There was a great song fest at the Historic Depot in Canton Sunday afternoon. At center stage was Cat Catalani, who wove stories about the songs into the program, with an accent on audience participation. The full house joined in singing the choruses and clapping their hands, as they brought back America's memorable music.

Catalani performed songs of war going back to the Revolutionary War. She had the audience join in singing "Yankee Doodle." With the Civial War, the featured song was "Dixie" which was written by Daniel D. Emmett, a northerner. Other Civial War era songs sung were, Julia War Howe's "Battle Hymn of the Republic," written in 1861 and "Tenting on the Old Campground" written by Walter Kittredge in 1864. "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" written in 1863 survived the Civil War and was sung in World War I and a little in World War II.

Catalani not only sang and talked about the music of our wars, but talked about the times. Her grandmother was one of nine children and she sang a song her grandmother might have sung. Catalani grew up on a Wisconsin farm and is part Polish. She received her MFA in creative writing from the University and has taught poetry, business writing, public speaking and composition at Stanford University.

As she talked about music of World War II, she brought up "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition." She said a chaplain during the attack on Pearl Harbor was in a situtation where he was needed and proceeded to fill in for a gunner who had been killed. She said there was controversy concerning the incident. Some thought it wasn't a fact. I spoke up and said I thought it was and could furnish the name. I looked it up when I got home and it was Chaplain William A. McGuire and it did take place on Dec. 7, 1941. After the song by Frank Loesser came out in 1942, McGuire denied saying the phrase that was the title of the song. It made a good story at the time.

Catalani talked about the writing of "God Bless America" during World War II and not releasing it. The song remained in a drawer for 21 years before Kate Smith introduced it on her CBS show in 1938. It has been one of the country's most popular patriotic songs ever since.

Everyone had a good time singing, clapping their hands and listening to a master storyteller and folk singer capture the attention of everyone there.

Funding for the program arranged by Heritage Committee was provided by the Illinois Humanities Council and MidAmerical National Bank.