;Because He Lives,&#8217;&#8221; Williams suggested, leading the chorus in another encouraging sentiment: &#8220;Because he lives, I can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear is gone.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Sandy Blackwood, 71, sings to state troopers with other residents at The Gardens at Butler nursing facility in the Drums section of Butler Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL012518butlerchoir1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Sandy Blackwood, 71, sings to state troopers with other residents at The Gardens at Butler nursing facility in the Drums section of Butler Township. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL012518butlerchoir2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Resident Lois Wood, 91, sings a patriotic song to honor the state troopers who visited The Gardens at Butler on a recent Tuesday afternoon. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL012518butlerchoir2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Resident Lois Wood, 91, sings a patriotic song to honor the state troopers who visited The Gardens at Butler on a recent Tuesday afternoon. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL012518butlerchoir3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">State troopers David Peters, left, and Anthony Petroski, from Troop N in West Hazleton, prepare to listen to the concert. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL012518butlerchoir3.jpg</photo2><caption2>State troopers David Peters, left, and Anthony Petroski, from Troop N in West Hazleton, prepare to listen to the concert. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL012518butlerchoir4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">State trooper David Peters, from Troop N in West Hazleton, jokes around with residents and The Gardens at Butler activities director John Williams, standing, left. Peters promised to return and show the residents some of the troopers&#8217; equipment. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL012518butlerchoir4.jpg</photo3><caption3>State trooper David Peters, from Troop N in West Hazleton, jokes around with residents and The Gardens at Butler activities director John Williams, standing, left. Peters promised to return and show the residents some of the troopers&#8217; equipment. </caption3><photoCredit3>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL012518butlerchoir5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">John Williams, activities director for The Gardens at Butler, says a prayer for the safety of police officers, represented by state troopers David Peters and Anthony Petroski at the end of the choir&#8217;s performance. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_TTL012518butlerchoir5.jpg</photo4><caption4>John Williams, activities director for The Gardens at Butler, says a prayer for the safety of police officers, represented by state troopers David Peters and Anthony Petroski at the end of the choir&#8217;s performance. </caption4><photoCredit4>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Nursing home residents perform first concert</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Butler Tabernacle Choir honors state troopers in Butler Township