NORWICH – Chase Memorial Nursing Home and Chenango Memorial Hospital will present the Over the Rainbow choir, a collaboration between the residents of the two homes. They will perform at 11:30 on Thursday in the free entertainment tent at the Chenango County Fair.

According to Chase’s activities director Judy McCall, Chenango Memorial was contacted about performing at the fair and asked if Chase wanted to participate. She said the activities director at Chenango Memorial didn’t feel qualified to lead the choir and also wanted more voices so the performance would be better heard by the crowd.

“It was a good match,” said McCall. “They have a pianist for accompaniment, but they didn’t have a choir director.”

McCall was made choir director after the last director left. She explained that the previous director, Hope Bovee, had started the choir as one of the many ways to help residents stay active. She began the program over a year and a half ago, according to Chase’s Annette MacLeod, and focused on songs that included piano accompaniment.

“When she left, we didn’t have anyone else to play piano,” said MacLeod. That did not stop the choir, said McCall, who brought her own talents as a vocalist to the group and transformed them into an a cappella choir. She said anyone is welcome to join the choir and that talent and stage presence take a back seat to enthusiasm.