Every September for more than two decades, Sherry Johnston and Sue Olsen have joined forces with whoever else was interested and begun to sing Christmas carols.
They are among the most senior members of the Sweet Home Singing Christmas Tree €“ the others who have been involved over that span are Clarene Myers, George Dominy and accompanist Bill Langdon.
But Johnston and Olson are two of the primary people who make the annual event happen. Olson coordinates the annual performances, while Johnston handles the organization’s major fund-raiser, the Arts and Crafts Show held during Sportsman’s Holiday in July.
The Singing Christmas Tree is celebrating its 28th year Dec. 4-6 with its traditional three performances featuring the theme “A Christmas Bouquet.”
It will be another high-quality production, members say.
“Truthfully, I believe we put on a high-quality show,” said Johnston, 59, who is a board member for the nonprofit organization.
“There have been people who have been in our audience who have seen the Portland Christmas Tree who feel, vocal-wise, we’re every bit as good. Granted, we don’t have money to do some of the staging €“ those kinds of things they do €“ but it’s a high-quality show. We put a lot of effort and time into it, months.”
With Langdon at the piano, the group practices twice a week from early September through the end of November, turning out a blend of religious carols and pop songs over its three free performances.
Olson, 61, serves as chairman of the board and, together with Johnston, does a lot of the footwork necessary to get the show up and running each year before director David Dominy takes over.
Olson said she discovered the Singing Christmas Tree 23 years ago when her son Eric was in the high school band and helped form a brass quintet that played during the Tree performance.
“I came to watch,” said Olson, who had moved from Brownsville two years before. “I fell in love with the light show.”
Then-chair Cathy Roll was responsible for recruiting both Olson and Johnston.
“She kept encouraging me to come and I finally did and fell in love with it and have been in it ever since,” said Johnston, who had sung in various church and school choirs previously, including an eight-member vocal group that performed at various churches and other events in the late 1970s.
Olson said her previous experience in a choir had been in junior high.
“I was into foreign languages,” she said.”
But when she, also, was recruited by Roll she decided to join up.
That’s the beauty of the Singing Christmas Tree, Johnston said.
“Anybody’s welcome to come. There’s not even tryouts. We’re always looking for new singers.”
Olson and Johnston both emphasized the camaraderie that prevails in the organization.
“We’re like a family who fights,” Olson said, with a chuckle. “We’re like brothers and sisters. We argue, but we love each other.
“I come in after a bad day at work and start singing and the bad feeling is gone.”
Johnston said she likes the fact that the Christmas Tree is an outreach.
“One of the reasons I do it is it’s a gift to the community,” she said. “I love the idea that anyone in town, regardless of wealth or how poor they are, they can come and see a quality Christmas show.”
Of course, it helps that she really enjoys the holiday.
“I’m a Christmas nut,” Johnston said. “I love Christmas. I decorate every room in my house. Christmas is a huge joy for me.”
Johnston, Olson and other board members work on the production all year. One of their projects is to come up with a theme for each year’s show.
“I think the thing I enjoy the most, aside from singing, is when we choose the theme for the upcoming year,” Olson said. Her favorite, she added, was the year they did “An International Christmas” and sang songs in other languages.
In addition to coordinating the Sweet Home Arts and Crafts Show, held in the high school parking lot during Sportsman’s Holiday, Johnston also volunteers as facilitator for her Neighborhood Watch group and at Crawfordsville School, where her grandchildren attend. She also serves one day a week as secretary at the United Methodist Church, as well as doing “whatever else needs to be done” there.
Olson works as assistant manager at A&W.
This year’s performance will feature a new sound system after the Tree got a new structure last year (thanks to a donation from Sweet Home Economic Development Group) and new lights two years ago.
Sweet Home Singing Christmas Tree performances, directed by David Dominy and Ben Pickett, are at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec.
4, and Saturday, Dec. 5, and at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, all in the high school auditorium at 1641 Long St., next door to the Linn-Benton Community College Sweet Home Center.
In addition to the choral performances, there will be ensembles and a visit from Santa during the intermission. A homemade quilt and fully decorated Christmas tree will be raffled off, along with various items donated by people in the community.
Admission is free, though donations are accepted.
“One of the reasons I do this is the people who participate in the tree are caring people,” Johnston said. “If they didn’t love the community and what they’re doing, they wouldn’t do it because they don’t get paid for it.”
For more information about the Singing Christmas Tree, contact Johnston at 367-4824 or Olson at 367-4639.