Teen singers hit high note with Fenway Park invitation

Assonet neighborhood resident Michael McCue said his most memorable Fenway Park moment was when he went to a Red Sox-Yankees playoff game in 1999.

That most memorable Fenway Park experience might be trumped on Thursday when McCue and other members of the Apponequet Regional High School choir will visit the park and sing both the U.S. and Canadian national anthems. The latter song will be in honor of the Toronto Blue Jays, the team the Red Sox will be playing.

The group, dubbed Apponequet Summersing, was invited after Red Sox principal owner John Henry heard the group perform last year at a Fall River Celebrates America event.

McCue, who is a 2004 Apponequet alum and a member of the choir group, will join the approximately 34 other members of the choir and Choir Director Denise Haskins.

Apponequet Summersing will be perform at 7 p.m. before the 7:05 p.m. start of the game.

Both McCue and Haskins described the event as a rare and precious opportunity.

"I think all of New England is a Red Sox fan, and some of my students are real big Red Sox fans," Haskins said. "They and their parents are very excited about this."

Both acknowledged that the group's link to the Red Sox began last year when Apponequet Summersing performed at the First Congregational Church in Fall River during FRCA.

Henry, who was guest speaker of the Sunday morning service, heard the performance and invited Apponequet Summersing to perform at Fenway Park before a game.

He gave Haskins a contact person within the organization whom she corresponded with to set up the event.

"It's very exciting. It's an opportunity that doesn't come very often. We happened to have the luck last year that (Henry) heard us and was impressed enough to welcome us to Boston," said McCue, who usually just does fundraising for the group but will be singing on Thursday.

Apponequet Summersing features both Apponequet alumni and students.

Meanwhile, Haskins directs approximately four to five choir groups during the school year.

She said the summer group formed after several kids requested that the choir continue during the summer months.

Apponequet Summersing will be performing again during Fall River Celebrates America festivities.

It will be singing Saturday, Aug. 11 at 7:30 p.m. and again at the First Congregational Church on Sunday.

The group will give a concert at 9:30 a.m. at the Rock Street church and then sing again at the 10 a.m. service.