Joe and Diana Arlt will celebrate two major anniversaries this summer with the sound of music.
The Villages’ couple marked their 54th wedding anniversary this week – but that’s not all. In July, they will get together with about 300 people in La Hacienda Recreation Center for the second anniversary of their monthly “Showcase of Talent.” It gives local performers a chance to display their wares.
For the Arlts, love, marriage and Villages entertainment is all about music.
“We were introduced to each other through the love of music,” Diana Arlt said Tuesday during the June “Showcase of Talent” show in La Hacienda. “Joe played the guitar and I sang in a band. That’s how we met. And we’ve continued all these years with our love of music and each other.”
Long before they exchanged vows, the couple was in complete harmony with each other.
To see a clip from the show, visit the Villages-News.com Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheVillagesNews?ref=hl
“We were friends before we were lovers,” Joe said. “We’re still friends, and we still love music.” It’s music, “that keeps us together and keeps us happy,” Diana said.
The Arlts share that musical passion each month with their fellow Villagers. The Showcase events are usually packed and the money raised is donated to help the performing arts. Tickets are $5.
“Joe and Diana make this happen with a lot of hard work, and we all appreciate it,” said Jan Lavin, who sings and also does the announcing for the monthly shows.
“It means a lot to people here, because it gives you another chance to perform,” added Lydia Leduc, who sang the challenging number, “Lady America,” on Tuesday. The program had a patriotic theme and there were plenty of red, white and blue costumes and music.
“We try to have a theme every month, and we’re looking for new talent,” Diana Arlt said. Anyone can audition by calling 352-753-3346 or emailing [email protected]. The next show will be July 24 at 7 p.m. in La Hacienda and the theme will be about “The Sizzling 60s.”
But the World War II years of the 1940s were spotlighted on Tuesday. The Off Broadway Dancers, led by Shirley Keith, kicked off the show in red, white and blue sequins with a toe-tapping effort on Glenn Miller’s big band classic, “American Patrol.”
Janie Berry sported an oversized Uncle Sam hat as she sang a rousing version of “My Country.” Ray Leggiero and Diana Arlt kept up the patriotic fever with a foot-stomping, “Grand Old Flag.”
Then Leggiero turned serious as he talked about the song, “The House I Live In.” Frank Sinatra did a famous version of it in a movie short. “The song speaks out against anti-Semitism and prejudice,” Leggiero said. He added was also about freedom and justice in America.
Navy veteran George Pieper, decked out in his dress whites, sang “America The Beautiful.” Then Dee Hart, with Tom Carlyon on keyboards, offered a tender version of “My Buddy,” that touched the hearts of those who remember those wartime days.
Back in the 1940s, British singer Vera Lynn turned “We’ll Meet Again,” into a worldwide anthem. She is now Dame Vera Lynn and 98 years old. “She inspired me,” Diana Arlt said before going on stage to sing “We’ll Meet Again” in a red dress, with a matching red hat with rhinestones, and fur stole.
One of the highlights of the night came when Jay Gerhard, Jim Boerman and John Alnwick of “Sparkey’s Strummers” brought their banjos and a guitar to the stage. The guys romped through a couple of rollicking numbers that had the audience clapping along.
The patriotic program ended, appropriately enough, with The Villages Drill Team on stage for a “Salute to the Armed Forces.” They also joined Diana Arlt for a moving interpretation of “God Bless America,” and the audience rose to sing along.