The Sharpe Family Singers were at Newark Liberty International Airport on Friday, November 13, bound for Fort Lauderdale and back-to-back weekend concerts, when the FAA halted every departure in the country. The nationwide ground stop, which officials attributed to a communications issue affecting air traffic control, lasted for hours and left thousands of travelers waiting in terminals.
The family did what they do. With the departure boards frozen behind them, they sang for the people stuck alongside them, including “Into the Unknown” from Frozen 2. Travelers gathered, phones came out, and a long evening at the airport got a little lighter. As the family put it in their own post from the terminal: “Gotta make the best of it.”
The moment made the news
Reporters covering the ground stop found the family in the terminal. TMZ filmed the performance and published it the next morning, comparing the family to the Von Trapps. NBC 4 New York featured them in its live coverage from Newark Liberty, and Variety listed the Sharpe Family Singers among the performers and industry travelers stranded by the stoppage.
Where the Florida shows stand
The ground stop was lifted on Friday night, but not in time. Saturday’s Fort Lauderdale concert has been postponed, and Sunday’s show has been canceled. The family is as disappointed as the fans who planned to be there, some of whom were traveling in for the weekend.
Details for ticket holders are not confirmed yet. They will be posted here and on the family’s social channels as soon as they are.
Next on the calendar
The family’s next appearances are close to home: the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 26, and a performance in Somerville, New Jersey, on December 4. Current dates and tickets are listed under Live Shows on the homepage.
