01/25/2014
It Has Been A Great Run, But….
For twenty years, the Butler Showchoir Showcase has been the highlight of our summer. We have met our best friends at the Butler Showchoir Showcase. We raised our kids at the Butler Showchoir Showcase. We have been blessed with the best clinicians, accompanists, guest artists, directors, counselors, teachers and campers anyone could ever hope for. We have shared laughter and tears. We have experienced amazing talent. We have been motivated, energized, educated, challenged, mentored, and humbled. We have seen campers grow up before our eyes. It has been fabulous, but it has come to an end. We have decided that we will not hold the Butler Showchoir Showcase in 2014.
We arrived at this decision after a lot of thought and prayer. It has not been an easy decision. We love the Butler Showchoir Showcase. However, we believe there is a time for everything and now is the time to bring the Butler Showchoir Showcase to an end. Certainly health is one reason we have come to this conclusion. As you know, Valerie suffered a heart attack during camp last July. While she is fully recovered and doing great, it was a life-changing experience. Tom also endured a freak weather-related accident in the fall. This might be God’s way of telling us to slow down. We have not had a summer vacation in 20 years. We have missed many summer family events as we prepped for camp every year. It is time to make some changes while we can. Know that we will miss the Butler Showchoir Showcase terribly. We will miss seeing students develop as musicians and young adults. We will miss the interaction and wisdom of our teachers group. We will miss the Showcase Concert, the Spirit Spectacular, the talent shows, the Headliners, karaoke, the dance, counselor skits, and the word of the day. We will miss the wacky olympics, Quest, group chants, dance troupes, and jazz singers. We will miss the cafeteria, dormitories (our vacation home), wake-up calls, and bed checks. We will miss midnight serenades, music theatre, movies, and late night pizza. We will especially miss the faces of all involved after singing Greg Gilpin’s “Why We Sing” after the final Showcase Concert performance.
To all who helped make the Butler Showchoir Showcase truly one of the best camps in the country, THANK YOU! We had the time of our lives. It seems everywhere we go we run into a former camper. It makes us very proud to see what fine people our campers have become. We have former campers singing and dancing on Broadway and at DisneyWorld; pursuing music careers from LA to Nashville. We have former campers who are now teachers, choreographers, bankers, doctors, lawyers and entrepreneurs. We are so proud of you all. You have made a difference in our lives and we hope in some way we have made a difference in yours as well. We had a great run with the Butler Showchoir Showcase, but as the boys serenaded the girls every Wednesday night for 20 years…."it’s time to go!" Thanks for the memories. We wish you nothing but the very best!
Valerie & Tom Mack
