History

In the fall of 1992, five men got together in St. Marys, PA to talk about forming a new chapter of the SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF BARBER SHOP QUARTET SINGING IN AMERICA (SPEBSQSA). [Note: in 2005, the Society adopted the name "Barbershop Harmony Society."] Four of the men made up a quartet and were members of the Olean, NY chapter of SPEBSQSA who were tired of the long commute to Olean each week. They contacted the International headquarters in Kenosha, WI, got some publicity going, and held the first meeting in St. Marys on the 5th of October, 1992.

The fledgling organization became licensed in a few months and in September of 1993 received their charter by fulfilling the requirements with members from the surrounding areas. There are now members from Brockway, DuBois, Emporium, Kane, Port Allegany, Ridgway, and St. Marys.

The chapter sponsored a Division show for the Allegheny Division in May of 1993, bringing barbershop to a St. Marys audience for the first time ever. Every year since, we have put on an annual Barbershop Harmony show. The history of our Annual Shows is as follows:

YEAR	SHOW THEME	FEATURED QUARTETS
1994	Olde Tyme Favourites	The RITZ, Gold Rush
1995	Here's to the Girls	Arcade, Penn Yan Express
1996	A Tribute to Walt Disney	Excalibur, Kingpins
1997	Take Me Out to the Ballgame	KEEPSAKE, Cornerstone
1998	The Horseless Carriage	Hijinx, Doc Holiday
1999	Here Comes The Showboat!	The Management, Northeast Connection
2000	As Time Goes By	Razzmatazz, Cornerstone, For Heaven's Sake!
2001	Fathers & Sons in Barbershop	BSQ, Premiere
2002	I'm Sitting on Top of the World	Serenade, Four Sight
2003	Strolling Down Memory Lane	Serenade, New Generation, Harmony
2004	Remember Radio	SmackdowN, Mercury
2005	A Salute to the '40's	ACOUSTIX
2006	The Story of Love	HAPPINESS EMPORIUM, Fellowship
2007	An Evening of Comedy -Barbershop Style	Cornerstone, Serenade

We are very proud of our shows and believe that we have provided some excellent entertainment for our area. We would like to express our sincere thanks to all of our program sponsors that have enabled us to do what we love to do.

If you would like to be added to our mailing list for ticket applications, please contact:

Fred Burne
334 Old Portage Rd., Emporium, PA 15834-9801
(814) 486-1000
fab@penn.com