Meet the cast of LRP’s ‘Mamma Mia!’
“Mamma Mia!” will be the Last Resort
Players fall musical at the Florence Events
Center, 715 Quince St., and it has a strong
and deep cast. Much of the action in the play
takes place at the Summer Night City Tav-
erna on a remote Mediterranean Island that
keeps it free from too many tourists, but it
still attracts the discerning visitor.
Th ree young male characters in the play —
Sky, Eddie and Pepper — are played by local
talented actors William Owens, Christopher
Keppol and Ramiro Ramirez. Sky is the fi -
ancé of the hotel owner’s daughter, Pepper is
a barman at the tavern and Eddie helps Sky
with watersports.
According to William, a Siuslaw High
School student, he thinks his character Sky
is much like him in that he also would move
to a Greek Island. Although he doesn’t have a
British accent, he likes that Sky is a successful
businessman. William is a fan of minimalism
and says he’s interpreted that love of design
in his room. When not doing theater, you
can most oft en fi nd him practicing piano.
Christopher (Topher) says he’s smart and a
bit of a goof like his character Eddie. He re-
ally likes that Eddie helped build a website
for a place that nobody really knew about.
Topher likes to play on his computer, as well
as fantasy games like Dungeons and Drag-
ons, and he can ride a unicycle.
Ramiro says his character is a bit diff er-
ent from him because Pepper is a little bit
more of a risktaker when it comes to women,
while he, on the other hand, doesn’t have
that much to lose. What he likes most about
Pepper is the way he talks. Ramiro says the
way Pepper handles his part of the dialog is
something that he could employ when he
fi nally has a love interest. When he’s not do-
ing theatre, he’ll be producing his own radio
show for 90.7 KXCR, writing articles for the
Siuslaw News, making his own videos, play-
ing with the Siuslaw High School Soccer
team, helping his parents at ICM, or just pre-
paring himself for the next step of life: Col-
lege! Ramiro fl ew a plane before driving a car
at the age of 15.
All three actors have experience on the
stage in plays that have been very popular
in Florence. Check out their bios at www.
lrpproductions.org for a description of their
experience.
“Mamma Mia!” will play at the Florence
September 2019 • Florence Events Center — Center Stage • 5
Siuslaw Alumni All-School
Reunion & Banquet
PHOTO BY DAVE HANSEN
(From Left) Topher Keppol, William
Owens and Ramiro Ramirez play three
best friends in “Mamma Mia!”
Events Center the weekends of Nov. 1 to 3
and 7 to 10. Th ursday, Friday and Saturday
shows are at 7 p.m. and Sunday matinees are
at 2 p.m.
Get tickets now at www.eventcenter.org.
Help the alumni association raise mon-
ey for Siuslaw scholarships and have fun
doing it on Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Siu-
slaw Alumni Association Board Meeting
and All-School Reunion and Scholarship
Banquet.
Gather around the tables with your
classmates to remember good times and
make plans for future meetups. Win fan-
tastic raffl e prizes donated from local busi-
nesses and graduates. Bring cash to buy
raffl e tickets, t-shirts and hats.
Th e event takes place at the Florence
Events Center, 715 Quince St., with a
happy hour at 5 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m.
that Saturday night. Everyone must be pre-
paid/registered as there will be no pay-at-
door for the banquet.
Following the banquet the Class of 1969
has arranged for music by Th e Intruders
for the alumni’s dancing and listening en-
joyment, which is free with paid banquet
reservation.
For more information, visit www.siuslaw
alumni.org/reunions-1.
Florence Events Center
CENTERSTAGE SEPTEMBER 2019
6 • Florence Events Center — Center Stage • September 2019
FEC exhibit showcases oil paintings
by John Leasure & students
Expect to see beautiful fl orals, stunning
seascapes and more unique artistry during
the months of September and October at
the Florence Events Center (FEC) in Gallery
One. Oil paintings on display are the work
of local artist John Leasure and students
from his Wallfl owers and Wine classes at
the FEC, as well as his oil painting classes
at Florence Regional Arts Alliance (FRAA).
A reception honoring Leasure and his
students will be held at the FEC, 715 Quince
St., on Friday, Sept. 13, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Th e Wallfl owers and Wine classes repeat
every four months at the FEC, and Leasure
holds classes in oil painting every Saturday
at FRAA. His teaching techniques off er a
simple approach, enabling students to cre-
ate polished paintings.
Th e exhibit at the FEC is a marvelous op-
portunity to showcase the students’ work as
well as that of the teacher.
Leasure is a leader in the art commu-
nity of Florence. He’s a board member at
FRAA, on the gallery committee at the FEC
and very involved at Backstreet Gallery as
a member/owner. His work can be seen at
Backstreet Gallery as well as FRAA.
For more information about upcoming
classes by Leasure, contact the FEC at 541-
997-1994 and FRAA at 541-997-4435.
Always Something Happening at the FEC
September to October
John Leasure & Students Exhibit in
Gallery 1
“Everything Odd-Umn” in Gallery 5
September 13 —
5 to 7:30 p.m.
Everything Odd-Umn & John
Leasure Reception
September 1
Florence Festival of Books
Registration Deadline
www.fl orencefestivalofbooks.org
September 21 — 5 p.m.
Siuslaw Alumni Association
All-School Reunion & Scholarship
Banquet
Tickets on sale now
September 6 — 1 p.m.
“Sparking Your Connection” Work-
shop With Psychic Medium Daniel
Monroe
Tickets on sale now
— 7 p.m. “Hello from Heaven”
An Evening with Psychic Medium
Daniel Monroe
Tickets on sale now
September 12 —
9 a.m. to noon
Strategic Fundraising in Rural Com-
munities
Nonprofi t Association of Oregon
Tickets required
September 26 —
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Good Life Boomer & Senior Expo
Free admission
September 27 —
3 to 4:30 p.m.
“The Ins and Outs of Publishing”
Festival of Books Panel
Free admission
— 7 p.m. Festival of Books
Keynote Address By Bob Welch
Tickets on sale now
September 28 —
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Florence Festival of Books
Free admission
October 5 — 5 p.m.
Boys and Girls Club Auction
Tickets on sale now
October 16 — 7 p.m.
SEAcoast presents Whipped Cream
A Tijuana Brass Tribute
Tickets on sale now
October 19 — 7 p.m.
Disciple Concert
Sponsored by True Love Music
Free concert
Nov. 1 to 11 —
Last Resort Players presents “Mama
Mia!”
www.lrpproductions.org
Tickets on sale now
Every Tuesday — Noon
to 1 p.m.
Rotary Club of Florence Meeting
www.thefl orencerotary.org
Strategic Fundraising in Rural Communities
On Th ursday, Sept. 12, from 9 a.m. to
noon, the Nonprofi t Association of Oregon
(NAO) will discuss Strategic Fundraising
in Rural Communities with presenter Mike
Westby. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., with
the presentation starting promptly at 9 a.m.
Th ere is a continental breakfast provided.
From top to bottom, this is a readiness
workshop for nonprofi ts contemplating a
fundraising campaign. Th is session is for
nonprofi t organizations of all sizes and would
be ideal for executive directors, board mem-
bers and development staff considering a
large fundraising campaign eff ort.
In this interactive and engaging session, at-
tendees will learn about:
• Navigating the board and executive direc-
tor’s roles, responsibilities and relationships.
• Embracing productive/creative friction.
• Understanding diff erence between gover-
nance and support roles.
• Leading from the middle.
• Aligning your campaign with your stra-
tegic priorities.
• Ensuring you’ve done your due diligence
before launching your project.
• Best practices to plan and execute a suc-
cessful campaign.
Th is workshop is made possible with sup-
port from Th e Ford Family Foundation.
Th e cost for the Strategic Fundraising in
Rural Communities workshop is $15 for
NAO members and $30 for nonmembers.
NAO Members must be logged in to re-
ceive the automatic discounted rate when
registering at nonprofi toregon.org. People
are asked to contact training@nonprofi t
oregon.org or 503-239-4001 ext. 123 if they
are having diffi culties registering.
Westby is the CEO and president of West-
by Associates, Inc. More than 30 years ago,
Westby moved into the development fi eld
and hasn’t looked back. He places a distinct
focus on major gift s and strategic fundraising
campaigns, and over the years he’s represent-
ed a diverse group of organizations and mis-
sions. Westby has represented projects that
have generated in excess of $250,000,000.
Th rough his career, he has formed an in-
timate and comprehensive knowledge of in-
dividual philanthropy, as well as foundation
and corporate giving.
Florence Area
D INING
1. 1285 RESTOBAR
1285 Bay Street
Florence, OR
(541) 902-8338
www.1285restobar.com
4. INTERNATIONAL
C-FOOD MARKET
1498 Bay Street
Old Town Florence
(541) 997-9646
2. A&W FAMILY
RESTAURANT
17th & Hwy. 101
Florence, OR
(541) 997-8124
5. Bridgewater Fish House
and Zebra Bar
1297 Bay Street
Old Town Florence
541-997-1133
bridgewaterfi shhouse.com
3. SURFSIDE RESTAURANT
AT DRIFTWOOD SHORES
RESORT & CONFERENCE
CENTER
88416 1st Avenue
Florence, OR
(541) 997-8263
1-800-422-5091
L ODGING
A. DRIFTWOOD SHORES RESORT & CONFERENCE
CENTER
88416 1ST AVENUE
FLORENCE, OR.
541-997-8263
1-800-422-5091
B. OLD TOWN INN
170 HWY. 101
FLORENCE, OR
800 587-5879
www.old-town-inn.com
C. RIVERHOUSE INN
1202 BAY STREET
FLORENCE, OR
888 824-2752
www.riverhousefl orence.com