WORTHINGTON - As is true of most people, Bob Petrich wears many different hats.
If it's the second or fourth Monday of the month, he's at a Worthington City Council meeting. If it's a winter weekday, he's working as an independent insurance agent. If it's a Thursday afternoon between May and September, he's likely on the golf course.
And if it's Feb. 14, he's singing love songs with his barbershop quartet, the Southwest Connection, in an effort to spread some sunshine and raise funds for the historic Memorial Auditorium.
"It's fun to see the reactions of the people we sing for," said Petrich, who is also a 57-year member of the Worthington St. Matthew's Lutheran Church choir.
"We enjoy the Valentine's Day 'Melodies of Love' deliveries because we see a lot of people, from their 80s to their 20s. The recipients seem to either laugh or cry, though we're not sure if, when they cry, it's from sheer joy or 'oh, no!'" Petrich chuckled.
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For the third year, the Memorial Auditorium advisory board, of which Petrich is also a member, is sponsoring the Melodies of Love program.
People are invited to order what is essentially a Valentine-in-song for a friend or loved one, and an experienced singing group -- Petrich's quartet is one of three that will make the rounds this year --will deliver it at the requested location between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Feb. 14.
"We've sung 'Let Me Call You Sweetheart,' 'Heart of My Heart,' and others," Petrich said. "We like to mix it up a little bit so we don't start to feel like a broken record. We have five different songs to play around with next week."
Indeed, the Southwest Connection has a repertoire of nearly 60 songs, and they perform them both for pay and for charity functions (another upcoming gig is a benefit for the Worthington Hospice Cottage). Each time they perform, at least two to three rehearsals are required to brush up on their harmonies.
"The chords in barbershop are unique to singing," Petrich explained. "There are some very tight, close harmonies, and an emphasis is put on understandability -- good tone control, vowels."
Leroy Meyer of Reading, Leroy Merkel of Worthington and Bruce Brunk of Adrian are the other three singers in the quartet. Merkel, Meyer and Petrich have sung together for about 27 years, while Brunk, a tenor, is the group's newcomer -- he's only been with them for about 12 years.
"Bruce is the real musician in the group, and we couldn't get along without him," Petrich said. "He's also a terrific tenor who can sing in falsetto -- some of the parts are extremely high, so that's very necessary."
For the Melodies of Love deliveries, the men dress in tuxedos, wear their best smiles and take the day off from their jobs in an effort to support Memorial Auditorium.
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"We have all sung at Memorial Auditorium for years, and we're all aware of its value to the greater community," Petrich said. "It's a fantastic place, and we believe in the upkeep and preservation of it. It has excellent acoustics, a good sound system and good people running it, too, and that makes a big difference.
"We want to do our part to help preserve and promote the Auditorium, and we have such a good time doing this," Petrich added. "We just really enjoy singing and we have a lot of fun together."
To place a Melodies of Love order, call Memorial Auditorium at 376-9101. In addition to the Valentine in song, a red rose, courtesy of Hy-Vee, is provided to each recipient. Orders are $25 apiece and all proceeds benefit Memorial Auditorium and its programs.
