Almost finished

by Musician 1st Class Kristin Pagent

Yesterday, the Sea Chanters woke up and said goodbye to our wonderful hosts at the Rocket Motel in Custer, S.D. They provided a nice breakfast for us, and off we were to Scottsbluff, Neb.! The drive was beautiful and eventful - we saw many wild buffalo and prairie dogs. Our bus driver even stopped and let us get out to take pictures with them. It was definitely a new and exciting experience for most of us.

We stopped to stretch in Chadron along the way, and happened to find a newspaper that had several photos and a fantastic article of our concert from Tuesday! We arrived safely in Scottsbluff, where we welcomed our executive officer, Lt. Cmdr. Walt Cline, who arrived to support us at the end of our tour.

The concert was in the Midwest Theater, a shoebox style theater that reopened May 3, 1946, after a fire in 1945. All of the seats in the balcony are the original seats (only reupholstered)! The theater was packed, and the audience was so appreciative and enthusiastic.

After the show, many of the Sea Chanters went out to the lobby to greet our patrons. I had the pleasure of meeting Elizabeth Gilmore, born and raised here in Scottsbluff. She said she saw the Andrew Sisters perform live when they were in their heyday. It is always a pleasure to hear the stories our patrons have, and a pleasure to sing for such interesting people. It's hard to believe that we only have one concert left on our 2012 national tour. Time flies when you're having fun!

About the Author

Musician 1st Class Kristin Pagent, a native of the Chicago suburb Wheaton, Ill., joined the Navy Band in January 2000. She earned a Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University in 1999 in vocal performance.