ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, February 12, 1997 TAG: 9702120052
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BEDFORD
SOURCE: JOANNE POINDEXTER STAFF WRITER
THE AQUATONES, based near Smith Mountain Lake, deliver singing valentines all over the Roanoke Valley in an attempt to raise money for children with severe speech defects.
Christine Smith, a 90-year-old mother of nine daughters and one son, is accustomed to getting lots of gifts.
But this year's early Valentine's Day present - a performance by a barbershop quartet in her living room - was the most unusual and caused the grandmother to break out in the Charleston step.
"It was just wonderful," said Smith, clapping her hands to the songs that were popular when she was a younger woman.
She cooed as lead singer Larry Walker, tenor Joel Kramar, baritone Bill Wenzel and bass Irv Latham serenaded her.
The four men are members of the Aquatones, a quartet from Smith Mountain Lake that started offering singing valentines last year.
For $25, the group furnishes a card and silk rose and will sing at least three songs, depending on the amount of fun they and their audience are having. The honoree also gets a picture made with the quartet.
Dressed in vests, white long-sleeve shirts with multicolored arm bands, and straw hats with red, white and blue bands, members of the quartet deliver love greetings in their effort to raise money for children with severe speech defects.
Stacey Marino was looking for the perfect Valentine's gift for her grandmother when she saw a newspaper ad for the Aquatones. The quartet is part of the Harmaneers, a chapter of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Singing in America.
The group sang five songs for Smith on Monday, and she was humming along with most of them.
"I heard that old song when I was young," she said as the Aquatones finished "Let Me Call You Sweetheart."
Church hymns are her favorites, but Smith also liked the love songs the Aquatones sang. She likes dancing the Charleston as much as she likes visitors, and everyone who visits must sign her guest book and witness her agility.
She drew a few chuckles when she broke out into her dance Monday.
She does that all the time, said her daughter Sybil Wray, who videotaped the Aquatones performance.
Wenzel, who organized the Harmaneers in 1993 by placing a newspaper ad for potential members, said the Aquatones is the only quartet he knows of performing singing valentines.
The group has gotten six orders so far this year, up from the four they got last year.
They will deliver singing Valentines through Saturday, especially for people who forget their sweethearts on Valentine's Day, which is Friday.
The quartet is willing to travel anywhere around the Roanoke Valley or the Smith Mountain Lake area. In addition to fund raising, they like to share their enjoyment of barbershop singing.
Three of the group's members are retirees - Latham was a county administrator, Walker was a building supply store official and Wenzel was an aerospace engineer - so they have flexible schedules and can deliver valentines almost any time of day. The fourth member, Kramar, operates his own real estate office and enjoys taking a break for singing.
The group's first delivery was shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday when they serenaded David Hardy with eight songs. His daughters wanted to do something special for Valentine's Day and Hardy's 58th birthday which was Monday.
Usually, Hardy, who spends his yearly beach vacation harmonizing with friends, gets a birthday cake with "Happy Birthentine."
But this year, the icing on his cake was joined by the Aquatones singing "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" to his wife, Norma.
Like the members of the quartet, Hardy's interest in barbershop singing dates back to his childhood.
Harmonizing with a group is sheer excitement, he said.
"For entertainment and fun, you can't beat barbershop, " said Kramar, the Aquatones tenor.
To order a singing Valentine, call Bill Wenzel at 297-1049.
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS STAFF. From left, Joel Kramar,by CNBLarry Walker, Irv Latham and Bill Wenzel are the quartet that sang
for Christine Smith. color.