City of Troy on Jeopardy!

Even though my late father was a regular viewer, I rarely watch the TV game show Jeopardy! anymore. Thanks to a Facebook post by Troy City Councilman Dave Henderson, I first learned that Troy was the "question" for an answer on Jeopardy! on April 8, 2015. Fortunately the City of Troy posted that video segment from Jeopardy! on its Facebook page. I've posted the video at the bottom of this blog post. (4/15/15 UPDATE: If your browser or internet provider blocks the embedded video, click here to view it on the City of Troy's Facebook page.)

Click here to view/print the related story from the Troy Times written by Terry Oparka. Oparka reports that the category was four-letter U.S. cities, and the clue was, “It’s not a myth. For the last 15 years, this city has ranked as the safest city in Michigan.”

Terry has an excellent quote from Troy Chief of Police Gary Mayer: "This is an effort not only from the police, but everybody in the community makes this what it is."

To paraphrase Hillary Clinton, "It takes a village."

Please, please no autographs. Thanks for the shout out Jeopardy!
Posted by City of Troy, Michigan Government on Thursday, April 9, 2015

Troy Athens Choirs 2015 Visit to New York City (Part 2)

As previously communicated, my son Alex and I went to New York City with the Athens Choirs, March 13-17, 2015. It was a long bus trip in both directions, but at least I wasn't driving!

I've listed below some of the highlights of this trip...

• Students and teachers attended a Broadway classroom workshop.
• Athens Choirs performed at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine.
• Dinner at Ellen's Stardust Diner.
• Les Miserables at the Imperial Theatre.
• Boat cruise to the Statue of Liberty.
• Tour of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
• Going to the Top of the Rock.
• Guided tour of New York City TV and movie sites.
• Guided tour of Radio City Music Hall.
• Watched the Troy Athens Orchestras perform at Carnegie Hall.

Also, check out the slideshow below from the trip....

Troy Athens Choirs 2015 Visit to New York City (Part 1)

Image via Arbender Robinson

Because our son Alex has been involved in the choirs at Troy Athens High School for four years, I can see why the Troy School District was recently named to the 2015 list of Best Communities for Music Education (BCME).

This past week, Alex and I went to New York City with the Athens Choirs. The choir members attended a music workshop and a gave a wonderful performance at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine. Thank you to Athens Choir Director Michele Fredericks and the choir accompanist Jacqueline Koehler for all you do!

There was also a lot of sightseeing (I'll post some photos here in a few days).

Below I've embedded a couple of videos of Alex receiving voice lessons from Arbender Robinson. Arbender can currently be seen in the Broadway revival of Les Misérables. I've also embedded a video of one of the songs the Athens Choirs performed at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine.