SO MUCH FUN(Tones)!

It’s been forty years of joy in song, as the Cobequid Fun-Tones celebrate their anniversary with an evening of food, singing and sharing memories at the Oxford Baptist Church on September 30th. This is an event for current and past members, and any woman who is interested in exploring what the group has to offer. A public event is coming up on November 1st — see below!

The group started 1981, bringing together women who had a hankering to harmonize. And forty years later, they’ve come a long way from their humble beginnings as “mic testers” for singing competitions. Today, their banner displayed at performances notes they are “Ordinary women coming together to make extraordinary music!”

Fun-Tones charter members Timble MacDonald and Shirley MacDiarmid wrote an article that was published in the newsletter of Harmony, Inc., international organization of women, united by the shared love of a cappella 4-part harmony in the barbershop style:

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Cobequid Fun-Tones first met on October 14, 1981, invited by Joyce Crafts for an organizational meeting, and 16 ladies were present. After agreeing to become a ladies “barbershop” chorus, we decided that our dues should be 50 cents per week — this was soon increased to $1.00!

Our first official sing-out was on December 10, 1981, at a Senior Citizen party. We discovered Harmony Inc. and got ourselves to “Chorus and Quartette Competitions” as mic testers in 1983 in Yarmouth hosted by the Nova Chords and in Truro in 1984 hosted by the Mel-O-Dees.

We chartered in May of 1985. In a snowstorm Penny Barbour, Area 1 rep, came to Oxford to present us with our charter. However, she forgot the actual charter at home in Bathurst on her kitchen table! The Border Belles from Amherst joined us to help celebrate that night.

We have donated to Ronald McDonald House, to Autism, and have performed in many shows and in many churches to help raise funds for our community. Our fundraisers have included several Variety Shows, our annual Yard Sale, and selling onion rings from the back of a truck in -10 degree weather.

For 40 years we have competed most years at the Area Contest & Convention —AC & C (Covid was the exception), we hosted “On Blueberry Hill” (Oxford is known as the blueberry capitol of Canada) in 2001 and “That Old Barbershop Style” in 2013. We were the first to host at Mt. Allison University in Sackville, NB, which has since become the favorite location for this yearly event.

Our most recent venture was taking part in the Harmony Training School at the Debert Hospitality Center in January 2025 where we were their practice chorus for the day!

So, after 40 years and many changes in membership, we are preparing once again to compete at AC & C 2025.

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At the Area Contest & Convention competitions in June, 2025, the Cobequid Fun-Tones placed sixth, singing Dream a Little Dream of Me and The Bare Necessities (from The Jungle Book). MacDonald says the group enjoyed the competition: “We had a wonderful showing, increased scores, and a wonderful weekend at Mt. A in June—the music that weekend is unbelievable from the choruses and quartets that come to compete from all over the Atlantic Provinces.”

Under the umbrella of Harmony, Inc., the Cobequid Fun-Tones and other groups in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Newfoundland & Labrador are classed as Area 1, which counts 371 members across 9 chapters. More than just performance, the organization describes itself as:

Harmony, Inc. is an international, non-profit organization whose purpose is “Empowering all women through education, friendship, and singing!” In simplest terms, Harmony, Inc. is staying true to the reasons we exist, and we know who we are. For decades, we’ve provided a venue for women to express themselves, make quality music together, and form bonds beyond measure. We plan to continue doing just that, and we invite you to join us for the ride.

For the local group that is the Cobequid Fun-Tones, MacDonald says its members come from all over the county, with members in Oxford, Mount Pleasant, Wallace, Westchester, Wentworth and more. The group occasionally receives grant money to assist with some expenses, such as purchasing new risers (the platforms on which they perform). They have a small membership fee — $16/mo, or $160/year — and collectively raise money through an annual yard sale and variety show, among other activities, to help cover costs of attending the yearly AC&C competitions. MacDonald serves as Treasurer, while Helen Reade and Trish Elliott are the Fun-Tones co-Presidents. Rosemary Donkin has served as the group’s Music Director, a position now being filled by Kaden Mattinson.

The Cobequid Fun-Tones welcome new members, even those who think they can’t sing, or can’t read music! MacDonald says everyone can sing, they just need to work at it — and the Fun-Tones have learning recordings, CDs, everything to bring out that hidden singer.

The Cobequid Fun-Tones gather every Tuesday night, 6:45–9:00pm, at the Vestry of the Oxford Baptist Church. You could be a part of this wonderful group of women, sharing a love of music and singing, and most importantly — community.

MacDonald says the public will have an opportunity to see what the group can do at an upcoming show in Oxford:

“We are getting ready for a big Variety Show, “Reelin’ In The Years” to be held on Saturday night, November 1st, at the Oxford Baptist Church! We hope EVERYONE will join us that night. Watch for notices and posters soon. Going to be a great night of entertainment for $10!”