Money doesn’t grow on trees in Lake Forest, just around the Buckthorns.
The locally grown Buckthorns singing group debuted in 1996 and has since raised more than $12,000 for a variety of charities in and around Lake Forest. Among the beneficiaries are the Lake Forest Open Lands Association, the Church of the Holy Spirit, the Infant Welfare Society, Lake Forest Hospital and Children’s Memorial Hospital.
The not-for-profit group’s singers, who live in Lake Forest or Lake Bluff, entertain for private parties, benefits and corporate functions, donating their $500 performance fee to a charity of their hosts’ choosing. They use their own funds to pay for the music, costumes and other expenses.
“Some people sing for their supper; we sing for charity,” said Louise Ries, one of the Buckthorns’ founders.
The group was created by four musical board members of the Lake Forest Open Lands Association, who thought singing would be a unique way to raise money for the organization’s conservation efforts as well as for other charities. According to Ries, the group is named for the treelike buckthorn weed because “it’s impossible to get rid of and keeps coming back year after year.”
“Buckthorn was always a big subject at Open Lands, really the bane of its prairie-restoration efforts,” Ries explained. “Never ones to take ourselves too seriously, we billed ourselves as `The Buckthorns, The Bad Weeds That Won’t Go Away.’ “
The group’s first performance was in December 1996 and benefited Open Lands’ prairie-restoration project. As more community members learned about the group and its bookings increased, its charitable outreach expanded to other not-for-profit organizations.
Former state Sen. David Barkhausen teamed with Ries, Kate Sackman and Cathy McGowan in founding the group in the fall of 1996 and giving it its philanthropic mission. (Sackman and McGowan have since moved out of state.)
“First and foremost,” Barkhausen recalled, “we were friends who liked to sing, and we were all very much involved in supporting local charity organizations. The Buckthorns brought everything together for us. We could have fun entertaining and help a good cause in the process.”
Smiling, he added, “When I retired from the legislature, my colleagues passed a series of whereas-type resolutions memorializing my career, including a special `whereas’ for my singing with the Buckthorns. It’s in the official record of the Senate, so I guess we can say that the Buckthorns are now a permanent part of Illinois history.”
The group has been as small as six and as large as 12, fluctuating as families have relocated. There are currently 10 members: Barkhausen, Scott Bermingham, Ned Jessen and Susie McMurray of Lake Bluff; and Jinny Cotherman, Jim Passalino, Ries, Mary Jane Stutz, Sandy Turner and Bill Vernon, all of Lake Forest.
The Buckthorns are not professional singers, but all have extensive musical performance experience and have auditioned to be in the group. All sang through college, in glee clubs or musicals, and Cotherman, Ries and Stutz also taught music. Several also sing in other groups or perform as soloists in churches or other places. In addition, McMurray is a composer and works in production with professional recording artist Derrick Stout. She and Jim Passalino handle the Buckthorns’ audio setup and equipment needs as well.
“We have a lot of fun, but we also take performing very seriously,” said Ries, the group’s manager and music director. “We can’t afford to go out and not present well, so we spend a lot of time in rehearsal.”
Stout, president of Deerpath Music Record Co. and Baby Doin’ the Jig Productions of Lake Bluff, said, “The Buckthorns are doing something no one else is, and their enthusiasm for what they do is contagious. It’s that kind of excitement that bumps up the quality of performance to a high level. Their choice of music is also excellent and interesting, and it’s clear they put in a lot of rehearsal time.” The group typically rehearses several hours a week and averages one major performance a month.
“As a former music teacher,” Ries said, “I’m the one who holds everyone to task, making them stay late until they’ve learned their parts. I’m also the one who’s not always very popular, at least until the day of the show. Then they’re happy I kept after them.”
Marion Cartwright of Lake Forest Open Lands, who booked the group for the agency’s October grand opening of the Lockhart Nature Center, said, “The Buckthorns are always awesome. They hit a high note with everyone who hears them, plus their generosity in supporting charities like ours is just wonderful. I wish there were more like them.”
The Buckthorns perform for large public events as well as smaller private parties, with a typical show ranging from 20 to 30 minutes and including 15 to 20 choreographed numbers. They currently have about 70 songs in their repertoire, ranging from 1940s love songs and ’50s favorites to current Broadway hits and film scores. They specialize in four-part harmony and also customize their performance to their clients’ needs and interests, often adapting lyrics to pay good-natured homage to the host or audience.
The group is as well known for its showmanship and quality of singing.
Lisa Ireland of Lake Forest, a member of the Children’s Memorial Medical Center women’s board, had the Buckthorns sing at the hospital’s 1997 400-person holiday benefit, which she co-chaired. “The Buckthorns sang with such beautiful sound and flair,” she said. “They so obviously love what they do. Their show is very fun, festive and upbeat–with hats and all”
The Buckthorns typically dress up parts of their performances with quick-change costuming, such as hats, glasses, scarves or jackets and props related to a song’s background. Thus, the women might don vintage hats or feather boas for a ’40s number, or the men might wear leather jackets and dark glasses for a ’50s medley.
Roman Nomitch of Bannockburn had the Buckthorns perform at a surprise 40th birthday party last year for his wife, Kimberly. Using personal background he provided, the singers created a medley of songs that chronicled the seasons of Kimberly Nomitch’s life, starting with “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby” (sung while parading around a lifesize baby picture Roman had given them), moving on to a rendition of “Pretty Woman” related to her experience as a Miss Illinois pageant participant and ending with the adapted Beatles tune “Will You Still Love Me When I’m 41?”
“The Buckthorns were spectacular,” Roman Novitch said, “really individualizing their performance to make it an exceptional evening for my wife and our guests. Not only did they sing beautifully, but they energized the crowd and got everyone involved. They’re excellent entertainers.”
The Nomitches designated the group’s fee to support a fund set up to assist a Lake County family whose home had burned to the ground.
The Buckthorns are available for bookings on a limited first-come, first-served basis. Regarding the $500 donation to charity, the group will suggest an organization if the client doesn’t have a recipient in mind. For more information, contact the Buckthorns at 847-295-5123 or 847-604-9701.
