The Good News Singers’ trip to Silver Dollar City proved to be a huge success and a very special weekend for everyone involved. Silver Dollar City, located in Branson, Miss., hosted church of Christ Day and the Good News Singers were there to perform and have some fun as a group. “We had a blast in Silver Dollar City!” senior Betsy Carr said. “We spent about half the day hanging out in the park, riding rides, visiting the shops and watching others perform.The other half of the day was spent setting up and then performing our two sets.” Many felt it was easy to feel at home at Silver Dollar City since it was full of Christians and others associated with Harding. “There were people of all ages there and a lot of people from Harding and places near Searcy,” senior Laura Blount said. “It was a neat thing to be in a Christian atmosphere the whole day.” Church of Christ Day offered a unique outdoor opportunity for various Christian groups to come together and spend the day in worship. “Worshiping with 3,000 people on Sunday morning outside was really hot,” senior Cody Smith said. “It was a great experience, though.” The family atmosphere was prevalent throughout the day. “It’s a day where people can bring their kids, grandkids and grandparents and enjoy time together, riding rides and seeing shows,” Blount said. “There was an enormous church service on Sunday morning, and it was a neat experience to see Christians all together praising God.” It was undeniable that the trip offered great publicity for Harding, especially since many of the churches in attendance were Harding alumni and had kids, grandkids, siblings and friends at Harding. Dr. David Burks even prayed in the Sunday morning church service. “When people see us walking around the park in our Harding attire, they often approach us to find out who we are and why we’re there,” Carr said. “They love to talk about the school.” Junior Chase Akins enjoyed being part of a group that ministered to others through singing. “I enjoyed the trip very much,” Akins said. “It was an uplifting event for myself and other people. I had a lot of older people come up to me and tell me how much they appreciated our singing. It always makes me feel better when they encourage us to keep up the good work.” One special memory came from the group’s decision to take an old time photo, a tradition for the Good News Singers, where everyone dressed up in period clothes.While waiting to select their costumes and take the picture, a few of the ladies working in the store requested the group sing for them. “For about 20 minutes we just sang old gospel songs for those women, and they loved it!” Carr said. “It was such an encouragement to feel like we were not only encouraging the church of Christ groups but also the staff in the park.” The ladies were extremely moved by the songs. “One of the ladies loved our songs so much she cried and hugged on some of us,” Blount said. “People all over were telling us that they were blessed.” Carr also felt the trip offered great bonding time for the group. “We have time to talk about our lives and things we don’t normally have time for in our practices,” Carr said. Ultimately, the Good News Singers trip to Silver Dollar City was focused on praising God. “I love having an outlet to give this gift back to God,” Carr said. Overall, the trip succeeded because it gave the group and opportunity to give to people. “The trip was a benefit to me by giving me a chance to bless people’s lives. I wouldn’t have traded that for anything else on a weekend,” said Blount. The trip also brought increased bonds within the group. “It was our first trip together as a group other than our regular concerts,” Smith said. “We meshed well and hung out which was fun.” [Daniell Kanipe] Row 1: K. Izard, E. Miller, S. Cheatham, R. Slagle. Row 2: L. Moore, J. Daggett, I. Peters, B. Ragsdale, C. Cantrell. Row 3: C. Hicks [sponsor], M. Wright, P. Goats, B. Burcham. [belles and beaux] Branson hosts Good News Singers memories 222 [organizations]
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