Chorus delivers dozens of Singing Valentines Friday
SAXONBURG — The normal morning shift at Kelley’s Family Restaurant took a musical turn Friday morning, Feb. 14, when a quartet of men dressed in red tuxedos arrived, not asking for a table for four, but for server Michele Stuebgen.
Stuebgen stepped out from behind the counter and said she turned red as soon as the men began singing “Teddy Bear” to her, in front of everyone present at the breakfast spot.
Leeanna Johnston, owner of the restaurant and Stuebgen’s cousin, said she usually gets her cousin some type of Valentine’s Day gift to commemorate the holiday. She said she knew of the Cranberry Men’s Chorus and its singing valentines, and bought one to give her cousin a fun surprise.
“I’ve seen them before, and I just wanted to do something spontaneous for Michele. We always do fun things,” Johnston said.
The quartet then gifted Stuebgen with balloons and a teddy bear, and she shared a big hug with Johnston.
Ron Brooks, director of the Cranberry Men’s Chorus, said the program is a fundraiser for the group and helps cover the costs accrued by the group’s annual fall concert. It also is fun for, not only the people receiving the singing valentines, but for the quartet of singers who deliver them.
“It’s a way to have fun and sing, but also a way for people to get out and fundraise,” Brooks said. “They always like it and it creates a memory.”
Stuebgen said she didn’t know anything about the singing valentines quartets, but she would plan some type of payback for Johnston for next Valentine’s Day.
“Never knew about them, oh my gosh,” Stuebgen said after the performance. “I’ll think of something for (Johnston).”
