Yo, Philly,
Play Ball!
A celebration of Baseball’s Greatest Song,
Greatest Team, and Greatest Organ.
St. Malachy’s Roman Catholic Church hosts
a Vaudeville-style
celebration in honor of
Philadelphia’s Own Jack Norworth, writer of
“Take Me Out to the Ball Game”
Sunday April 5th, 4 p.m.
St Malachy’s Roman Catholic Church
1429 N 11th St (just 2 blocks north of Girard)
Philadelphia, PA 19122
(215) 763-1305
St. Malachy’s Roman Catholic Church is proud to present an
afternoon concert and variety show celebrating the opening of the
baseball season, Philadelphia’s own famous baseball song,
“Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” and the historic 140-year-old
Knauff organ at St. Malachy’s.
Baseball Music 101: “Take Me Out to the
Ball Game,” written in 1908 by Philadelphia’s own Jack
Norworth, turns 101 this year. The enduring classic tune is the
third most frequently heard tune in American culture, behind only
“Happy Birthday to You,” and “The Star Spangled
Banner.”
(I Believe In) The Church of Baseball: St Malachy’s
is proud to host this fundraising event to support restoration of
its 140-year-old organ, declared “an instrument of exceptional
historic merit worthy of preservation,” by the Organ Historical
Society. Amazingly, the man who built St. Malachy’s organ—and
many others—was Henry Knauff, the grandfather of Jack Norworth!
Knauff was a master organ builder who brought fame and esteem to
Philadelphia with his innovative organ designs.
Who’s On First: The concert will feature
swinging jazz sax by David Demsey of William Paterson University,
a rendition of “Casey at the Bat” by Tim Wiles, Director
of Research at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in
Cooperstown, barbershop quartet “Born to Sing,” Seventh-grade
student and classical pianist extraordinaire Marvin Brown, and the
St. Malachy’s Choir. The Abbott and Costello routine “Who’s
on First” will be performed by local thespians Tony Braithwaite
and Joe Mallon. Special surprise guests may appear.
(Not Just A) “Pipe Dream…” Dedicated
volunteers at St. Malachy’s have been working for several
years to clean, repair, and restore the organ, which suffered damage
in a 1997 collapse of the church ceiling. The estimated cost for
materials and crafted skills to restore the organ is $300,000.
Second Hottest Ticket In Town: The World Champion
Phillies will open their season later the same evening, but tickets
are hard to come by. Our concert is free! (Though we will pass the
hat) Stop by at 4 p.m. for an hour or two of music, followed by
a reception and silent auction featuring historic baseball and music
items, as well as dinner packages and vacation offerings.
Baseball’s Greatest Hit: There have been
3,455,558 hits since major league baseball began back in 1871, but
baseball’s greatest hit remains “Take Me Out to the
Ball Game.” Author Tim Wiles will be on hand to sign copies
of his book/cd combination on the song, and $5 from each sale will
benefit the organ fund.
Hungry For Music: Baseball CDs from this charitable
organization which provides instruments and lessons to children
unable to afford them on their own will be available for sale. www.hungryformusic.org
What’s the Score? For more information,
contact St. Malachy’s at (215) 763-1305 or
cecilessj@yahoo.com.
|
