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26 | OHCC LIVING | NOVEMBER 2023 | I'm not one to brag, but the rehearsals for our Choral concert are going very well. Please join us for the concert on Dec. 10 at 2 pm in Abravanel Hall. This is going to be one of our best concerts ever because we have had two years to prepare for it. Last year's concert had to be cancelled because of an outbreak of COVID with some of the Choral members. Consequently, we are doing a repeat of what we had planned to perform last year with, of course, a few surprises. This year we are refining the presentation, smoothing out any possible rough spots and performing at a level that I haven't seen in my 12 years with the Choral. Like I said, I'm not one to brag, but! As I stated before, we can always use new singers, men, or women, so if you like to sing and spend time singing with a great bunch of people under the direction of a wonderful director, then please join us. Rehearsals are at 10:15 am every Thursday and last until noon. You don't have to be a trained singer or performer. If you love to sing, we would love to have you. If you want to sit in on a rehearsal and decide if you are interested, that is alright also. Abravanel Hall looked like an indoor butterfly sanctuary on Sept. 22 at the inaugural Butterfly Ball. Butterflies fluttered around on all monitors and 18 tables dressed in centerpieces with monarchs hanging from glimmering branches. Every guest wearing a butterfly on their finery added more color to the scene. Champagne, excellent food, and dancing started the festive evening, and a silent auction and a table of great raffle items all donated by residents kept guests busy choosing their favorites. A live auction with witty Chris Bessey serving as auctioneer sent us home in laughter. This event was developed to help the Save the Monarch Butterfly Club raise funds to continue feeding Monarchs from caterpillars to adults as their population swells throughout OHCC. President Myra Esler said that this year we estimated that the population tripled or more. That ensures that the population in our community will double or triple again in 2024. Residents continually tell us that we have created something beautiful and important here. That would not have happened without the wonderful help of so many. The SMB Club sends a huge thank you to all of the residents who donated so generously to attend and provide the items we needed for the raffles and auction – and to those who donated even though they could not attend. These funds will be used to continue maintaining the sanctuary and to ensure that the Monarch survival rate continues to rise. Choral Society Save the monarch butterfly