Sweethearts send surprise serenades

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, February 15, 2012

The sound of love filled the air around Rowan County on Tuesday — in four-part harmony.
Triad Harmony Express Singers Richard Franklin, of Salisbury, Jeff Fowler, of Winston-Salem, and Jim King and Ernie Geiger, both of Asheboro, traveled around the Salisbury and Kannapolis areas to deliver singing valentines to unsuspecting recipients.
Dressed in black-and-white tuxedoes, the quartet made 15 scheduled stops (and at least one unscheduled stop in a restaurant). Each stop was given two tunes from a playlist of six songs. Among the songs: “I Love You Truly,” “Heart of My Heart,” and “Let Me Call You Sweetheart.”
One of the stops was at Kluttz Reamer law firm in Salisbury, where the group serenaded attorney Emily Hunter on behalf of boyfriend Penn Blanton. A shocked Hunter later said she doesn’t like surprises — and with the whole office watching, was a little embarrassed by this one. But, since it was Valentine’s Day, she looked on the romantic side.
“It was a big surprise. It was very sweet. It was a sweet surprise,” she said.
The men headed back to their base at the J.F. Hurley Family YMCA to practice their songs between appointments. Ninety percent of the recipients were women, the group said.