How Did April Burt Become a Music Lover?
Gifts Passed on Thru Generations from Cool ( Violin ) Purse -un 31
Miss April Burt purchased a Violin Purse as a gift for her daughter, a beginner fiddler in Canada. April is an amazing lady who, I think, can do everything. In addition to her social work career, she has been on numerous Boards, caters, and is also an artist. Her talent for creating perfect things shines through whether she is catering, flower arranging or painting. She has metastasized breast cancer and goes to treatment every three weeks. To keep active, she has found new avenues for her talents. While able to be productive in projects that her energy level will allow, she maintains a positive outlook through her battle with cancer.
Growing Up Influences on April’s Many Careers:April grew up in a small community in East Tennessee. She played flute in school and listened to and sang along with Musicals and Show Tunes at home. Her mother enjoyed having dinner parties even though they were very poor. They made sure everything looked and tasted perfect.April became a social worker for 20 years, then a realtor. She has always been involved in community activities.After April’s children were out of the baby stage, she started catering small weddings. Though she took a few food classes classes on the side, she went to college for social work.
Violettes asked about fun catering stories and events:April has had mystery gourmet dinner parties where the attendees are characters that dress up.Here is a story from years ago about one of her catered weddings in the sticks of east TN -She charged $250, which was a lot in those days. She was asked to cater to a small wedding party of 50 or so. It was a long drive to get to the wedding and she brought 3 of her kids to help her. There was no water available, so she had to fill up buckets to bring to make punch. She provided the punch, cake, nuts and home made mints which was common in those days. The family only paid her $200.Community Work: In the small TN community where April raised her children, she was on the Board for the “Community Concert Series” held at Tusculum College. After she joined the board the sales went thru the roof.The group held 3 concerts per year. She helped choose who to bring to the series. The choice depended on who they could get to their community. Ticket sales and earnings were the direct result of the decisions. When she joined, they brought Chanticleer and Bonnie Raitt’s father, John Raitt, who sung in the original Oklahoma Musical. John Raitt thanked April publicly and kissed her on the lips! When Pat Boone came, he also publicly thanked April and sang April Love in her honor. (Hearing the likes of Chanticleer influenced April’s daughter, owner of the Violettes Violin Purse. She became a music lover too, picking up fiddling as an adult).
Today April is on the Flower Committee, the Memorial Service Committee, she is heading a Refugee Task Force Committee and she is a small Group Facilitator all at her church.Living with Metastasized Cancer: April has a metastasized Inflammatory Breast Cancer in stage 4 and goes to treatment every three weeks. Her cancer is a type which occurs for 5% of breast cancers with a given of 3 years to live. She is on her 7th year. She keeps a positive outlook, and has found new outlets to remain active that require a lower energy level. She is newly a
visual artist painting with acrylics and constructing 3 dimensional glass mosaics with alcohol ink on glass tiles.
April was chosen for a “Casting for Recovery” Program that brings patients to a weekend fly fishing. Fly fishing is known to be a calming sport.She fell in love with fly fishing, but one can’t do it alone. She now owns all the equipment and tries to fly fish as often as possible. She is even on the Board of the Great Smoky Mountains Trout Unlimited Chapter in Knoxville.
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