Prairieland Barbershop Chorus

The Western Illinois Museum marks a milestone in its recent capital improvements that are transforming the Museum into a community hub. The celebration will be held on Sunday, June 19th at 2:00 and include a musical performance by Macomb’s own Prairieland Barbershop Chorus followed by the annual Gil Belles Old-fashioned Ice Cream Social, a well-loved tradition held in honor of one of the Museum’s founders.  Donations will be accepted at the door with all proceeds going toward the Renovations to Innovate capital improvement campaign.

Founded in 1968, the Prairieland Barbershop Chorus is a Macomb area group that sings songs from a variety of genres including traditional barbershop, country/western, doo-wop, and more.  The performance is an opportunity to experience the harmonic sounds of the Barbershop style where unaccompanied vocal music, often sung in four parts, delivers a distinct rendition of some of our favorite songs. The chorus president Joe Butcher found creative ways to keep the group together during the COVID lockdown. The Museum opened its doors to the group for their weekly rehearsals during the colder months of the lockdown; another example of how the Museum’s renovations are making the building more available to the community. The Prairieland Barbershop Chorus is a chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society.  Learn more about the group on their website at http://www.prairielandchorus.com/

Following the performance, guests are invited to an Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social that would make Gil Belles proud! To honor one of the museum’s founders, specialty sundaes will be served – just like the ones served at soda fountains of yesteryear. The menu includes the chocolate and marshmallow Peg O’ My Heart, the strawberry, banana, and coconut Summer Beauty, the peach sensation Palmer House, and the maple syrup treat known as the Tasty Toasty – that’s topped with corn flakes! This year’s social is a unique opportunity to taste our sweet local history and support the museum. 

During the afternoon’s events, a silent auction will be held for a SpecCast brand 1/16th scale model of an International Harvester No. 82 Pull-type combine -still in its original box. All proceeds from the event including the silent auction will be used for the next project in the Renovation to Innovate Campaign, which is installing an HVAC system on the east side of the building. 

This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Two Rivers Arts Council.

The Museum is located at 201 South Lafayette Street, one block south of Macomb’s courthouse square.  For more information, contact the Museum by phone at 309.837.2750, by text at 309.837.2613, or info@wimuseum.org, or visit the website at www.wimuseum.org.