Day 211 - Singing with the Choir

The Halfway House Inn

It is so difficult to believe how fast time can fly! Two weeks ago my friend Lez and I had begged off of joining in on an after-dinner sing-along at the Halfway House Inn in Kingsand. I had promised the locals that I would be back the following week with Angela and our friend, Amanda. Yet last week we didn't make it -- we were all a bit knackered that day.

So last night, Angela and I decided that we would fulfill my promise and soak in the local flavour by having a late dinner at the Halfway followed by the sing-along experience. Well, it was fantastic! Turns out that every Wednesday a group of mature men (I won't say older men!) pop into the place around 10 p.m. after their choral practice earlier in the evening here in Kingsand. They call themselves the Halfway Harmony and are an informal subset of what is known as the Rame Peninsula Male Voice Choir. This group of singers entertain locally and raise money for local charities. They get invited to perform at festivals all-over including Europe, and were recently honoured for their contribution to encouraging music. One of the members told Ange that this kind of singing developed out of the need for miners to clear their lungs of dust, so they would sing. In the northern parts of the UK, brass bands developed for similar reasons.

The Rame Peninsula Male Vocal Choir

Tonight the Halfway Harmony (named after the Inn I suppose and comprised of about 8 or 9 gentlemen) arrived right on schedule, stepped up to the bar to collect their pints and then began an hour or so of seafaring songs and local melodies. They even added a few Beach Boy tunes! Meanwhile, a group of their fans had brought cakes and food to pass around to all of the tables. Ange and I were stuffed from dinner, but we did enjoy some smaller dessert cakes.

Conversations between us and various people in the pub brought out the Canadian Connections and we really felt as one with the locals. The atmosphere was great and soon we found ourselves, with many other patrons young and old, singing along with the group although not at the decibel level of the gents, who stood in front of the bar and belted out the tunes.

Among the their supporters we met Chrissy and Nick from nearby Torpoint. Chrissy grew up in Kingsand and the two of them are regulars at the Wednesday event. Chrissy is referred to as "Mrs. Kipling" (after the Kipling cakes you find in the store) because she was the one who had brought the cakes we were all devouring.

Members of the Halfway Harmony
in a more relaxed setting

It was easy to get caught up in the whole thing, I certainly did and so found myself enjoying a little more drink than I had anticipated. When the singing stopped around 11:15, it was time to say our good-byes and for Angela to gently guide me back up the lane to our cottage where at the doorstep I declared that I was "officially" drunk!

Ale of the Day: Jail Ale, Dartmoor Brewery, Princetown, Devon.