Shades of the past

Speeding Through L

ife by

Neal H ogden Editor I was ready and willing to talk about the Green Bay Packers falling short of their playoff goals this weekend, but I can’t help but talk about something much more positive than that.

The Central Wisconsin Show Choir Spectacular was put on in Colby for the first time since 2019 this past weekend. The event showed 13 schools from around the state and even Minnesota as they performed shows that have been rehearsed for hours upon hours this season.

Going to the event, I was excited to see a number of choirs that were returning to the Spectacular and that had participated in the event when I was in high school 10 years ago. Memories of spending a week’s worth of 12-hour days with classmates during the summer and even more time throughout the school year as we geared up for first the Chippewa Falls Supershow and then the second performance of the year, the Spectacular, came back as I watched the performances.

Onalaska is a top-notch program and you could tell it this weekend as they brought a show that looks like it is in end-of-the-season form. What really caught my eye was the Colby Coalition’s performance.

I remember our early shows and especially the Spectacular were always a little rocky as we tried to find out what we needed to work on in the early parts of the year. However, the Coalition was up to the task as they put on a show that was crisp, vocals were fantastic, costumes dazzled and there was a little wrinkle in the costume change that surprised the crowd.

That performance combined with the other great performances of participating schools made for one of the better Spectaculars I’ve seen. Props to the Colby Choir Parents Group, the kids and Ms. Carmen Wells for putting on the show, decorating, providing concessions, and all the other things that go into the show.

The other cool story line from the weekend was the return of longtime Colby Choir Director Kevin Spindler to his old stomping grounds. His new show choir, New London Vision, has already experienced success last year in the show choir realm and it showed again over the weekend as they took home fourth place. Kevin’s imprint on the Colby Choir was evident throughout the event as the Spectacular would likely not be an event at all if he hadn’t took the leap and started it.

However, it appears the Spectacular is back and better than ever after a three-year hiatus. I’m excited to see the exciting events the Colby choir program provides in the future.