Ike Farrar, of Flat Creek, leads the Senior Citizen Singers during a visit to Bedford County Nursing Home. The group travels to local nursing homes to entertain the residents with gospel songs.
For more than 20 years, a group of dedicated senior citizens have been traveling to area nursing homes to sing gospel songs to residents.
"We call ourselves the 'Senior Citizen Singers'," said Ike Farrar, who serves as the group's MC.
The singers started with Sarah Sanders, who was the music teacher at the old Pleasant Grove School. After her death, B.C. Boyce took over.
"He's the one who wrote 'Beautiful Star of Bethlehem'," Farrar said. "Ira Leverette took over from him, and when he died, I took over. Being made the MC seems almost like a death sentence," he said with a laugh.
Farrar has been the director for about a year, although he has been singing with the group for about 10 years. Lucille Leverette and Mary Sue Boyce serve as the piano players.
"We've got about 25 members now," he said. "We've grown quite a bit over the years."
The singers are all volunteers and come from all walks of life.
"I think we have or have had representatives from all the local churches," he said.
They visit Bedford County Nursing Home, Glen Oaks Convalescent Center, Carriage House and Celebration Way. They've even been invited to sing out of town at the Lynchburg Nursing Center.
"We haven't been yet," he said, "but we are going to."
They sing every Tuesday at 9:30 a.m., but Farrar says they don't practice at all.
"We're pretty familiar with all the songs," he said. "They like us to sing Amazing Grace and the Old Rugged Cross. I take requests and try to find out what they want to hear. There is one lady at Bedford County Nursing Home that wants to hear 'One Day at a Time' all the time. We try to sing it for her."
Other favorites include "How Great Thou Art" and "I Saw the Light."
"We just sing out of a regular old hymnbook," he said. "I bring them with me when I go."
Farrar is in his 90s, but most of the others are in their 80s, he said.
"We're just a bunch of old timers that don't have much else to do," he said.
Right now, they only play at nursing homes, but Farrar has a bigger job for them sometime way in the future.
"I want them to sing at my funeral," he said. "I don't know if they will, but of course, I'm hoping that's a long time from now, although we never know when we're going to get that call."
© 2009 Shelbyville Times Gazette
May 13, 2009
USA: Senior Citizens' choir performs ageless songs
.
SHELBYVILLE, Tennessee / Shelbyville Times-Gazette / May 13, 2009
By Tamara Belinc
Ike Farrar, of Flat Creek, leads the Senior Citizen Singers during a visit to Bedford County Nursing Home. The group travels to local nursing homes to entertain the residents with gospel songs.
For more than 20 years, a group of dedicated senior citizens have been traveling to area nursing homes to sing gospel songs to residents.
"We call ourselves the 'Senior Citizen Singers'," said Ike Farrar, who serves as the group's MC.
The singers started with Sarah Sanders, who was the music teacher at the old Pleasant Grove School. After her death, B.C. Boyce took over.
"He's the one who wrote 'Beautiful Star of Bethlehem'," Farrar said. "Ira Leverette took over from him, and when he died, I took over. Being made the MC seems almost like a death sentence," he said with a laugh.
Farrar has been the director for about a year, although he has been singing with the group for about 10 years. Lucille Leverette and Mary Sue Boyce serve as the piano players.
"We've got about 25 members now," he said. "We've grown quite a bit over the years."
The singers are all volunteers and come from all walks of life.
"I think we have or have had representatives from all the local churches," he said.
They visit Bedford County Nursing Home, Glen Oaks Convalescent Center, Carriage House and Celebration Way. They've even been invited to sing out of town at the Lynchburg Nursing Center.
"We haven't been yet," he said, "but we are going to."
They sing every Tuesday at 9:30 a.m., but Farrar says they don't practice at all.
"We're pretty familiar with all the songs," he said. "They like us to sing Amazing Grace and the Old Rugged Cross. I take requests and try to find out what they want to hear. There is one lady at Bedford County Nursing Home that wants to hear 'One Day at a Time' all the time. We try to sing it for her."
Other favorites include "How Great Thou Art" and "I Saw the Light."
"We just sing out of a regular old hymnbook," he said. "I bring them with me when I go."
Farrar is in his 90s, but most of the others are in their 80s, he said.
"We're just a bunch of old timers that don't have much else to do," he said.
Right now, they only play at nursing homes, but Farrar has a bigger job for them sometime way in the future.
"I want them to sing at my funeral," he said. "I don't know if they will, but of course, I'm hoping that's a long time from now, although we never know when we're going to get that call."
© 2009 Shelbyville Times Gazette
Ike Farrar, of Flat Creek, leads the Senior Citizen Singers during a visit to Bedford County Nursing Home. The group travels to local nursing homes to entertain the residents with gospel songs.
For more than 20 years, a group of dedicated senior citizens have been traveling to area nursing homes to sing gospel songs to residents.
"We call ourselves the 'Senior Citizen Singers'," said Ike Farrar, who serves as the group's MC.
The singers started with Sarah Sanders, who was the music teacher at the old Pleasant Grove School. After her death, B.C. Boyce took over.
"He's the one who wrote 'Beautiful Star of Bethlehem'," Farrar said. "Ira Leverette took over from him, and when he died, I took over. Being made the MC seems almost like a death sentence," he said with a laugh.
Farrar has been the director for about a year, although he has been singing with the group for about 10 years. Lucille Leverette and Mary Sue Boyce serve as the piano players.
"We've got about 25 members now," he said. "We've grown quite a bit over the years."
The singers are all volunteers and come from all walks of life.
"I think we have or have had representatives from all the local churches," he said.
They visit Bedford County Nursing Home, Glen Oaks Convalescent Center, Carriage House and Celebration Way. They've even been invited to sing out of town at the Lynchburg Nursing Center.
"We haven't been yet," he said, "but we are going to."
They sing every Tuesday at 9:30 a.m., but Farrar says they don't practice at all.
"We're pretty familiar with all the songs," he said. "They like us to sing Amazing Grace and the Old Rugged Cross. I take requests and try to find out what they want to hear. There is one lady at Bedford County Nursing Home that wants to hear 'One Day at a Time' all the time. We try to sing it for her."
Other favorites include "How Great Thou Art" and "I Saw the Light."
"We just sing out of a regular old hymnbook," he said. "I bring them with me when I go."
Farrar is in his 90s, but most of the others are in their 80s, he said.
"We're just a bunch of old timers that don't have much else to do," he said.
Right now, they only play at nursing homes, but Farrar has a bigger job for them sometime way in the future.
"I want them to sing at my funeral," he said. "I don't know if they will, but of course, I'm hoping that's a long time from now, although we never know when we're going to get that call."
© 2009 Shelbyville Times Gazette
