By Mark Ambrogi
Circle City Sound has been delivering love songs for Valentine’s Day for more than 20 years.
Several barbershop quartets, wearing tuxes, from within Circle City Sound travel all over the Indianapolis area to perform Singing Valentines.
“One time we sang to a fellow, whose wife bought the Valentine for him, while he was in the dentist’s chair,” said Circle City Sound member Jack Shaffer, a Carmel resident. “We’re singing to him while the dentist is cleaning his teeth. We’ve gone to an attorney’s office. We did one for a deputy sheriff.
“I paid for one for my wife while she was in a ladies meeting at a church at 8:30 in the evening. There were 40 women around hoping their husbands had purchased a Valentine for them.”
Shaffer said it is usually a two-day event when the quartets schedule these Singing Valentines but with Valentine’s Day falling on Sunday this year they will have quartets out for three days, Feb. 12-14.
Shaffer said each quartet will do 10 to 18 per day depending how far apart the visits are that day. He anticipates they will perform about 100 Singing Valentines.
Shaffer said they perform “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” or “Heart of My Heart.” They deliver a personalized Valentine Day’s card from the person who ordered it and a silk rose. The quartet also poses for a picture that will be emailed to the recipient as a keepsake.
The Singing Valentines event is one of Circle City Sound’s three fundraisers for the group.
“We are rated in the top 20 choruses in the world for this style of music,” Shaffer said.
The cost for a standard order is $60. The special order with one-hour delivery window is $85. There is $5 discount for ordering on or before Feb. 7
There is a $5 discount for ordering online at circlecitysound.org. Orders also are accepted at 844-SING.
