Carolers fill the air with holiday joy
The Owatonna High School Carolers helped officially open the Christmas season Dec. 5 at the tree lighting program at Central Park following the annual Holiday Parade. Staff photo by Karen M. Jorgensen
Owatonna High School’s Carolers have been a fixture during the holiday season for decades and this year is no different.
They started their season in early December, including singing at the tree lighting ceremony in Central Park on Dec. 5. They will be performing non-stop until Dec. 18 when they are scheduled to sing at Lincoln, Wilson, McKinley and Washington schools and the District Office and Community Ed. Their schedule includes singing at public events like the tree lighting, at local businesses, senior living communities and in numerous churches.
The carolers got their start in 1938 and except for one year during World War II when there is no record of them, they have been brightening the holiday season for local residents ever since.
The carolers are members of the school’s Concert Choir who audition for a spot in the ensemble. The Carolers are led in each performance by student conductors.
“I love singing,” said OHS Senior Addison Young, a first-time member of the Carolers. “It’s pretty intense tryouts,” he said. “It’s awesome to get to be part of a legacy.”
Logan Halverson, a senior at OHS and also a member of the Concert Choir and Carolers agreed.
“It’s awesome and fun doing something you love,” he said, and seeing people laughing and enjoying the music. “It’s a feeling you don’t get in other activities.”