It was a sunny, clear Friday morning as we boarded the KLEIN bus to Williamsburg, VA for the Madrigals and Madriguys trip.  Little did we know, we would be spending a lot more time on that bus and in the hotel than stated in the itinerary. When we arrived in Williamsburg Friday afternoon, we sang for a nursing home for Valentines Day.  The residents really appreciated our singing and we even did an encore!  The audience especially loved bopping their heads along to “Coney Island”, and “Lullaby”.  No injuries were reported. 
 
Saturday, following a morning rehearsal and lunch at St. Stephens Church, we toured Colonial Williamsburg in rain and visited many “olde” colonial shops.  Certain individuals got into the spirit of Colonial times and bought fife whistles and tri-cornered hats. All weekend Jamie Ayers, John Kearney, and Thad Ruzicka continued to serenade our group with various old and new favorites. Saturday was also when we first became aware that the blizzard was hitting Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia.  We realized that we probably were not going to be able to return home on Monday as planned.  Nevertheless, on Saturday night we had our big concert in the historic Bruton Parish Church.  We sang many classical and spiritual songs.  The concert was a huge success and as a reward, our chaperones took us to Ben and Jerry’s for a special treat. 
 
On Sunday, the road conditions were so treacherous that we were not allowed to leave the hotel, nor go to Western Virginia for the Save the Children Concert we were to perform. That didn’t stop the fun, however.  Being creative Shipley students always prepared for the unexpected, we bought toy dart guns from the dollar store across the street and chased each other around the hotel.  Good times….good times. We also had fun playing card games, “sardines”, and other forms of “hide-and-go-seek”.  It is amazing what one can find to do in a Clarion Hotel.
 
Monday was the scheduled departure date, however, due to the snow and slippery road conditions, we were stuck in Williamsburg.  Instead, we went to the Jamestown Settlement. The outdoor part of the museum was closed because of the weather so we could only tour the inside.   We also walked around downtown Williamsburg and lingered at the candy store.  Everyone enjoyed the caramel apples!  Later, at night, some of us went to the movies.  Some saw The Recruit, while others saw Chicago.  Both movies received favorable reviews from the Shipley critics.

 
After eating breakfast at the hotel “Smorgasbord”, we finally left the hotel at 10:00 AM on Tuesday. We did not get back to Shipley until 8:00 PM.  It was quite the trip.  On the bus ride home, we watched 5 movies!  Everyone’s favorite was definitely Pocahontas!

Even though it was long and we got stranded because of the snow, we made the best of our trip and had fun!  Congrats to the Madrigals and Madriguys for their 2003 Williamsburg tour!

 
February 2003