Abilene Kiwanians see Sampler

By Kathy Thomson

Several veteran Fandangle cast members traveled to Abilene on Wednesday, June 24 to perform a 20-minute “sampler” for the Abilene Kiwanis Club.

“I was contacted by the president of the Abilene Kiwanis Club, who invited me to come and give a presentation about the Fort Griffin Fandangle,” said marketing director Scarlett Yates. “I told him that I thought I could do one better than that. I contacted Lorna Ayers, and she was able to organize a group that came and performed.”

Ayers, who is the Fandangle artistic director, was in California at the time and could not attend the event herself, but she contacted a handful of veteran Fandanglers and arranged a short program.

Thirty-six Kiwanians were in attendance at their weekly luncheon held on June 24 at the Abilene Country Club.

Yates introduced the Albany group and gave a background on the history of the Fort Griffin Fandangle.

Wade Jones handled the sound, Pam Davis served as the narrator, and Sandy Abel played the keyboard.

Former association president and long-time Fandangle soloist Lanham Martin, along with fellow cast members Megan Ledbetter and Ginny Ivy sang selected verses from Lock, Stock And Barrel, Work Is A Song, Cowboy’s Prayer, Six Bright Flags, and Prairie Land.

“We got together a couple of times to go over which verses we’d use and rehearse,” said Abel. “It was very well received. We got a standing ovation!”

Yates said that it was a joy to hear Fandangle melodies once again.

“It was a wonderful shindig,” Yates said. “The singers seemed really glad to be performing the songs, especially since the summer shows didn’t happen this year due to the coronavirus. And most of the audience members seemed to be inspired to try and attend the show in 2021.”