6 A
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2016
H OLLY J OLLY F OLLIES TAKES ON ‘H O H O H OLLYWOOD ’
Review
B Y B URNEY G ARELICK
eck the halls with
boughs of holly, disap-
proval would be folly.
There’s no disapproval in
Florence this year because the
Holly Jolly Follies is back this
weekend, Dec. 3 and 4, at the
Florence Events Center.
It all started back in the
1990s when artful Florence res-
idents put on community vari-
ety shows call the Follies. In the
new millennium, local entrepre-
neur Pat Sapp decided to revive
the good times by producing
and directing the Holly Jolly
Follies, recruiting Follies’ stars
of yesteryear and newcomers
alike. Sapp’s Holly Jolly Follies
became a beloved tradition.
Now, Florence’s Ziegfeld has
handed the reins of the Follies
to Melanie Heard, falconer of
Florence’s mighty CROWs,
that is, Children’s Repertory of
Oregon Workshops. Director
Heard enlisted her accom-
plished mother, (Rose) Ellen
Jacobson, eminent playwright
and equestrian, to write the
script. Perhaps the deal was
sealed by the onstage appear-
ance of Luna, a very well-
behaved miniature horse mas-
querading as a reindeer.
The 2016 Holly Jolly Follies
is, true to the tradition, packed
with song, dance, and laughter,
D
including such
luminaries as
Mayor
Joe
H e n r y ,
Siuslaw News
Editor
Ned
Hickson, the
ever-popular
FloTones
vocal
(and
comic) ensem-
ble, Florence
first lady of
dance Angela
Palmer, long-
time Florence
trumpeter
John Stone,
the Siuslaw High
School Choir, the
Buck & A Quarter
Band, the Encore
Dancers as six
Shirley Temples —
what would a
Follies be without
tap dancers! — a
couple of CATs
from
Florence’s
newest theater Class Act
Theatre reprising the Bunkers,
animated CROW kids, movie
scholar Jared Anderson as a
hyperactive and hilarious movie
director, elegant vocal soloists
(Denise Dee, Melanie Heard,
Wendy Krause, Bill Olson,
Brynne Sapp), and many more.
You’ll know them when you see
them.
Or maybe not. You may have
to blink twice to recognize
Hickson as Elfis, the tall elf in
the white sparkly suit who
swivels his hips, causes girl
elves to swoon, and joins in on
“Blue Christmas” with Elvis,
played by Doug Bushwar,
member of the Buck & A
Quarter Band.
As for those Buck & A
Quarter hombres, they turn into
cowboys to herd cattle in the
chilly San Fernando Valley, sit-
ting around a campfire, eating
beans, from which eructations
and other sounds ensue.
There are other special
effects and wonderful sets to
mirror ball is hanging
from the ceiling.
Did I mention T-
Rex? Anything can
happen in “Ho Ho
Hollywood!,” the title
of this year’s Holly
Jolly Follies, which
takes us back to the
script and the story
that accompanies the
madcap variety show.
Jacobson has writ-
ten scripts for comic
Poison Pen Players
murder
mystery
spoofs, including the
infamous “Dead In
COURTESY PHOTOS
The Sled.”
But
“Ho
Ho
Holly-
Community actors of
all ages fill the roles of wood!” sports no dead bodies.
Holly Jolly Follies “Ho It is only as macabre as
Ho Hollywood.” Left, the frustrated wannabe movie
Doug Bushwar as Elvis maker exploiting Santa for
sings “Blue Christmas” money to make his movie. This
with Ned Hickson as Scrooge or Grinch character,
the villain, if you will, is Jack
Elfis.
Frost who is gray turning blue
over yuletide with no cash.
put the audience into a winter Played by the inestimable Mike
wonderland of holiday celebra- Jacobson, Jack Frost nips at
tion, as when the FEC sparkles everyone’s wallet. He kidnaps
with points of light like a giant Santa from the North Pole,
Deadwood holiday bazaar tomorrow
Deadwood
Community
Services will host its Holiday
Market and Baazar at
the Deadwood Community
Center, milemarker 4.2 on
Deadwood Creek Road, on
Sunday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m.
to 4 p.m
The public is invited to
come up river to see the
works of talented area arti-
sans making pottery, jewelry,
fabric arts, beauty and health
concoctions, baked goods,
holiday candies and a multi-
tude of arts and crafts.
leaves a ransom note for the
elves, hustles the fat man to
shopping malls all the way to
Hollywood, and encourages
shoppers to fill Santa’s red
bucket with money. Santa’s
elves don’t take this lying
down; they band together in
delightful elfish costumes to
pursue all leads to Santa’s
whereabouts, ending up in
Hollywood that glitters with
Christmas magic and exotic
dancers with colorful veils
straight out of Aladdin — and
poof! Everyone’s wishes come
true. Even Jack Frost’s com-
plexion turns from blue to rosy
red, and all’s well that ends
well.
The Holly Jolly Follies has
returned to Florence, where the
river meets the sea. So deck the
halls, stuff the stockings, and
jingle those bells for a happy
Christmas. And this is the year,
for sure, that we need a little
Christmas, as Heard suggests in
the program’s director notes.
May all of your days be merry
and bright and all of your follies
be jolly and joyful.
1255 Bay Street
Sttre et (541) 9 991-3322
9 1- 3 32
3 22
It’s that time of year when
artists, cooks and creative
folks of Deadwood together
at the Deadwood Community
Center for an exchange of art
and holiday cheer.
There will be food and
drink on hand to purchase for
A ,
e,
e é ,A q e
Hot Cider & Goodies all December lon
f
Handbell Choir to play during Advent
COURTESY PHOTO
The Handbell Choir will perform with the Florence
Community Chorus on Dec. 10 and 11.
The Handbell Choir will
play every Sunday during
Advent at the Presbyterian
Church of the Siuslaw.
The group will also play
with the Florence Community
Chorus at its performance on
Saturday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m.
and again on Sunday, Dec. 11,
at 2 p.m. at the Presbyterian
Church.
Anyone who is interested in
participating in the handbell
choir can attend rehearsals on
Mondays at 4:15 p.m. at the
church, at 3996 Highway 101.
For more information, call
the church office at 541-997-
7136.
240
A Jazz Kings Christmas 2016
Happy Holiday
Wed, Dec 14, 7:30 pm Florence Events Center
Tickets 541.997.1994
theshedd.org
Siuslaw News
Photo of the Week:
By Robert Langenfield
HOURS
Is your family prepared?
If an emergency happens in your community,
it may take emergency workers some time to reach you.
You should be prepared to take care of yourself and
your family for a minimum of 240 hours.
Get your emergency sanitation kit started
with these essentials:
❑ Plastic bucket with tightly fi tting lid
❑ Plastic bags and ties
❑ Disinfectant, soap Improvised toilet seat
(5-gallon bucket or a coffee can)
❑ Paper cups and plates
❑ Plastic utensils
❑ Personal toiletries & hygienic needs
❑ Toilet paper
❑ Aluminum foil
❑ Paper towels
Sunset at Cleawox
This message brought to you by the West Lane
Emergency Operations Group. www.wleog.org
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