Cathy Perfect
Kern Valley Sun

Pirates, disguised as local Sweet Adelines, entertained an ice cream-sated crowd with “Singing on the High Cs” at Lakeshore Lodge in Wofford Heights Saturday evening.

The Kern River Valley Sweet Adelines, in its 38th year, has seen an, “Absolute outpouring of support for our chapter,” said the group’s beaming co-founder, Cheryl Borthick.

Sweet Adelines perform, “I Don’t Want to Get Married (I’m Having too Much Fun)” at Saturday night’s Ice Cream Social and Auction at Lakeshore Lodge in Wofford Heights.

Borthick recounted her latest idea to raise money to buy handicapped chairs for two Sweet Adelines who have difficulty standing for the duration of the shows. “It’s become increasingly difficult for Nelda Bartell and Gina McCollough to perform and stand for the whole show,” Borthick said. Always thinking out of the box, this year Borthick decided to create different levels of sponsorship. She rounded up nine “Golden Sponsors” who donated $100 each. “People have been so great,” she said. “We plan to buy chairs that swivel so they can still do their choreography. This is huge.”

The evening’s repertoire included a “My Fair Lady” Lerner and Lowe favorite “Get me to the Church on Time,” the Depression-era “Side by Side,” and “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend,” a song introduced by Carol Channing in the 1949 original Broadway production of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.”

“Sweet Adelines is patterned after the Barbershop Quartet, which is an art form we want to keep alive in the Kern River Valley,” said Borthick. “We ‘re not just standing and singing; we’re a musical team.”

Being in the Sweet Adelines is fun, but it is hard work, as “each member has to audition, or qualify, every song so that everyone can sing their part in a quartet setting,” said Borthick.

Fundraisers, such as the ice cream social and auction, where everything auctioned off is donated, helps fund the costumes, which can sometimes cost $150 to $200 each, as well as cover other expenses, such as travel. “Ice cream and August seem to go great together, don’t they,” laughs Borthick.

The Kern River Valley Sweet Adelines is always looking for new members who love to sing and perform and maybe have a little fun to boot. Rehearsals are every Thursday night at the Senior Center in Lake Isabella. For more information, contact Cheryl Borthick at 760-376-4124.