It seemed like our three-a-day practices would never end, so to be on the bus feels pretty rewarding!  The 6:30am practices were rough but as it turned out, our morning practices were our best.  During the later practices, people would get frustrated because they were tired and it was harder to concentrate.  Our concert before we left was a little disappointing because it didn't show how hard we had worked.  At least we had the bad one out of the way, so the rest can be really good!     ~Kate K.

 

The open rehersal on Thursday was just that, it was by no means a formal concert.  It helped get our feet grounded and gave us a heads up on what we need to do in the future.  I'm really excited about this trip.  We are only going to become better and better as we move along.     ~Dennison C.

 

The choirs have worked hard and we're excited to finally get on the bus!  The rewards of the trip are going to outweigh the time and effort we have put in.  All the hard work is going to pay off!    ~Bill Kelly

 

 

 

JUNE 9TH          Last night was our first home stay in Dubuque, Iowa.  The concert went pretty well, we have come a long well way already from our last concert at Plymouth.  We saw Joey (Bill's son) and John stepped aside so Joey could ring "Passacaglia".  We had a great concert and I hope we can keep it up and raise the bar even higher!  ~Ashley J. 

 

Last night we spent the night in Dubuque, Iowa.  We played well, even though it was our first concert on the tour.  The crowd seemed pleased with our performance.  As a group, we have completed our first step towards success.  We all have a lot more to accomplish and we are looking forward to the rest of the trip.      ~AnneMarie A.

 

Last night was great!  It was our first concert and we really rocked the house!  "Sabre Dance" was great, especially with John putting on his show!   The crowd seemed to really enjoy the concert, it was also our first home stay and mine was amazing.  My home had a hot tub, pool and ping pong table!  I can't wait for our next stop.   ~Brand W.

 

We met at the church at 5am in Lawrence to pack the bus and take off for our great adventure!  We had to leave some equipment behind because there wasn't enough room.  The bus is packed to this gills!  When we left Lawrence, it was in the upper 70's and very humid.  When we stopped for lunch in Iowa, we all froze and had to run for our sweaters!   We visited "Field of Dreams" and we played a kickball game and  a baseball game on the Field.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the movie site.   We had a very nice host church, the kids had a great concert and enjoyed interacting with the crowd.  We had a great first start!   I got an early Father's Day gift with a visit from my youngest son, Joey.   We embarrassed him during our concert by asking him to come up and ring with us for "Passacaglia"!      ~Bill

 

 

 

JUNE 10TH       Yesterday we went to the Navy Pier in Chicago, it was very fun and there are a lot of stores.  I found $10 and Donald found $1...and of course, we had to spend it!  We didn't ring tonight so we had extra time to visit with our hosts and relax.  So far, everything is going really well!  We're ringing in church tomorrow.   ~Travis A.

 

We went to Chicago today and the Navy Pier.  There were lots of cute sailors!  There was a 170 ft. ferris wheel which didn't stop turning, it was very cool!  We spent three hours at the Navy Pier.  After we left, we went to Naperville, IL. and set up for our Sunday church service ring.  All of my home stays have been great, tonight a bunch of the families took us to get ice cream!  Everyone has been so nice and they seem to have liked what we played in our concerts.   ~Jennifer U.

 

After three hours on the bus, we stopped in Chicago and went to the Navy Pier.  It was a lot of fun but it was a little chilly!  We had three hours of free time, my group visited the stores along the pier, looked at the boats and rode the ferris wheel.  I took pictures from the top of the ferris wheel, I think I could see all of Chicago!  I also bought a Chicago Fire Dept. t-shirt.  After we left Chicago, we drove to Naperville to set up for our ring the next morning.   ~Abby V.

 

After a nice three hour bus ride, we took the kids to Chicago.  We had a picnic lunch and everyone got  to enjoy the sights and sounds of Navy Pier.   The park was filled with very friendly seagulls...that became even friendlier when the kids started to feed them!  In fact, one of them hopped up on the table and stole a full sandwich off one of our plates!   After Chicago, we went to Naperville and met our hosts.   Our host took us on a tour of the downtown Naperville Riverwalk.  It was beautiful!  The trip so far has been great!   ~Bill

 

 

 

JUNE 11TH    Today we had two performances, a morning church service and an evening concert.  We were late to our evening concert because of road construction between Chicago and Fremont, Ohio!  The bus ride seemed to take forever.  We even had to change clothes on the bus!  Our performances were good, I think we sounded better in the morning.   John is the major of Awesomeville!!!!  ~Kylie P.

 

We had two concerts today.  The morning concert was in church, it was fun.  For the evening performance, we arrived at 7:29 and the concert was supposed to start at 7:30!  We had to set up really quickly.  After the concert, Bill told us we didn't have to pack the bus right away so we could eat dinner.  We had dinner at 10pm!   ~Emily P.

 

Putting the last concert together in such a short amount of time was pretty cool!  We showed good teamwork and it was neat having the crowd see how we set up.   All of the boys got to stay together tonight.  Our family was career Navy so they were used to lots of boys!  We stayed up late playing ping pong and pool, the fire alarm went off at 1:30am!  Tomorrow we go to Cleveland to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  We'll get to sleep on the bus on the ride there so that will help the boys!   ~Donald P.

 

Our church ring was great, the highlight of which was "How Great Thou Art".  We played while the pastor gave a prayer, it was awesome.  We'll have to try that at Plymouth.  Our hosts were very nice and sent us on our way with great sack lunches.  Unfortunately, our trip to Fremont, OH took longer than expected and we arrived  at the same time the concert was scheduled to begin!  We were able to set up and begin our concert in 20 minutes.  The concert was ok but with my expectations, we were a little flat.  Again, our hosts were fantastic!  They kept the kids meals warm until after the concert.   What a great place to be.    ~Bill

 

 JUNE 12TH    Today we visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and that was pretty sweet.  We ate lunch outside the museum and then went to Chagrin Falls to meet our hosts and ring our concert.  Our concert went really well.    ~Mallory C.

 

Hi!  I'm having a great time!  Today we played our concert at a very nice church which reminded me of the church in "The Shining".  I think our concert went well.  Before we went to the church, we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it was very cool.  It was built in the shape of a large triangle!  ~Joslyn U.

 

Today we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Being a devout rock-a-holic, the museum was one of the coolest things I'll see on this trip.  We rang very well at the church in Chagrin Falls.  My host took me to a local grill and to a downhome ice cream shop which overlooks a waterfall!   ~Brandon M.

 

Once again, the friendship and hospitality of our hosts overwhelms me.  At every stop, our hosts have made us feel at home and have been very appreciative of our efforts of our concerts.  Our choir has continued to improve but there are always little things to work on!   ~Bill

 

 JUNE 13TH    Yesterday was a pretty good day, although everyone was really tired and it took a lot for us to get up and perform!   Things started to get better at dinner.  We had a great meal and people started to feel better.  Our performance was a lot better than I was expecting and I had another awesome homestay!    Cool day    ~Paul B.

 

The trip has been great!  We had a good ring last night and the family I stayed with was really nice!  Packing the bus this morning was crazy.  My bags were attacked by ants and I brought them into the bus!    ~Jordyn B. 

 

Today we're on our way to Maryland.   After we set up for our concert yesterday, we were able to go downtown for an hour.   The concert went well and I had a great time with my host family last night.  Now we're back on the bus, on our way to the next concert!   ~ Jessica J.

 

JUNE 14TH     Today we went to the Antietam War Memorial.  We watched a movie on the civil war and then toured the area.  After touring, we had lunch in a park and then went to the church to prepare for another concert.  It was the first time we processed into the concert, so it was fun.  After the concert, we met our host families.  I think we had a great concert!   ~Sarah R.

 

Today we only traveled in the bus for 2 hours!   We went to the Antietam War memorial.  We went on a bus tour and saw many interesting things that happened in the battle of Antietam.   We had lunch in a park and then drove to our next concert!   ~ Gabe B.H.

 

I woke up to a great breakfast!  We drove to Frederick, MD and then toured the Antietam Battlefield.  I thought the tour was very educational.  We had lunch in a park and played soccer, baseball and frisbee.  I played baseball for the first time...and was hit in the head with the ball!  We also had a concert.  I thought it was a good ring and a good day!    ~Margaret B.

 

JUNE 15TH    Today we went to Washington, D.C. and walked around the National Mall.  We got to see lots of museums; for lunch, we got our choice of Chipotle or McDonalds, and then we drove to the Kennedy Center for our evening ring.  We were all excited about ringing at the Kennedy Center but  we were really excited about the bathrooms!  Our concert was at 6pm and there were A LOT of people there!  I think we played our best yet!  We met Bill's daughter, Cortney, and we stayed at a church that night but we had to shower at a hotel! ~Brittany M.

 

Today we were in Washington and we walked around the Smithsonian Museums.  They were really cool.  When we met the bus, there was a truck handing out Red Bull energy drinks, we all got one and gave one to Mrs. Kelly.  All of a sudden, she had lots of energy!  We played at the Kennedy Center and that was neat.  The boys got the idea to shave their legs so Paul and Travis shaved their legs that night at the church.   ~ Sarah C.

 

We went to D.C. today to tour.  The musuems were really neat and I loved visiting the Kennedy Center!  I was very impressed by all of the wonderful buildings and clean streets.  The Kennedy Center was very impressive and I feel that I will be going back there again; hopefully to present another concert.  ~Dennison C.

 

JUNE 16TH    Today we went to tour a Handbell Factory and they gave us a new F3 bell!  Bill was very excited about a free bell!  After our tour, we had lunch and went to the church we were going to ring in.  They had a very large youth room and we played pool and air hockey.  This weekend was high school graduation weekend so not very many people heard us ring but we rang well.  ~ Kate K.

 

I had fun in Sellersville, it was cool to learn about the bells and how they were made.  We learned about new bells called Melody Makers, these are electric bells and are very expensive.  We had a good ring and nice hosts.  ~Brand W.

 

In Sellersville, we went to the bell factory and learned about how our bells were made.  We got to ring the largest bell they make, which was a G2.  It weighed about 20 pounds!  Our ring was good and my homestay was fun.  We had 3 boys and 6 girls all together!  ~ Travis A.

 

JUNE 17TH  We visited Philadelphia today and saw the Liberty Bell.  We left Philadelphia at noon and traveled to New York and checked into a very large church.  We ate a quick dinner and Bill took us down for a night tour of New York City.  The tour was really neat, New York is so bright!  We also rode the subway, it was fun! ~Joslyn U.

 

We visited Philadelphia in the morning and then left for New York.  I slept most of the way but I woke up when we got into New York City.  We had a night tour of New York and the tour was awesome.  We saw the Empire State Building, Times Square and the Statue of Liberty.  I took tons of pictures!  The church we stayed in was an older church but it was nice..our only trouble was the showers kept locking on us!  ~Abby V.

 

We went to Philadelphia and saw the Liberty Bell and toured Independence Hall.  I was excited to leave for New York and seeing the New York skyline was one of the coolest things I've ever seen! You can see the skyline for miles away.  Bill got our tour tickets and then we set up in the church.  The night tour was on a double decker bus and we all got to sit together on the top!  It was so beautiful!  We got to walk around Times Square and it was so bright!  ~Donald P.

 

JUNE 18TH   We're in New York for two days and we visited Times Square.  It was really crazy!  We rode a double decker bus tour.  It was my first time in New York City, it was really pretty!  We slept in a church for two days so we had to be up and out by 8am because of Bible studies.  We played three songs for the church service today, and then we went  on another tour.  We rode the elevator in the Rockefeller Center, it went so fast my bladder went up into my throat!  We could see all of New York, tomorrow we go to Good Morning America!          ~ Mallory C.

 

Today we're in New York and going sightseeing.  We rang in chruch which was really fun.  After church, we toured more and then met at the Rockefeller Building.  We went to the top of the building and we could see EVERYTHING in New York.  When we went back to the church, we had a birthday party for Kate.  She was very surprised!  Tomorrow is Good Morning, America!  ~Jennifer U.

 

 Yesterday we woke up at 7:30 for our church ring.  We only rang four songs for the service and they were all slow.  The church service though was really upbeat, I wish we could have rung faster songs.  My group toured Central Park and we saw other interesting places on our tour.  The Rockefeller Building was really neat, my ears popped when I went into the elevator because we went so high!  I was disappointed we didn't get closer to the Statue of Liberty...but there's always next time!  We got to see Times Square one last time and then went to the church for Kate's birthday party.  ~Emily P. 

 

JUNE 19TH   We got up really early so we coud go to Good Morning, America.  We stood in line for an hour and a half, and then when we were let inside, we had to stand again because there were no seats!  But it was all worth it.  I didn't realize how much work went on in a t.v. studio...or for the audience.  The audience coordinator was a really cool lady and she asked the audience if anyone had any special talents.  She picked three people from our bell choir to perform: Jordyn sang a song by Mario, Dennison beat-boxed and I sang Quando Men Vo by Picconi.   It was pretty exciting to sing for the GMA audience!  ~Ashley J.

 

We woke up very early to load the bus and then went to Good Morning, America.  We had to stand a lot but it was pretty cool.  Six of us got to stand in the very front and I think we all got on t.v.  Most of the choir had signs that we held up about the Bell Choir and the Jayhawks!  We had three of our ringers perform for the G.M.A. audience and they gave us cheesecake at the end!   After G.M.A. we got on the bus and left New York City.  ~Joslyn U.

 

It was exciting going to Good Morning, America.  We got up early but it was still fun!  Ashley, Jordyn and Dennison performed for the audience.  We got cheesecake at the end of the show and then got on the bus for a seven hour drive to Youngstown, OH.  Most of us slept for the entire trip but we still had time to watch a movie on the bus.       ~Kylie P.

 

JUNE 20TH   Since we are on the backside of our tour, we are doing less sightseeing and more riding.  On our way to Youngstown, we stopped at a  truckstop for lunch and we found a boy our age who had missed his bus to Chicago.  We were able to help him and he went with us to Notre Dame, where he was able to catch another bus!  In Notre Dame, we visited the Basilica and it was pretty cool!  We had a nice concert and a good homestay.  ~John P.

 

We left Youngstown, OH today and drove to South Bend, IN.  On our way, we met a boy who  missed his bus and we asked him to ride with us to South Bend to catch another bus to Chicago.  On our way to Notre Dame, we watched "Rudy".  We toured the beautiful campus of Notre Dame and then went to our church for our ring.  We had a lovely home-cooked meal, another good concert and really nice hosts!  ~Katy T.

 

We drove from Youngstown, OH to South Bend, IN.  We befriended a boy who missed his bus at a rest stop and gave him a ride to South Bend.  His name was Mamadu.  When we got to South Bend, we toured Notre Dame, visited the Basilica and saw the mural of Touchdown Jesus!  We then went to the church for our concert and then stayed with our hosts!  ~AnneMarie A.

 

JUNE 21ST  I felt really good  helping Mamadu, the 17 year old boy who was left behind by his bus.  He was really nice.  Today we went to Davenport, IA and when we got there, Bill let us have free time at the mall!  We ate dinner with the preschool kids from the church.  Our concert was great, we had three standing ovations!  I can hardly wait to leave for Lawrence tomorrow!  ~Brittany M.

 

Our South Bend stop was pretty cool, I liked walking around the campus.  In Davenport, I had a good homestay and our concert was full of energy!  We had dinner with a bunch of preschool kids, it was a lot of fun.  ~Paul B.

 

We took off for Davenport this morning.  When we got there, we went to the mall!  I got a necklace tried to find a pair of pants but I couldn't find any.  Our dinner was amazing and we rang pretty well for our last concert.  It's kind of sad to think this was our last stay because the trip was pretty fun.  I can't wait till next year!  ~Jordyn B.

 

JUNE 22ND: OUR LAST DAY ON THE BUS! 

 

Ashley J: This has been a pretty crazy trip!  There have been a few personal issues but we all managed to pull through it and have had a pretty successful tour!  It has been a lot of fun going to NYC, DC, Chicago, Philadelphia and the Bell Factory.  I can't wait til next year!

 

Jennifer U:  This tour was tons of fun...just like last year!  We got to see lots of neat places and meet lots of people.  The bus and the driver, Ken and his wife, Mary, were definitely the part of the best part of the trip. 

 

Emily P: I've had lots of fun on the trip.  New York was awesome, that was my favorite part!  The Bell Factory was neat too because we got to see how the bells were made.

 

Joslyn U:  The trip was really fun, New York was so awesome.  I think that was my favorite part.  My favorite concert was the Kennedy Center, we did great there and there were so many people! 

 

Kylie P: I thought the trip was very fun.  There was some drama but it was still lots of fun and everyone got along.  The Kennedy Center performance stands out but everything was great!

 

Sarah C: I had so much fun on this trip, my favorite part was shopping in New York.  I bought a lot of cool stuff.  All in all, the trip was great but it feels good to be going home!

 

Brittany M: I think overall the trip was really fun!  There was some interesting times but we all pulled through as a choir and still had lots of fun.  I especially liked the Kennedy Center and New York.  I look forward to going again!

 

Sarah R: I thought the trip was exciting and it was really cool to play in the Kennedy Center.  I also really liked the host families, the meals at the churches and meeting so many people.  I loved the New York shopping.  I'm excited for next year!

 

AnneMarie A: I thought the trip was great!  I enjoyed seeing New York City.  I'm glad so many people decided to go because it will give us a head start for next year.  I'm looking forward to our future ringing! 

 

Jordyn B: I really liked last year's trip but this was fun too.  Looking forward to next time...

 

Katy T: I had a lot of fun on this trip.  We saw some amazing places.  Our group was pushed to it's limits but we all rallied together and rang well and became friends.  The work was well worth it!

 

Gabe H.B: I liked all of the sightseeing on our trip.  We rang well and the work was worth it.  There were lots of fun times!

 

Kate K: The trip this year was a lot of fun, even though we had quite a few ups and downs.  Ringing in the Kennedy Center was amazing!  I liked spending extra time in New York but I could have stayed longer!  I'm looking forward to next year!

 

Jessica J:  This trip was a lot of fun.  My favorite place was New York City, especially Times Square.  The host families were nice and the food was great!  This is the best trip I've been on, I loved it all!

 

Abby V:  The trip was great! All of the places we went were awesome but my favorite was New York.  I got to visit and spend some time with my aunt, who I haven't seen in three years!  I also liked staying with the host families, they were always fun.  The trip was long but well worth it.  I had a blast!

 

Margaret B: I really enjoyed the tour this year, even though we had a lot more kids than last year!  I loved all of the stops and each ring, we got better and better.  Thank you everyone who helped us on our trip.  I can hardly wait til next year!

 

Brandon M: I wasn't sure we were really ready when we left but everyone really stepped up at the first concert.   Everywhere we went we had tons of new things to see and new people to meet.  I had a really good time and I'm looking forward to next year!

 

Brand W:  This trip has seen its ups and downs but overall it was a lot of fun!  I enjoyed everything, especially the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and New York City.  I had a lot of fun!

 

Dennison C:  Even with all of our mixed personalities, I had a lot of fun on this trip.  Everyone really worked hard to pull together and made the best of each concert.  It was also fun seeing and visiting new places, ringing at the Kennedy Center and meeting new people.

 

Donald P: The trip has been pretty good and New York was especially nice.  Staying with my sister in Washington, D.C. made the trip even better.  The trip was a lot of fun but I'm glad to be going home!

 

Travis A: The trip has been lots of fun.  New York and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were my favorite.  I liked all of my homestays and thought we had good rings for the whole tour. 

 

John P: It was a really fun trip!  Can't wait to get home!

 

Paul B:  There have been some really good things on this trip and some things not so good.  The sightseeing was a lot of fun but sometimes we didn't get enough time.  Our rings were good!

 

From our chaperones......

 

Jane C: I have enjoyed seeing of the beautiful churches where the ringers have performed and have had fun meeting our hosts and visiting with them in their homes.  It has been great getting to know of the kids a little better and watching them interact with their audiences on the tour. 

 

Jane B: Another successful bell tour!  It just seems to get better each year.  This year we had a large group and it was interesting to watch the dynamic.  The ringers rose to the task and gave performances which were very well received by the audiences.  The homestays and the tours of the cities we visited were fun too and we actually left NYC with all 24 kids!

 

Peggy U: Wow!  What a time we've had!  I enjoyed all of the places we visited, we saw many charming, beautiful and exciting places.  NYC was an adventure that I will be talking about for a long time!  I'm very happy I could be included on this trip and had the chance to get to know each ringer a little better. 

 

Mary Ann P: Several observations I have made on this trip: 1. how resilient these young people are and how strong and hopeful most of them are.  2. how many cell phones there are and how helpful they are!  3. what a delicious supplement apples and orange slices are to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!

 

Michelle M: Amazing! This tour has created so many memories, not only for the 24 ringers but for every individual they performed for. So often we heard "we expected a few kids with some handbells, not this..."!  The ringers were true professional musicians, even though all their jokes and antics. 

 

Johanna C: This tour wasn't just all about bell ringing, it was truly a great opportunity to learn about our country and its' many sites.  The Kennedy Center was the absolute highlight!  We also learned a lot about group dynamics and what it takes to work with and travel with a large group for 14 days!  Thank you Barbara and Bill for providing and organizing this most amazing tour!

 

 

 

 Bill K:  What a wonderful experience we all had on this tour.  From the the very beginning, the ringers pulled together and realized each day was a new adventure with new experiences.  Our hosts each day were exceptional and their unconditional acceptance of our group was very heart warming.  Our sightseeing stops were outstanding, well organized and exciting to our entire group.  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Washington National Mall, Independence Park, the New York City night tour and Notre Dame University made us all appreciate our national heritage, the variety of life and cultures in our country and the beauty of our countryside and our historical architecture.  About the only thing constant in our itinerary was our concerts and I am proud to say that, regardless of the venue or the audience, from the smallest church to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the choir rang outstanding concerts.  Their musical performances displayed passion, emotion and excitement, all of which were felt by our audiences and  their returned excitment and appreciation were infectious for the ringers.  The end result was a "love fest", each feeding off each other.  "Magical" is the only way to describe the feelings.

 

Our tour was a great success but it could not have been successful without the hard work of the people behind the scenes, our extended bell choir family.  In offering special thank you's, I invariably leave someone off the list;  if it happens this time, I apologize wholeheartedly for my "failing" mind...

 

To the parents and families of our ringers and chaperones, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING YOUR LOVED ONES TO JOIN US ON OUR ADVENTURE; to the staff of Plymouth Church, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND ENERGY; Nick, Becky and Kay,  your ideas and time were God-sends; to our wonderful extended bell choir family of Plymouth Church, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, CONTRIBUTIONS AND ENCOURAGEMENT, special thanks to the Puckett family and Chuck and Erma Fisher; to the people and businessess in Lawrence, THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR MUSIC MINISTRY WITH YOUR DONATIONS AND ENCOURAGEMENT, with a special THANK YOU to Sarah Benson and the Lawrence Journal World.  THANK YOU to all of the wonderful hosts, hostesses and churches who made us feel so welcome and accepted; THANK YOU to Areocoach Tours and Ken and Mary Sanders -- our success is your success; and, finally, THANK YOU to the ringers for without you, no adventure would have occurred.  Your time, commitment, professionalism, passion and caring were evident throughout the tour.

 

Thank you once again to everyone.  God Be With You.

 

Barbara and Bill