Signal Staff Writer
bcharles@the-signal.com
Posted: Oct. 16, 2009 10:41 p.m.
In a move that would have made the CIA green with envy, more than 20 Santa Clarita Valley men descended on Westfield Valencia Town Center Friday night to sing The Drifters' hit song "Under the Boardwalk."
The secret singers swarmed to the Edwards Cinema minutes before their scheduled rendezvous time of 6:47 p.m. Bob Lang, 62, of Canyon Country came disguised as a grandfatherly looking man, with Bermuda shorts and a conductor's hat. He nursed a Carl's Jr. drink in order to blend in.
The SCV Men of Harmony, who claimed responsibility for the act of clandestine singing, concealed their true identities behind khaki pants and polo shirts.
David Kilpatrick, 70, of Sylmar, the group's leader, belted out bass notes cueing his undercover crooners to start singing.
The crowd, stunned by the surprise attack of sopranos, altos and tenors, gave in to Kilpatrick's wishes - snapping their fingers and smiling.
After the performance, Kilpatrick and the SCV Men of Harmony explained their act.
"The SCV Men of Harmony wants to bring art to the people so we plan these art attacks," Kilpatrick said.
The unexpected art explosion was patterned after the popular Flash Mob movement, where people stage large performance art displays in major cities across America. Among the more popular flash mob incidents was one where hundreds of people walked into a Best Buy store dressed in the traditional blue shirts and khaki pants worn by the store's employees.
But why singing and not other impromptu pranks?
"We exist to sing," said David Norman, 62, of Newhall.
The SCV Men of Harmony sing weekly and the sing and awe attack on Friday night is just the newest style of performance in their arsenal, he said.
But how do 25 men slip into the Town Center undetected to sing? Kilpatrick said it was simple.
"Planning and a lifetime of entertainment," he said.
He was pretty tight-lipped with any more details on how they did it. But look out - that older man sitting next to you at the mall could be packing a doo-wop song.
bcharles@the-signal.com
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