A SATURDAY SURPRISE
When Jim Mootz announced at Coffee last Saturday, that there
would be a surprise waiting for us this Saturday, January 20, 2018, I thought
it was probably going to be the receipt of our packets containing the voting
ballots for this year’s election of H.O.A. officers. Instead, we were treated to some wonderful
Big Band music by the Lonny Lynn Orchestra, from Wahoo, Nebraska. We suspected Lonny was from Nebraska, as he
was wearing green. (We found out later
that he uses all John Deere machinery on his farm, and that each new item is
tested by him, then cleaned to a more than new condition, and stored in his
Quansit hut.)
What is the occasion? I wondered, on this foggy Saturday
morning.
Turns out it was Curt Pueppke’s birthday. Curt and Shirley, who live here in the
Village, are frieds of Lonny Hansen, leader of the band, and his wife
Denise. Curt and Shirley have followed
the band all across the country, for many years, even on Cruise Ships.
It was our good fortune, that Jim Mootz made arrangements
for them to come to the Village.
Big Lonny, on the Drums has played with the Jan Garber
Orchestra. Steve, played the Piano with
Glenn Miller. Jim was on the Clarinet
Sax, and Josh, from Chicago, who was on the Trombone, played with Tommy Dorsey. Is it any wonder that their music was such a
delight to all we Seniora that morning?
The Lonny Lynn Orchestra, with their eleven piece Big Band,
comes to Arizona each winter for just one week, and plays at local
complexes. His band has played Big Band
music for 35 years, playing at the Rooftop Ballroom in Indianapolis, Nashville,
and Willowbrook in Chicago, just to name a few.
Perhaps you will recognize their music from your former or
recent dancing days. I know I surely
did. And to think I almost slept in and
missed it.