October 17, 2013

By:  Diane Malucelli
Photos by: Bob Nelson

The people at Dallas Ranch Commons in Antioch were very friendly and they decided to have us play in their large dining room, which is off of the main entrance.  It is a very bright room with high ceilings and we played in front of the large windows and faced the audience in the rest of the room.

We had at least 35 residents listening to us and singing along with many of the songs.  Claire and Fred Miller, residents of the Commons and friends of Diane and Bob Malucelli, sat in the front row and smiled and sang the whole time.  Beverly Torres, Activities Director, and Dora Branch, Activities Assistant, were extremely enthusiastic about our group.  They clapped and sang along to a lot of the songs.  Several other employees also stopped by and enjoyed the performance.

Betty David, our leader, chose songs that the residents would recognize and enjoy such as “You are My Sunshine,” “Bill Bailey,” “Bye, Bye Blackbird,” “Cuddle Up,” “Nobody’s Sweetheart Now,” “Saint Louis Blues,” and “America the Beautiful.”  The East Bay Banjo Club performers were: Guy Black, Jim Blankenship, Betty David, Don Granberg, Bob Malucelli, Diane Malucelli, Linda Myers, Phil Myers, Kit Nelson, and Ken Williamson.  We sounded great in that large room and it was really fun to play for this appreciative audience.