Blue Mountain Chorus records, 1973-2022

Founded 1945 as Sweet Adelines Inc. in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Sweet Adelines International is an international women's barbershop and acapella organization. The Walla Walla-based Blue Mountain Chapter was founded in 1973 by Darlene Filla (herself a former member of the Longview, Washington-based Cowlitz Valley Chapter for 9 years) and Wilma 'Willie' Schemerer. The two began holding meetings for the prospective chapter throughout 1973, slowly gathering the required twenty initial members throughout the year before finally receiving their official charter in June 1974.

The Blue Mountain Chapter was both a chorus and a social group. The Sweet Adeline year ran from May to April of the following year, beginning with an annual awards dinner and installation meeting where new chapter officers would be installed and the Evelyn Klein Memorial Scholarship would be awarded. The Evelyn Klein Memorial Scholarship was a $300 award given to a young woman from the area who exhibited excellent vocal music and academic accomplishment during their high school career. In November, the chapter put together a themed annual musical review at Cordiner Hall, featuring various vocal groups, including barbershop quartets from the region, local school choruses, and the Whitman Sampler. Darlene Filla also worked in the Communications department at Whitman College throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The choral year culminated in the yearly North Pacific Region #13 Competition (now known as the North by Northwest Region #13), of which the Blue Mountain Chapter were regular participants. Members of the chapter also made up numerous smaller quartets, including 7th Heaven, Blueprint, and Doubletake, the longest running Blue Mountain quartet, of which Darlene Filla and her daughter, Tracy Goebel, were long-term members.

The chorus was very active in the community, regularly performing at local benefits, the Odd Fellows Home, Eastgate Mall, Blue Mountain Mall (currently the Walla Walla Shopping Center), First Presbyterian Church (currently the Walla Walla Presbyterian Church), Central Christian Church, and other local events. The Blue Mountain Chorus were also yearly participants at the Southeastern Washington Fair.

The chapter maintained steady membership until its dissolution in 2022, with a reported 30 members in 2016. Darlene Filla acted as Director from 1973 to 2001 and with co-director Paul Dennis from 1981 to 1983, before a brief retirement where David 'Dave' Warkentin, former Director of the Walla Walla Chamber of Commerce, filled the position. Darlene returned to directing in the late 2000s, leading the group until her retirement in 2018. Vanessa Leamy filled the position of Director until the group's dissolution.