Rebecca LaLonde is the president of Wolf River Harmony, a women’s a cappella barbershop chorus. She is a Shawano native, graduating from Shawano High School.
After she married, LaLonde moved to the Upper Peninsula and started her own cleaning service. When she moved back to Shawano in 1980, she continued the service at several businesses. LaLonde then worked for Shawano County as a custodian and then a receptionist. When her position was eliminated, she worked for the city of Shawano Housing Authority.
Now retired, LaLonde lives in the Pulcifer area and has been married for 41 years. She has two sons and three grandsons.
Q How long have you been in Wolf River Harmony?
A “I’ve been with Wolf River Harmony for 14 years since 2001. I quit smoking and wanted to build up my lungs. I’ve always loved singing, especially harmonizing, so this seemed the perfect fit. It turned out it was.”
Q What does Wolf River Harmony do?
A “It’s a women’s a cappella barbershop chorus, and we’ve had ages ranging anywhere from 14 to 75. We sing four-part harmony with no musical instruments, only our voices. We learn songs by learning CDs now, which is so convenient. The CD has all four parts, then one part predominant, then only one part and then missing your part. We have sing-outs where we have performed at churches, nursing homes, Christmas parties, chamber events, Memorial Day gatherings, outdoor Christian events, school shows and downtown events. We hope to get back into the swing of putting on a show once a year also. It is so much fun entertaining people. We’ve gone to competitions, and it is a weekend of work, fun, excitement and memories. The money we make with fundraising goes toward college scholarships for a student going into the study of music and a scholarship for music camp. We also buy music learning CDs with sheet music included, apparel, accessories, advertising, coaching, supplies needed to run our organization, help with costs of dues, competition and music schools.”
Q How much work is selling cream puffs at the fair?
A “Other than the sing-outs, our biggest fundraiser is selling them at the Shawano County Fair. It is a huge commitment, working anywhere from four- to eight-hour shifts throughout the week. It’s work, it’s fun work. We are all so exhausted after the fair that we take the Tuesday night practice off immediately following. It is such an enjoyment to hear the customers’ curiosity in the puff count. We are trying something new this year. Instead of having to wait until the following day for the last night’s count, we have a clicker to count as the day goes on and will update the number on a white board. It should be fun for us and all our wonderful patrons. Someday it’d by nice to have a large digital LED counter, but for now, we’ll start simple.”
Q Why do you belong to the group?
A “I belong because I love to harmonize. When one person sings, it’s nice. When another joins in harmonizing, I smile. If a third joins in, I get goosebumps. And when the fourth joins in, I feel I am ‘in spirit.’ Something just happens inside that I can’t explain the pureness of it. I guess that’s what is called being bit by the barbershop bug.”
