Today, April 8th, Peggy Lennon celebrates her 75th birthday. For those who do not know who she is or may have forgotten, she was a member of the singing group The Lennon Sisters until her retirement. The Lennon Sisters were on the Lawrence Welk Show for several years. They briefly had their own television show with Jimmy Durante and made guest appearances on various shows throughout the the decades. They also performed concerts in various cities and actually three of the sisters (Kathy, Janet and Mimi) are still touring.
In the late Spring of 1982, my friend Susan happened to see an advertisement in one of the Boston newspapers about upcoming concerts at the South Shore Music Circus in Cohasset, Massachusetts. Among the artists scheduled to perform were the Lennon Sisters. They were, and still are, one of my favorite groups and Susan also liked them. We had watched many of their television appearances.
Naturally Susan told me and we made plans to go see them. They were doing an afternoon and evening show. We decided to see both shows. Our seats were more toward the last rows than the first rows. We still had a great view of stage because the South Shore Music Circus is a small intimate venue, with some sections having twenty-one rows and others having sixteen rows. The set-up is a theater-in-the-round with a revolving stage and a tent covering. There was no air-conditioning, just huge fans, which meant the inside was very warm on hot sunny days.
The drive was pleasant and we didn’t get lost. We were both excited about seeing the Lennon Sisters and they put on a great show. They also used a movie projector to play a film of they’re very first appearance on the Lawrence Welk Show while doing a costume change. Peggy stayed on stage to talk about the clip. She said the reason she stayed on stage was “that it just takes me less time to get pretty!” The Lennons sang a variety of music from songs they’d sung while on the Welk Show to a couple of contemporary songs and even did a a modified strip-tease to the song Cabaret as a way to fit in another costume change.
As good as the concert was, the best part actually came after the concert ended because the Lennon Sisters were signing autographs. Although we liked all four sisters, we did each have our favorites. Susan liked Kathy and I liked Peggy and Janet. But I had a very personal reason for wanting to meet Peggy, something I really never thought I’d have the chance to do. I wanted to say “thank you” to her because she’d helped me and didn’t know. Something that I’m sure happens many times between performers and fans without the performers ever knowing the impact they’ve had on their fans lives.
In November 1979, one of my uncles died very suddenly and unexpectedly. He was my godfather. He and his wife didn’t have any children so I wanted to wearing something black to his wakes. I had black pants and went to to look for a black blazer or jacket. I went to the mall and stopped at a bookstore, though I’m not sure why. I looked at the magazines and the Lennon Sisters were on the cover of the Christmas edition of Ladies Circle Magazine. I didn’t even browse through the article. I just bought the magazine and went to look for the blazer.
When I got home, I finally read the article which ended with a quote from Peggy about how she dealt with the death of loved ones. Her words were quite soothing during a most difficult time and I often wished I could find a way to thank her but I didn’t know how to get in touch with her. I never thought I would have the chance to thank her. Suddenly I found myself just moments away from having the opportunity. My heart pounded so loudly, I was sure she’d hear it. She, of course, was kind, gracious, gave me her autograph and even took a picture with me! I gave her a belated birthday gift.
The Lennon Sisters returned to the South Shore Music Circus in July 1983 with Eddy Arnold. Susan and I were joined in our excursion by Susan’s cousin Kathy, also a friend of mine. Kathy’s mother, Edna, joined us along with Kathy and Susan’s aunt, Shirley, Edna’s sister. We left early and stopped to eat at a restaurant on the way to Cohasset.
Susan, Kathy and I were excited about seeing the Lennon Sisters. Shirley and Edna were more excited about seeing Eddy Arnold. After the Lennon Sisters part of the show ended, we went outside and much to our delight, they were once again signing autographs. I had the chance to speak with Peggy again and was quite surprised when she not only greeted me with a hug, but also remembered my name after all the people she’d met.
The Lennon Sisters and Eddy Arnold were also appearing in Rhode Island at the Warwick Musical Theater, which was also a theater-in-the-round with a revolving stage and a tent covering. My mother made the trip with Susan and me for the Friday night concert. After the Lennons finished their show, Susan and I went outside to see them only discover that there would be no autograph session because that delayed people getting back into the theater for Eddy’s show.
Since Susan and I were not Eddy Arnold fans and had already seen his show, we stayed outside for awhile. We caught a glimpse of Janet walking with her husband and called out to her. She promised to return after finishing her walk and did. We, along with some other fans, were able to speak with the Lennons briefly and the Lennons offered to have a little meet and greet after their show Saturday night. Susan and I went back in to join my mother who was quite taken with Eddy Arnold and very happy because we had seats close to the stage.
Saturday could not come fast enough for us. We drove to Rhode Island with great anticipation. We enjoyed the show as always. When the Lennons finished their last song, went outside to wait with others for the meet and greet. We spent most of the time talking with Peggy because, as she said, she was a much better talker than packer. We had the opportunity to show Peggy many of the pictures we’d taken at the concert the previous year. We did get take a few more pictures of all four sisters. I also had the chance to talk with Peggy for a few moments. I promised her I would finish college because I really did want to finish but didn’t seem to have the determination or motivation. I hoped promising her would help. She said “You should finish college”. Unfortunately that was not enough and I ended up not even finishing the fall semester.
I moved to Florida in 1989 and decided to back to college in 1993. I had long since forgotten about my promise to Peggy, but actually remembered it as I was finishing the Spring semester. I thought “wow, I’m actually going to keep my promise to Peggy but I’ll never be able to let her know.” Much to my surprise, the Lennon Sisters were on The Vicki Lawrence Show and said they were going to be working for Larry Welk Jr in Branson, MO. So now I knew wehre she would be!
In 1997 I bought WEBTV rather than a computer. WEBTV was inexpensive and easy to operate. I searched for an address for the Welk Musical Theater in Branson and sent Peggy a letter letting her know that I was keeping my promise after all those years, had received my Associate of Arts Degree and was working on my Bachelor’s degree. I also found a Lennon Sisters discussion group. I joined the group and decided to share my Peggy Lennon story with the group. What I did not know was that one of the members of the group, Tammy, also worked for the Lawrence Welk Musical Theater and decided to print my story and give it to Peggy to read.
I still remember that moment when I read the email with the subject “A note from Peggy”. Initially I thought Peggy had sent an email to the discussion group. But she had actually had Tammy send me an email which Peggy had written. She said that she remembered me, had never received my letter, and was glad to hear I was doing well. I was amazed. Peggy retired and left Branson before I finished college. Again I thought I would never be able to let her know. Once again, Tammy was able to help me get in touch with her and I sent her a copy of my Bachelor’s Degree. I do know she received the copy because I received a hand-written thank you note from her.
She taught me three times in three different decades to “never say never”! Thank you, Peggy! You will always have a special place in my heart!
Moderately liberal, liberally moderate, American flag waving Democrat! Bachelor of Arts in History with concentration in Early American History and Abraham Lincoln
Graduate student pursuing a Master of Arts Degree online in American History at Southern New Hampshire University