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Pictured from left—Monica Bastien, Jolene Colburn and Mary Beth Eighmy, the daughters of Almena residents Rose Mary and George Stoeberl, named their singing group after the river that flows through their family farm – the Hay River Sisters. Photo by Bob Zientara

Pictured from left—Monica Bastien, Jolene Colburn and Mary Beth Eighmy, the daughters of Almena residents Rose Mary and George Stoeberl, named their singing group after the river that flows through their family farm – the Hay River Sisters. Photo by Bob Zientara

Music was already an important part in the lives of three Almena natives -- Mary Beth Eighmy, Jolene Colburn and Monica Bastien – until something new happened a few years ago at the Monroe Manor home in Barron.

“The three of us had sung separately for weddings,” remembered Colburn during a June 10, 2022, interview.

“A few years back, I was at an ‘open mike’ day at Monroe Manor, and I asked Mary Beth to join me on her guitar for a duet.”

After a year or two went by, all three sisters began to perform, occasionally, at other nursing homes.

“Then, we were chosen among the top three groups singing a Farm & Fleet jingle at Country Jam,” Colburn added.

That accolade – and performing in a real-life, paying gig at Deer Lake Winery, near St. Croix Falls – helped to complete the process of forming an actual musical group – the Hay River Sisters.

The sisters, who grew up on a farm owned by their parents, Rose Mary Stoeberl and her late husband, George, said their music experience began while singing at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Almena.

“Our parents were in the choir,” Eighmy said.

“And we also played the organ there,” Bastien added. “I don’t know if I ever did it justice, but sometimes, when nobody’s there, you can have a lot of fun (playing the organ and) singing ‘How Great Thou Art.’”

Both parents supported their daughters’ interest in music and served as role models, not only with their singing, but also with George’s proficiency on the steel guitar.

High school classes strengthened the skills of the sisters, as well as their passion for music. All three are Barron High School graduates – Bastien in 1984, Eighmy in 1988, and Colburn in 1993.

“We used to sing with a couple groups closer to the Twin Cities,” Bastien said. “But singing together is really enjoyable.”

It’s also made Bastien’s schedule a lot more hectic than it once was.

“I was complaining to my son the other day how busy I was,” she said. “And he said, hey, you practice, then you go and sing – it’s what you love to do.”

Although Eighmy provides the musical accompaniment on her guitar, all three sisters can play instruments.

“We go across music genres quite a bit,” Colburn said. “We do classic rock, folk, country, contemporary (as well as religious music).

“We try to get the crowd involved and engaged,” she added. “If you can touch (the hearts of) the folks in the nursing homes, they’re so happy, and they tell you how (the music) brought back so many memories.”

One of those crowd favorites is the Hay River Sisters’ rendition of Johnny Cash’s “I’ve Been Everywhere,” substituting the names of Barron County communities for the ones Cash used in his hit song.

For now, the sisters are OK with their musical career, including how well they can fit it into their personal schedules and day jobs.

Eighmy, a dental hygienist in St. Croix Falls, is married and has three daughters.

Bastien, a regulatory affairs chemist with 3M in Cumberland, is married, has a son and daughter, and lives in River Falls.

And Colburn, a health and information technology instructor at Northwood Technical College, lives in Balsam Lake with her husband and two dogs.

Editor’s note: The Hay River Sisters have a Facebook page. They are scheduled to appear at the following locations during July 2022:

• Saturday, July 23, Peter and Annie’s Coffee Shop & Café, Cumberland, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Thursday, July 28, The Enchanted Barn, Hillsdale, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

• Saturday, July 30, Lynn Dale’s Golf Course, Rice Lake, 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

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