The Park Bench Story

Students who have been to more than one audition for the Celebration Iowa Singers and Jazz Band start to smile and shift in their seats. With knowing nods at each other, they acknowledge that they've heard the story before - perhaps many times.

The “park bench” story is an intrinsic part of the Celebration Iowa Singers and Jazz Band history. In the midst of a farm crisis, with little to feel positive about, Dr. Dennis Darling and Dr. Judith Nye found something to celebrate - youth, talent, potential, energy and the spirit of the people of this state. As they sat on the proverbial park bench at the Iowa State Fair, the concept behind the Celebration Iowa Singers and Jazz Band was born.

For ten years, Dr. Darling worked as the creative force, designing and producing the show. Dr. Nye concentrated on the organizational aspects. She coordinated the tour, courted sponsors and managed the budget. That first year, 1983, a group known as the Iowa State Fair Singers was launched with a budget of about $15,000, borrowed costumes, and an itinerary so sparse that the group stayed extra days in Jesup because they had nowhere else to go.

When Dr. Judith Nye left Luther College to accept a position with St. Luke Hospital's foundation, Dennis Darling continued as Program Director, using Luther students to manage the organizational aspects of the program. By that time, the Jazz Band had been added, the “Iowa” had been dropped from the name, and it required lots of “burning the midnight oil” to get a tour ready to go.

In the Fall of 1993, Dr. Darling decided that the time had come for the State Fair Singers and Jazz Band to step to a new level. Since the preparations and efforts for producing a tour were year-round, it was time for more permanent office management. At that time, the first full-time staff position was created. In the fall of 1999 the program switched its name to Celebration Iowa Singers and Jazz Band due to changes in sponsorship.

“Celebration” continues to be part of Dr. Darling's vocabulary, particularly when he talks about the Celebration Iowa Singers and Jazz Band. As the program gains a wider range of recognition, more support, an increased budget, a higher level of performance skill and more sophisticated equipment, he still remembers the roots of the program - a park bench, a farm crisis and the optimism and talent of Iowa's youth.