Bull Run Troubadours deliver singing valentines

Prince William County, Va. - The strangest Valentine's Day serenade members of the Bull Run Troubadours ever gave was probably at Gold's Gym in Manassas, members said.

"That was funny, because you've got people working out, and we're four older gentlemen serenading this real muscular guy," said Ken Jones, who sings lead in the group's HOV-4 (High Octane Vocals) barbershop quartet.

"That was awkward," said tenor Bob Ruckle.

Each year, members of the Bull Run Troubadours, a local barbershop harmony chorus, take orders for singing valentines and then travel throughout the county -- to schools, offices, stores and homes -- to deliver them.

Clad in their signature red vests Saturday morning, the HOV-4 visited the Old Bridge Veterinary Hospital to deliver a surprise singing Valentine to veterinarian Jean Wardell.

"I can't believe it," Wardell said when she first spotted the quartet.

Wardell's husband ordered her a singing Valentine last year too, but this year's serenade still came as a surprise, she said.

"They were fantastic. This is the most moving serenade I've ever received," Wardell said after the group performed "Let Me Call You Sweetheart."

Everyone who gets a singing Valentine reacts differently, said members of the group, who have serenaded grocery store cashiers, teachers, assisted living home residents and even Virginia Department of Transportation snowplow drivers on past Valentines.

"You never know what you're going to get," said bass Joe Keady. "Some people get real emotional."

Most years, the group makes more than a dozen stops to deliver their singing Valentines, they said. This year, they got fewer orders, possibly because of the economy, they believe.

The singing Valentines cost $50 and include two songs, a card, a rose and a keepsake photo.

The Bull Run Troubadours donates part of the money to local charities.

After leaving the veterinary hospital, the group's next stop was a house on Bixby Lane, where Anne and John Duncan's children ordered a Valentine for them.

The Duncans, who have been married 58 years, sat on their couch and held hands as the group went through their repertoire of love songs.

Their daughter, Nina Daniels, said she and her siblings ordered the singing Valentine to show their love for their parents.

"We just love them to death," Daniels said. "It's been a rough year, and we just wanted to do this as a kind of pick-me-up."

Plus, Daniels said, they just like the music.

"Another reason is I just wanted to hear them sing," she said.

Anne and John Duncan, who used to sing with the Alexandria Harmonizers, said they enjoyed the show.

"They were just terrific," Anne Duncan said.

For more information on the Bull Run Troubadours, part of the national Barbershop Harmony Society, visit www.brtva.org.

Staff writer Amanda Stewart can be reached at 703-878-8014.