community
november
2009
A Review: The Return of the Vernonia Melodrama!
13
“Sweet Violette of Vernonia” is a Smash Hit at this year’s Salmon Festival
By Seymour Talent

Many Vernonians have fond memories
of attending the yearly Melodrama presentation
each summer. I have been told it was a family
event that even the teenagers enjoyed. It was
funny and lively and something folks in Verno-
nia truly looked forward to.

Well, the Melodrama has finally re-
turned to Vernonia, with a performance that
was held as part of this year’s Salmon Festival,
on the first Saturday in October. The Salmon
Festival is Vernonia’s Fall Harvest Celebration,
welcoming the salmon back to the rivers and
streams of the Nehalem Valley, with activities
for the whole family like hay rides, pumpkin
carving, and scarecrow building. The Melodra-
ma was a perfect addition to this year’s festival,
helping instill the feeling that folks really were
visiting historic Vernonia, as they traveled back
in time for a sunny afternoon of family fun.

This was my first Vernonia melo-
drama, and I sure had a good time! The pre-
sentation, “Sweet Violette of Vernonia” is an
original production, written and directed by our
own mayor, Sally Harrison. The cast and crew,
all local Vernonians, built a wonderful set on a
flat-bed trailer with a backdrop that showed the
wooded hills surrounding Vernonia, and a small
cabin where most of the story takes place.
Sharon Parrow played the heroine, the virgin-
al Violette Sweetwater, and Ron Wright was
a revelation as the well-meaning, but not-so-
bright hero, Thomas Talltree. Marilyn Nicks
filled the role of Stella LaBella, the saloon
owner with a heart of gold who had a few
tricks up her...sleeve, so to speak, and Kevin
Hudson was Virgil (Bigbucks) Stonewall,
the local rich man who steps in to help save
the day. Of course, no self-respecting melo-
drama would be complete without its villain
and henchman, and Sam Poetter as Victor
Vambaldi and Deanna Pearl as Toadie Back-
bite practically stole the show, along with the
Sweetwater property. The cast was rounded
out with Helen Hudson as Grandma Sweetwa-
ter; sexy Saloon Girls, Sharon Bernal and Alli-
son McLeod; and a cameo appearance by local
peace officer Mike Kay as the Sheriff.

The audience, arranged on theater
seating of hay bales, were treated to an opening
musical prelude, with Burt Tschache singing
the “The Frozen Logger,” City Administrator
Bob Young leading a sing-along of old stan-
dards like a “A Bicycle Built For Two,” and a
short comedy routine by Best Girl, Coral Dawn
Pearl and Bonnie Holce, who was also the pia-
no player for the show.

The costumes were amazing, the act-
ing was over-the-top-- as expected-- and the
crowd really enjoyed cheering for the heroes,
and booing the villains, and sighing for the her-
oine as they were instructed by the cue cards
held up at appropriate times.

Here’s hoping Vernonia has a new tra-
dition, the annual fall Melodrama-- entertain-
ment that’s fun for the whole family, even teen-
agers!
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