DANVILLE -- They clapped, sang along and tapped their toes to three harmonicas accompanied by an accordion.
"You have a special place in our hearts," Fritz Fedorko told seniors Wednesday at the Montour County Senior Center, along with others seniors from Catawissa and Wilberton. It was five years ago he and his Mid-Penn Harmonica Club played its first performance at the former Washingtonville Senior Center.
Fedorko formed the Montoursville-based club after joining a harmonica club of about 40 members while spending winters in Florida. "It was amazing to sit in a roomful of people playing. It renewed my interest. I went to an annual convention," said Fedorko who has played harmonica since high school. "It was a family thing. My two brothers and sister played," he said.
When he came back to Pennsylvania, he got Gene Boyles interested who encouraged others to join. He met Boyles while his harmonica collection was on display at a museum in Williamsport. "We've had as many as 12 members, but a few have died and others have moved away," said Fedorko who now plays harmonica with "country jam" in Florida in the winter.
Besides Fedorko and Boyles, who is the retired Montoursville borough secretary and currently a borough councilman, the other harmonica player is Harold Adams, who worked with Fedorko at Sylvania. Rick Maietta, who is retired from Darling Valve, accompanies them on accordion. Boyles.
Adams has played harmonica since he was 7 when his uncle gave him one. He played sax in a dance band until rock n' roll came in.
"I bought mine in 1959 when I was in the Navy," said Boyles who also played the baritone horn in high school.
During their performances, they do polkas, tunes from the "Sound of Music," a military medley and numbers such as "Alley Cat" and "When the Saints Go Marching In."
"We are interested in a variety of music, and it's fun to entertain other people," Boyles said. They provide song sheets so audiences can sing along.
They average 20 shows a year from May through November, covering areas including Williamsport, Milton and Lewisburg. "We do a lot of nursing homes," Adams said.
They ask for a donation to cover gasoline costs.
To book a show, call Fedorko at 433-4352 or Boyles at 368-8417, or e-mail fritz@fedorko.com or eboyles344@comcast.net.
n E-mail comments to kblackledge@thedanvillenews.com.
Entertainment
Harmonica, accordion players entertain seniors
- Entertainment
-
-
Improvised jazz program salutes civil rights movement
LEWISBURG — Local jazz musicians will present "Moving Pictures: Civil Rights Imagery and Improvisation," at 8 p.m. Feb. 23 at the Campus Theatre in Lewisburg. The event is free and open to the public.
-
Clarence Clemons' nephew to play sax on Bruce Springsteen tour
NEW YORK — It takes two men to replace The Big Man. Bruce Springsteen announced Thursday that two musicians — Jersey Shore sidekick Eddie Manion and Clarence Clemons' nephew Jake — will "share the saxophone role" during the E Street Band's "Wrecking Ball" world tour, which begins March 18 in Atlanta.
-
Forget the Happy Meal. 'Lorax' gets green tie-ins
LOS ANGELES -- The Lorax, perhaps the most famous anti-industrial crusader from children's literature, is about to become a big-time corporate spokesman. With a host of comercial tie-ins -- albeit for eco-friendly products -- Universal Pictures will begin promoting "Dr. Suess' the Lorax" This month.
-
The Valley Players to present 'Roses in December'
SUNBURY — The Valley Players will celebrate this Valentine’s Day season with Victor L. Cahn’s “Roses in December,” a play that illustrates the beauty of the written word. In a script crafted exclusively from a series of letters, a young official in a college alumni office, played by Carrie Gilbert of Selinsgrove, invites a celebrated but reclusive author, played by Fred Hooper of Selinsgrove, to his 35th class reunion.
-
'Halftime in America' ad creates political debate
DETROIT — People rarely pick a fight with Dirty Harry. But Chrysler's "Halftime in America" ad featuring quintessential tough guy Clint Eastwood has generated fierce debate about whether it accurately portrays the country's most economically distressed city or amounts to a campaign ad for President Barack Obama and the auto bailouts.
-
Verizon to set up streaming service with Redbox
NEW YORK — Phone company Verizon Communications Inc. will challenge Netflix and start a video streaming service this year with Redbox and its DVD rental kiosks. Verizon and Coinstar Inc., Redbox's parent company, said Monday that the service will be national and available to non-Verizon customers as well.
-
Super Bowl ads battle for championship
NEW YORK — The pressure was on. The tension was thick. And then, there were yawns in between. The Super Bowl may have been a nail biter, but the ads were a snooze. Actor Clint Eastwood waxed for two minutes about Detroit and Chrysler. An M&M candy stripped "naked" at a party. And stars from the 90s were everywhere, as were dogs and babies, of course.
-
Sneak peek at this year's hottest Super Bowl ads
The Super Bowl is a must-watch TV event, if not for the outcome of the biggest football game of the year, then at least for the multi-million dollar commercials that run throughout. And this year’s buzzworthy spots include celebrity appearances, homages to movies and lots of humor.
-
Takeru Kobayashi downs record 337 wings at Wing Bowl
PHILADELPHIA — Competitive-eating champ Takeru Kobayashi conquered Philadelphia's annual gustatory gorge-fest by eating 337 chicken wings in a half-hour before a crowd of nearly 20,000 at Wing Bowl XX. The Japanese phenom demolished the record of 255 set last year by Jonathan "Super" Squibb.
-
Roseanne Barr seeks Green Party presidential nod
WASHINGTON — Roseanne Barr said Thursday she's running for the Green Party's presidential nomination — and it's no joke. The actress-comedian said in a statement that she's a longtime supporter of the party and looks forward to working with people who share her values. She said the two major parties aren't serving the American people.
- More Entertainment Headlines
-
Improvised jazz program salutes civil rights movement
