When Blake Tharp mulled lending his voice to the ranks of the Coalcracker Barbershop Chorus, he was hesitant.

He hadn’t any formal musical training - he just loved the style of music.

“When I first joined, I thought it was going to be all these guys with all this music training or music majors but really, there were farmers, there were businessmen,” he recalled.

The members, he said, simply enjoyed singing and the sounds of barbershop a cappella harmonies.

And now, the group is looking for others who enjoy getting together in song. What was once a group of 50-plus members has only 11.

“We’re looking to get people to come, to join, and to fortify us,” Tharp explained, of the group, which is the Tamaqua chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society.

They’re inviting folks to open houses at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 16 and 23 at the Tamaqua Arts Center, 125 Pine St.

The events, “Everyone in Harmony,” will showcase the basics of barbershop singing.

Director Larry Sabino, Orefield, said he’d like to see interest so the group can continue on.

“If they want to try to sing with us, they can. Or if they just want to sit and listen, they can,” he said of the open houses.

And if they’d like to join, that would be even better, Sabino added.

“If you like to sing in the shower, or if you like to sing along to the radio, that’s good enough,” he said.

Those who join will train and learn.

When Ron Beltz of Lehighton joined about 27 years ago, he recalled a group of 45 singers.

Little by little, that number shrunk.

But Beltz stays on, coming to practice each week. The harmonies, he said, have him hooked.

“When it’s right on and it blends, it’s a beautiful sound,” he explained.

Del Steigerwalt of Normal Square waited until he retired to join the group.

That was almost 18 years ago.

“I would have liked to have joined before that but I was busy with work,” he said.

He’s always enjoyed singing, and loves the barbershop style.

But seeing the dwindling membership, he said, is disheartening.

“We need singers bad,” he said.

A minimum of four is needed to hit the notes but more people allows for a more robust blending of voices.

Al Hoffman, Brockton, explained that the group began in Mahanoy City in 1955. He joined in 1972 and recalled practices inside a former one-room school house in Barnesville, Rush Township.

It sat on the aptly named, “Harmony Lane.” Practices are now held Monday evenings at the art center.

Hoffman is the member with the most years. The newest member is Arthur “Artie” DiCasimirro, of the Mahanoy City area, who joined this month.

The chorus frequently performs. Over the winter, they sang the national anthem at Marian Catholic and Tamaqua Area high school games.

Next came performances at a Reading Phillies game in April and an Iron Pigs game in June.

The group also hopes to get back to special events, like Christmas festivities where they can sing carols, and plans to return to nursing homes to entertain guests.