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In order to continue supporting the choir to the best of our ability, Alumni Association dues will slightly increase beginning with the 2024-2025 membership year. Beginning on July 1, 2024, membership dues will be $20. You can pay your dues online at https://www.aosfyc.org/alumnimembership.html, mailed to the alumni board treasurer (see mailing info by clicking the link), or in person at Alumni Day.
Thank you for your continued support of the Alumni Association and the All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir!
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 Dates to Remember:
 Dear fellow alumni,
Let me start out by telling you a little about myself. My name is Amy (Brotherton) Wagner and I was in the choir from 2000 to 2003. I was also a member of the Cardinal Chorale (2001-2003) and a counselor in training in 2005. In college I studied music business at Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio, and later got my Masters in Business with a concentration in marketing from Wright State University. I started my marketing career at a music publishing company but then moved on to several other industries as well. And recently I started my own business as a freelance marketer where I specialize in helping small businesses, social media marketing, and content marketing. I'm also a wife and mom to three beautiful children who I'm happy to say are sharing in my love of music! This is my third year on the alumni board and first year as president, and I am so happy to be a part of this wonderful family! Like many of you, my time as a member of the AOSFYC are some of the happiest years of my life. I learned so much about music and all as teamwork, dealing with change, hard work, communication, friendship, and so many other imperative skills. In short, the Youth Choir shaped who I became as an adult, and I am so thankful for the experience. This is why being a member of the Alumni Association is something I love so much. I am honored to do what I can in order to ensure the experience of the All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir continues to bring joy, acceptance, and music to many generations to come. This year we have some great plans in the works to continue supporting the AOSFYC and our fellow alumni. Some highlights include the creation of a fundraising committee, increasing the size of the alumni board, future alumni events, and more! Stay tuned for more details and news as it becomes available. Thank you for your continued support and alumni fellowship. We look forward to seeing you at Alumni Day and additional events we are planning for the future. Sincerely. Amy (Brotherton) Wagner The Alumni Association is currently taking donations for the 2023 Alumni Auction. Our auction this past year was incredibly successful, and we even added in a bonus silent auction!
Donation items may include but are not limited to:
Please reach out to our alumni board if you are interested in donating any items at: [email protected] Opportunities are available to sponsor the American flag and AOSFYC Float during the Daily Parade! These are perfect for individual, family, and group sponsorship! What a great way to connect with fellow alumni and sponsor together! Contact [email protected] for more information and date availability! Daily flag sponsorship - $70. Yearly Float sponsorship - $250  As members of the All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir, we all know a thing or two about change. We know that weather conditions can easily change whether or not we were able to hold a concert or march in the daily parade. We know that styles, including AOSFYC uniforms, have changed over the years. But we also know that no matter the changes we see in our lifetime, we always have our cherished memories, friendships, and love of music making! Recently, a plan to renovate the Expo Center and Ohio State Fair Grounds was announced. This plan, called Expo 2050, is in the early stages of planning but discusses many building and grounds changes and renovations that will create a beautiful atmosphere for the State Fair. While the details of these plans have not yet been determined by the governor-appointed execution team, we do know that the Choir and Band are definitely included. In other words, the Choir will continue to sing at the Ohio State Fair for years to come! At this point, we are not even sure when the first phase of renovations will start. It may be in a year, maybe two. We do know, however, that when that first phase does begin it will include the building of a new dorm for the Choir. Rhodes Center will be torn down and replaced with a new home for the Choir and Band. When I first heard this news, a wave of nostalgia and sadness washed over me. The thought of my “summer home” for several years of my life no longer existing pulled at my heart strings. So, I will be the first to say, it is completely OK to feel that sadness too. However, I do know that the building is in desperate need of repairs (I saw that with my own eyes on cleaning day last summer). In fact, it needs more repairs than are practical. And I know we all want our current choir members to be in a safe place. A new facility would also include ADA accessibility while the current Rhodes Center really doesn’t. So yes, the demolition and replacement of Rhodes is bittersweet, but necessary if current and future choir members are to have a safe place to lay their heads during the Fair. As I mentioned earlier, we are not sure, but the construction could start as early as 2024. Let’s take this summer to visit our old stomping grounds! Join us at Alumni Day this year on July 29, to bid farewell to our old “summer home.”  Amy WagnerAOSFYCAA Vice President Oh, friends! It had been too long since we were all able to join together, from many different eras, in what all makes us one: music. 2022 was a beautiful year for the choir, despite many of the challenges faced. Alumni day was even more so, because we were all able to join together as one and sing again. We were able to re-register, or newly register 78 members! This is an absolutely fantastic turnout for our first alumni day in 3 years. This number does not include those who could not register, or who came on a different day. Our auction this year was also very successful, and we even tried a new form of auctioning, which included a silent auction. Our live auction was able to raise $1,910.00 and our silent auction was able to raise $312.00. In total for the choir this year, we were able to raise $2,222.00! We are so excited for alumni day 2023, and we cannot wait to see you there!
 As alumni of the All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir, we all share a love of this wonderful group. We remember the music-making, the friendships, and the life lessons that came with being members of the choir. As we “graduate” from the Youth Choir, we work to stay connected however we can. For some that is staying in touch with the friends made during those wonderful summers. Many of us attend Alumni Day at the fair whenever we can as well as promote the choir to youth that could be future members. Others volunteer time or donations that greatly help the choir continue through the years. No matter how we are able, we all continue to love and support this group that is so important to us.
Some alumni, however, have had the opportunity and dedication to go far above and beyond for the Youth Choir. John Sullivan is one of those people. John was a member of the choir in1980. He sang in the Secret Santa Parade, 25th Anniversary European Tour (‘87), Rose Bowl Parade (‘88), and the 1989 European Tour. John Later became a member of the staff and served in that position from 1988 to 2015. He has also been a member of the Alumni Board from 1991 to 2022 and has served in several positions including Treasurer, Vice President, and President. After 31 years of service, John has just resigned his position on the Alumni Board. We all know how life can throw us curve balls and cause us to take a turn down a new path. One of the many life lessons we gained as members of the Youth Choir was to embrace change. “The memories I have I will never forget,” says John. “My Life has been changed for good! I love you all and wish you the very best.” John, we are so happy to support you as you focus on the aspects of your life that need the most attention. We will dearly miss your regular presence and active support, but we know that your devotion and love of the choir will never lessen. And our love and respect for you won’t either. Thank you for all your years of service! On October 1st, 2022, alumni Brian Ault (00,01,02,03) and Cody Schatz (14) were married in Hudson, Ohio. Brian and Cody met via their involvement with the AOSFYC and had several alumni in attendance. They have participated in each alumni day together since they began dating in 2016.  Call for SubmissionsAlumni, we are asking for submissions for the What’s New with You newsletter section. Possible submissions include births, deaths, weddings, or something music related in your life that you wish to share. Please send submissions to [email protected] Include your name, years in the choir, what you wish to share, and contact information.
It is hard to believe that the All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir will be celebrating its 60th Anniversary at the fair in 2023. The choir was founded in 1963 so youth who loved to sing could come together and share their love of music while performing various concerts each and every day of the fair. During the last 60 years, the choir has also performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Rose Bowl Parade, European Concert Tours, Christmas Tree Lighting ceremonies, a birthday party for Governor Rhodes, and a Christmas party at Galbreath Farms. From the choir’s beginning in 1963 to today, the choir has been truly blessed to have only 3 directors. The founder, Glenville Thomas (1963-1991), Charles R. Snyder (1992-2013), and currently Dr. Jon Peterson (2014 – present). Each director has expertly given the youth of Ohio the unforgettable experience of fellowship and sharing a love of music with fellow choir members as well as all who attend the performances. This was exactly why Governor James Rhodes dubbed the choir Ohio’s Singing Ambassadors of Goodwill. Even as a pandemic closed the fair in 2020, the choir still performed virtually and then in person for one day on alumni day in 2021. In 2022 the choir was back, although a little smaller than normal, but choir members were closer than ever before. They made the same friendships and sang for their love of music. Since the choir began, there have been over 10,000 singers to go through the Rhodes Center dorms. Some members have gone on to have successful musical careers as professional singers, stars on Broadway, and, of course, music teachers that now send their choir members to the fair. So even with changes, growth, and a temporary hiatus, the choir is still “Keeping the Dream Alive” with every new singer that enters the dorms each year. The friendships that are made still last a lifetime. Some still meet their partners for life. And we all continue to pass the love of the choir on to the next generation. I think our founder, Mr. Thomas, would be very proud to know that the “Dream” he created is alive and well today. As we remember where the choir has come over the last 60 years, we look forward to continuing to build new memories. With that in mind, the Alumni Association would like to hear from you, fellow alumni, about what has happened in your life since the fair or a story from when you were in the choir so that these memories can be told and shared. Cathy BanfieldAOSFYCAA Secretary |
AOSFYC Alumni
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