april24 2012
V E R N O N I A’ S
reflecting the spirit of our community
Vaudeville’s My Home is a Hit!
By Seymour Talent
Flood of ‘07), but the swindlers really intend to
steal the money at the end of the show.
The Vernonia Community Theater
What ensues is all manner of local
presented the play “Vaudeville’s My Home” “talent” auditioning for the show, from the local
on April 13 and 14, 2012 on the stage of the ladies of the National Association for Good
Washington Grade School. The cast and crew Schools (NAGS), who perform a version of the
did a wonderful job, with some great acting, Can Can in an attempt to be showgirls, to opera
singing performed
by the town’s Italian
butcher, to a local
redneck
family
performing hillbilly
music. The con men
find
little talent,
but encourage the
locals anyway in
the hopes of scoring
a big payday for
themselves.
Mackenzie
Brown and John
Wacker as the two
swindlers, Clyde J.
Fish and Emmanuel
Thorndike Hooker,
carry the bulk of the
Cathy Meyer, Cheryl McNeill, Mackenzie Brown and DeAnna Pearl of the Verno- show. When young
nia Community Theater, during their performance of Vaudeville’s My Home.
Fish falls in love
clever script adjustments, good lighting and with Emma Jean McDowell, the twenty-two
sound, and a few songs mixed in between the years old and single daughter of the hillbilly
laughs. The group provided a fun night of family, he doesn’t have the heart to steal the
comedy and entertainment and those of us in the towns money.
audience didn’t even have to leave town to find
The musical numbers in the show added
it!
a fun twist and a few of the actors displayed
The play, written by Ken Bradbury, takes wonderful singing talent, including Brown and
place in the 1920’s and features two vaudeville Breanna Gardner, who played Emma Jean,
troopers on the run from the law after stealing Jill Hult in the role of Eloise Findley, and the
the box office receipts after a show in New York. NAGS—Kinnell Steward, Lee Anne Krause,
The two find themselves stranded in the tiny Sarah Wagner, NaTasha Havens, Mary Post and
town of Vernonia, Oregon, or “Vernowhere”, Diana Peach.
as one of the con artists likes to call it, where
Other highlights of the show included
the two hatch a plan to host a local vaudeville Daniel Atanacio, Sr.’s as Harvey Zimmerman
show using local talent. The show, The Vernonia and his accompaniment on the cowbell to Hult’s
Follies, will raise money for the locals to build a poetry reading; Alisa Levenseller and Krystina
new school (the old school was destroyed in the Fields as kids Willy Peterson and Margaret
Wilson who, encouraged by their match-making
mothers, act out the balcony scene from Romeo
and Juliet, against the wishes of poor Willy;
and the antics of the entire McDowell family
which included Cheryl McNeill, Coral Pearl,
William Scheuerman and Cathy Meyer—Meyer
didn’t have a line but her facial expressions and
kazoo playing were enough! Co-director Roger
Longhenry made a cameo appearance as Sgt.
Tim O’Sullivan, almost spoiling the crooks
plans when he recognized them as wanted
criminals.
The show was practically stolen by
the Gaglianno’s—DeAnna Pearl as Antonio
Giovanni, the Italian butcher and opera “singer,”
and Peach as his wife and flamboyant member
of the NAGS. Pearl was over the top as the hot
tempered butcher and garnered the most laughs;
Peach played her role of the outspoken Mrs.
Gaglianno with comic grace.
Pianist Gienah Cheney added some
nice touches to the show and the rest of the
crew also did a superb job. Co-directors Post
and Longhenry did an amazing job of adjusting
the script to give it some local color, received
outstanding performances from their cast, and
created a great evening of entertainment.
It turns out there actually is some real
talent in “Vernowhere.”
inside
11
everybody
reads
volume6 issue8
New Vernonia School
Could Lack Some Facilities
When Opened
Community may need to adjust short term expectations
By Scott Laird
The new Vernonia school campus is on schedule to open
in the fall of 2012. But because of fundraising shortfalls, the Ver-
nonia School District (VSD) could be forced to open the doors of
it’s new building without the completion of all the amenities the
community has been expecting.
Workers are completing some of the detail work inside the new
Vernonia school building, including installation of wood paneling
in the small gymnasium. Some parts of the project have been
postponed until additional funding can be secured.
Right now the budget to complete construction hovers
around $40 million. With over $37 million already committed to
the project, that leaves a $3 million gap. And with just over three
months remaining until the VSD hopes to have its Occupancy
Permit to begin working in the building, time is running short to
find the funds to complete the entire project.
“We’re still going as hard as we can in every possible
direction to make sure we can make this project work and be
ready for school to start this fall,” says Vernonia Superintendent
Dr. Ken Cox.
continued on page 8
Vernonia Marathon
12
vhs sports
12
invasive
species
removal
More photos on page 19.
free
See
story
on
page 14
