NorrisTones Bring "Doo-wop" To Headline Pottstown Sock Hop

Grab your bobby socks and saddle shoes and come on out to first ever Saturday Night Sock Hop.  Headlined by the NorrisTones, an a cappella doo-wop group, the Saturday, Dec. 3 event will offer good music, good food, and good cause.

Entertainment by the NorrisTones, who will perform two 45-minute sets, will highlight the evening that will also include 50s and 60s dance music with DJs Tony and Melanie Giardina, a buffet and beer dinner, and a raffle with a top prize of $1,000. The cost is $30 per person; raffle tickets will be sold separately. Doors will open at 7:00 PM and 50s-60s style dress is encouraged, but optional. You must be 21 years old to attend.

Event Will Help to Raise Money 

Commenting on the Saturday Night Sock Hop, congregation president Janet Prince explains, “We were looking for a fundraiser to replace our annual ‘Bid and Buy Blast’ auction. Although that event was very successful during its 13 year run, this seemed like a good time to try something new.” A small congregation, Mercy and Truth works hard to provide a place for people to worship, to fund its religious school and activities, and to maintain its facility. They are always grateful for the support they receive from the community’s participation in their fundraisers.

Mark Pastor, bass singer, is one of the founding members of The NorrisTones, as well as its musical director and he is a member of Congregation Mercy and Truth. Pastor came up with the concept of a Sock Hop and thought his group could get involved. He has served as the chief event planner for the evening.

Music and Raffle Drawings Highlight Evening

The NorrisTones, who all lived in the Norristown area, united in 1999 to give a voice to the doo-wop music they loved. Over the years they have performed in many Philadelphia suburbs, in addition to venues as diverse as the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City, the Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and DaVinci’s Pub in Collegeville. They have also been show openers for groups like Johnny Maestro & the Brooklyn Bridge, the Skyliners, and Kenny Vance & the Planotones. In 2009 they released a CD entitled “Legacy”; it will be available for purchase at the Sock Hop with part of the proceeds being donated to the synagogue.

In addition to the $1,000 first prize, two other raffle prizes will be awarded at the Saturday Night Sock Hop: a second prize of $500 and a third prize of $100. Raffle tickets will be on sale at the event; a book of three tickets will cost $10 and people can purchase multiple books at a discounted rate. The dinner buffet will feature a choice of turkey or tilapia with all the trimmings, dessert, beverage, and beer.

Pastor encourages anyone who definitely plans to attend but has not yet purchased tickets, to contact him, sign up, and reserve a table; he can be reached at either mfpastor@live.com or 484-624-8065. Tickets can also be purchased at the door that night, but booking in advance is helpful to event planners. Checks should be made out to Congregation Mercy and Truth. You can also contact the synagogue office for information at 610- 326- 1717.

Prince summarizes her hopes for the evening, saying, “It will be a fun night, a different kind of evening, low-key and hopefully successful. We are hoping for a really good turnout.” Pastor adds, “Take a dose of doo wop from the NorrisTones on Saturday and don’t call us in the morning!”

Or, as the expression goes, “Be there or be square!” “Dig it?”

[ Congregation Mercy and Truth is located at 575 North Keim Street in Pottstown; see a map here: http://www.hesedshelemet.org/?contact

Additional information about the NorrisTones can be found at: http://www.thenorristones.com/index.html ]