Friday, June 24, 2016

“When Swing Was King” -- A Consensus Favorite with a Birthday Party Coming Up!

Yesterday's “When Swing Was King” presentation at Brookestone Meadows was our last for the month and it went swimmingly -- an exceptional crowd, a lot of great conversations before and after the show, and Mary Roberts showing up with two of her daughters to be a part of the fun. We even had a couple of enthusiastic responses to my book, The Christmas Room, from residents who had recently read it. And finally, after hearing several gracious complements about the show, we were told by staff that “When Swing Was King” is the “consensus favorite” of all the entertainment programs they have!

Wow.

Another sweet blessing from yesterday was that we learned that Life Care Center of Omaha will be holding a party next month (July) to celebrate the 6th birthday of “When Swing Was King.” Following our regular show, the staff will be serving cake, ice cream, Paleo brownies, and other treats for diabetics so that everyone in the facility can take part.

How cool is that? Well, it's really cool because LCC is where “When Swing Was King” all began. Initially created as a ministry to my mother and her friends who lived there, a program that would feature music and pictures from the days of their youth, plus some interesting and fun information about the songs, the musicians, and the days of the big band era.

 And now, after six years, the program is presented (still free of charge, always) to 11 senior care facilities every month. There's 24 different programs (and even those are always being changed a bit) and they still involve music, photos, fun trivia, and regular visitation from people who care about seniors and love to spend some time with them. What a tremendous blessing it has been for the residents of these senior care facilities...and for their staff to have such a popular (and affordable!) program to offer...and to Claire and me too!

And, needless to say, we are really looking forward to that “When Swing Was King” birthday party!