Lawrence Welk Saturday Nights

Several years ago one December Saturday night I was channel surfing searching on the television set for some program to fill space time until my favorites Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy came on. I happened to come across a program where an Irish tenor man with a short grey beard who was really belting out the song "O Holy Night." What stopped me was I thought I had heard that voice somewhere before and was trying to figure out who it was. He finished before I figured out who it was or if I had been mistaken when a woman appeared on screen She was a dancer and singer named Mary Lou Metzer.<br /> <br /> That's when it hit home. This was a reunion of surviving performers on the long running Lawrence Welk show we used to watch on every Saturday night. The camera was showing people such as dancer/singers Bobby Burgess, Cissy and Elaine The Champagne Lady singer Norma Zimmer with extremely high range soprano voice. There was Accordion Player Myron Fjorn, Burgess's father-in-law. The voice I was hearing was that of Joe Feeny who had 10 children. He had a terrific Irish Tenor voice with a wide range, not quite reaching soprano nor bass. This reunion included other performers such as Sandy Griffin who had 14 children, pianists, drummers flutists, celloist, saxophonists guitarists and banjoist, super tap dancer/singer Arthur Duncan, violinists, singers the Oswald twin boys, the five Aldridge sisters, none out of high school and some still in elementary school, married-to-each other singers Guy and Rona, violinists, vocalist Mexican-born singer Ana Conna whose beautiful voice was sung in Spanish and English, etc. etc.<br /> <br /> I never liked much of the loud rock roll stuff that had become the rage. I turned to other programs when that stuff appeared. I was OK with a few of those R&R songs such as Elvis Presley's "Love me Tender" and "Blue Suede Shoes".<br /> <br /> This was a program we used to watch every Saturday night back in the days of no color television and then the color came along. These were reruns of the old "LAWRENCE WELK" Shows we had watched every Saturday night way back when. They were back, and ever since almost every Saturday night at 6 p.m. we watch what I call "good, soothing, music" Just right for just before bedtime. On the dish network it is on Channel 30 most every Saturday night. One wheelchair-bound member of our church recorded virtually every Welk Show and has a vast collection. If any of you other Welk fans are around, join us. If any who long for soothing music instead of loud "noise", join us.<br /> <br /> I've written before about my grand-daughter Morgan Reece who as a freshman Gainesville High golfer made all-state and as a sophomore led GHS girls to the state championship, Lots of the credit for her success on the links has to go to Rodger Hogan, the professional at Chattahoochee Golf Course. The long par 5 15th hole runs across the street from my home on Tommy Aaron Drive (named for pro golfer on the regular PGA and Senior PGA tours and now retired Masters Champion Tommy Aaron. Tommy and I are long-time friends and he sort of took Morgan and her older brother Andrew under his wing. He hasn't worked near as much with Morgan as he did with Andrew for Rodger Hogan has been her principal coach and a big backer, even going out of town often to follow and watch her in tournaments, especially the big ones like county, district and state championships.<br /> <br /> Rodger doesn't follow just Morgan, he goes all over the course watching all the team members and sometimes splits his time between boys and girls teams if they are on the same course or on courses close together.<br /> <br /> Rodger has done wonders for Chattahoochee in every way. The city taxpayers used to have to subsidize the course really heavily, several hundred thousands of dollars. we now have to cough up a nominal only a minimal amount if any at all.<br /> <br /> He has made the Chattahoochee a permanent stop of a professional tour where golfers like Jim Furyk, Bubba Watson, both major champions, and numerous other current PGA tour players got their starts as professionals.<br /> <br /> If you're looking for someone who has really made recreation a great, small cost thing in our community, no need to look an inch past Rodger Hogan. He is a true taxpayer servant. Though I no longer can play golf, I'm honored to be able to call Rodger Hogan my friend. <br />

http://accesswdun.com/article/2013/2/258555