The January meeting of the 39er’s Club at Grace Presbyterian Church, with birthday wishes sung to Bob Smith and Sarah Jeanne Copeland, was a Winter Wonderland treat, with snow-themed decorations by Jan Ledsome gracing the tables. Snowmen in jaunty striped hats smiled at everyone from amid their nests of frosted white twigs with bunches of wine-colored berries and pale blue snowflakes.
Sarah Jeanne Copeland, AKA “Suzie Jeannette,” performs at the 39er’s meeting.
The club includes members from all faiths and denominations, who just want to get to together, share a meal with old friends, meet new friends, and enjoy music. This month was a musical variety show starring Sarah Jeanne Copeland, William Winter, Kirk Pittman and Rev. John Hopwood.
Copeland, the “rock star” of the group, dressed in a black shawl, black cap and dark glasses, introduced herself as her alter ego/twin “Suzie Jeannette” and opened with show with Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.” following up with “Desperado” by the Eagles.
Next up was Kirk Pittman on the acoustic guitar. “I don’t know how you follow that,” he said of Copeland’s soulful, husky-voiced performance. “Very carefully!” Replied someone in the audience to a round of laughter. Pittman played an instrumental version of “I’ll See You in My Dreams” that soon had the audience humming and singing along.
Pittman and Copeland the performed “Last Letter Home” and “You Belong to Me” with Pittman on guitar and Copeland on keyboard.
Rev. Hopwood performed an old Irish folk song and one of his own original compositions.
As the concert progressed, performers traded jokes about CD’s and T-shirts on sale in the lobby, and Pittman opened his guitar case on the floor to a round of laughter. “That’s what the street performers do!”
After a few more songs, the show concluded with Copeland singing a reprisal of “Landslide” to a round applause.
The 39er’s Club Meets at the Grace Presbyterian Church, 1200 N. Washington Street at noon on the third Sunday of every month. There are no dues or fees, and everyone is invited. For more information about next month’s meeting, call the church office at 973-2692.
