10 July update - the parade at World Choir Games, Cincinnati

We set off from the Sleep Inn at 8:30am this morning on our last 5 hour bus journey which would finally take us to Cincinnati.  The boys slept and roused themselves when we had a rest stop of 20 minutes halfway into the trip.  The countryside is very green with dense bush along the highways, also kilometre upon kilometre of 2m high walls which, along with the greenery, acts to combat noise pollution.

We had lunch at a quaint restaurant called Great Scott just 20 minutes from Cincinnati.  We had a choice of beef sandwiches and chips or veggie wraps and a salad.  The boys ate their fill and then sang for the staff in appreciation.

We arrived in Cincinnati, going through a little of Kentucky state to get there, making that our 8^th state that we have visited in the USA, not including Washington DC in the last 2 weeks.  We have driven through or stayed in the following states on our journey to the World Choir Games; New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky. 

The Hilton Hotel where we are staying is just a block from the convention centre which houses the heart of the World Choir Games - everything is within walking distance and we are to bid farewell to our two bus drivers tomorrow as they return to New York.

We met our volunteer leaders and were assigned our rooms.  The other unwitting guests at the Hilton have seen their quiet, pristine haven flooded with choirs from all four corners of the globe, many of them school-going age.  A quick change and then it was off to the Convention centre for a parade through the streets of Cincinnati.  It was something akin to the Comrades Marathon with the (much shorter) route lined with people in deck chairs, standing many deep waving miniature flags.  The boys were in their element and performed for the crowd – running in single file, performing their gumboot routine, singing Shosholoza with the crowd clapping along and hi-fiving the boys as they ran past.  All the choirs for the second week of competition congregated in a single venue around a large fountain and were addressed by the dignitaries of the city, sponsors and Inter-Kultuur.  The boys were soon socialising and swopping cell phone numbers. 

Mark Keal in poster and in person!

As we walked through the city we noticed how many Choir Games advertisements featured the Kearsney Choir - Greg Keal, KG Segole, Troy Meaker,  Eric Sukude, Chris Kotze to mention but a few. Also on the feature video which we watched in the square was Ben van Aswegan and later on tv in our room Mini Bhengu.  We have been given wonderful exposure.  On that note I would like to congratulate the Stellenbosch Choir on their two Olympic titles and the distinction of earning the highest marks ever at any World Choir Games (97%) - in that choir is Kearsney old boy Christiaan Kotze.  Well done Chris we are so proud of you!
Read about it.

We met in the hotel lobby for instructions for tomorrow and a talk about the importance of this week in our final preparation.  The boys are to sleep early, protect their voices (most are over the laryngitis which plagued them in the first week or so of our trip) and uphold the standards of Kearsney in their appearance and behaviour – this week means business!
Apart from a few boys who needed a hair trim, some who needed throat lozengers and Greg Keal and Edwin Bunge who locked themselves out of their room and needed id to be allowed back, it will mean a relatively early night.