The patriotic and gospel musical presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Horton Foote Theatre in the Duson-Hanson Fine Arts Building. Entertainment features the Bay City-based Joysingers and El Campo’s Freedom Four. Advance tickets are $50 each and $1,000 for sponsor tables. Eight tickets and promotional recognition are included in the sponsor package.

WCJC President Betty McCrohan praised the work of The WCJC Foundation that “provides critical funding to maintain the quality and accessibility of the educational experience offered at Wharton County Junior College.” Since the Foundation was revitalized in the summer of 2003, it has raised over $35,000 for student scholarships, faculty development and academic programs.

McCrohan went on to say those attending “American Jubilee” will enjoy an outstanding evening of entertainment, in addition to being part of the WCJC legacy.

The Joysingers have delighted audiences across south Texas since the late 1970s. This Christian a cappella group has recorded three CDs and is working on another. Current members have been together for four years. The group’s name, Joysingers emphasizes their priorities in life of “J” for Jesus, “O” for others and

“Y” for putting yourself last. Members hail from Wharton, Bay City, Lake Jackson and Sweeny, which has given rise to the nickname, Lake Bay Whartonny.

Freedom Four has been singing patriotic tunes with a sprinkling of gospel music throughout Wharton and Jackson counties for the past two years. Joe Tom Davis serves as spokesperson for the group and credits his wife, Kathy, with getting the quartet started. “She listened to the Cumberland Singers from Tennessee and encouraged my younger brother, Cecil, and me to get a group together.”

Now the two Davis brothers, who have sung in church choirs since junior high, are paired with Daniel Berglund, a prominent Wharton-Matagorda farmer, and Jim Lane, retired pastor of El Campo’s Memorial Baptist Church. The elder Davis brother is a retired WCJC history professor, while the younger Davis is a pharmacist and former El Campo mayor and school board president.

Freedom Four’s high tones are provided by Berglund who sings high tenor and Cecil Davis who sings second tenor. Low tones are sung by Jim Lane, baritone, and Joe Tom Davis, bass. Carolyn Goelzer, longtime organist at First Baptist Church of El Campo, provides piano accompaniment.

The Joysingers include sopranos Cheryl Lee and Penny Muston; altos Sandy Blaine, Cathy Lewis and Cathy Privitt; alto-soprano Sharon Runci; tenors Charlie Ryan and Galen Privitt; and basses Ken Lewis and Jerry “Max” Muston, Jr.

Half of the 10-member Joysingers reside in Bay City. Ryan, a former school music director turned financial planner, is the group’s founder and leader. He also writes and arranges some of their music. The Lewises, like Ryan, come from musical families. They have three children and four grandchildren who also have the musical bug. Ken Lewis is an electrician at the South Texas Nuclear Plant, where he works with Max Muston, a computer/instrument technician. Max’s wife, Penny, is a prevention specialist for the Bay City Area Council on Drugs and Alcohol.

The Privitts reside in Wharton and are employed by Wharton ISD. Galen is director of auxiliary services, while Cathy teaches high school geometry. Representing Lake Jackson is Lee, an elementary school teacher. Sweeny is represented by Blaine, secretary to an elementary school principal. Runci is the newest member of Joysingers and lives in Lake Jackson. She is a secretary in the Columbia-Brazoria ISD special programs department.

The Joysingers have 11 musical selections ready for “American Jubilee” including “We Shall Rise,” Shout Hallelujah,” “Gaither Melody,” and “America.” Freedom Four will present classics like Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” and “Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor.” Audiences will feel the patriotic spirit as they sing other well-known tunes like “This is My Country” and “The Red, White and Blue.”

The WCJC Foundation is led by President Jeanene Dittman Merka, Vice President John Roades, and Secretary/Treasurer Jeanette McDonald.

Tickets for “American Jubilee” may be obtained through the WCJC Office of Marketing and Communications at 979.532.6322. The deadline for purchasing advance tickets is July 28.