Holly's graduation!

 

My lovely granddaughter, Holly.

Boarding a flight to Charleston is always full of family anticipation. This trip is no exception. I check in, hand over my luggage and head to the gate. I save a seat beside me as I have a traveling companion for this trip. Within the half hour, a tall young man comes walking my way…smiling. It is Jonah. How lucky for me to travel with him to Charleston. This trip is a bit magical as family members fly in one and two at a time for Holly’s graduation from high school. I was just here a few weeks ago for her role in “Chicago” and now with her high school closed up inside her yearbook, graduation is upon us with college looming in August.

Jonah is a great traveling companion. I often forget he is a college student and quite grown up as I say, “I have money for your snacks.” He smiles and pulls snacks out of his backpack. I also send notes ahead of time of checking in…silly, I know. He has flown for years and many times solo so he knows the drill.

Our seats are not together, but that is okay as I settle back with my new Abigail Adams book. I look around to see who else is reading an actual book. I spot one three rows up although I can’t read the title. The flight is a short two hours, and we are in Myrtle Beach with Abe waiting to take us to Charleston. We arrive to a house full of people. Is it a madhouse? Well, a bit…as you all know.

Friday dawns hot and humid, as is often the case in Charleston. The kids and I play Go Fish on the back porch as the house is full. Abe makes plates full of waffles, and everyone eats in stages.

This is what I love most about family gatherings. I love knowing that under one roof my family sleeps and eats and tells stories. It is all I am about and what I live for. All day there are games and conversations. I iron Holly’s gown and do odd jobs to help out. By 5:00 we are ready to head downtown. The graduation is at the coliseum as it is a huge graduating class. The twins take books to read as it will be a long night. We fill up two full rows of family wishing her well, cheering her on. When “Pomp and Circumstance” begins, I lose it I look over at Abe and Kristin…they are holding up pretty well. I remember when my boys were graduating many years ago, I could barely hear the first note, and I would just lose it.

We cheer for Holly as she accepts her diploma. My lovely little granddaughter. How does it happen that these children we love so dearly grow up? In a blink of an eye, they are graduating, getting ready for college, driving their own car, hanging out with their friends. I know it is the way it should be, but I choke up wanting them all to be small and running to my arms for hugs or games or just love. I still want that. Luckily, I still have the twins. They sit quietly through the whole ceremony. Faith and I follow each person on the list. Brianna sits quietly knowing that she will go through this in two years. She is also a beautiful young lady with her own dreams and wishes.

Following the ceremony, there is a sea of black gowns in which to try and find our girl. Finally, there she is…our graduate. I am so proud. I think of many of my friends going through this as well with their children and grandchildren. It happens. We know it does, but it never makes it easier. 

The party is the next day. We get up early with “All hands-on deck” as everyone has jobs. The party is here at the house which is now amassed with balloons and photos and so much food. We wear our best party clothes and are ready for the first guests at noon. I try to help keep the food trays full and the toilet paper in great supply!! Holly is happy. All her friends have come along with lots of adults wishing her well. We sit around and tell stories til late into the night.

My granddaughter is a graduate. I am a proud Nannie.

The circle goes round…for all of us..

Memorial Day

 

Photo of Miss Columbia by Jorge Daniel.

On this day I decide to head out early just to sit in the quietness of the morning on this Memorial Day. Today the early morning fog envelopes Miss Columbia with peace. I love sitting alone in this solitude. I do my best thinking during these moments. I know her stories so well. I love telling them. I love telling them to you, and this morning, I guess I tell them to myself as I watch folks meander down to the square. This scene is no different from other scenes across our land, but this one is ours.

I look up to the top of Miss Columbia. She is barely visible in the fog. Of course, she wasn’t always here. When Thomas Gale and Cornelius Gilmore arrived in 1837, it was just wilderness and wetlands. The center of town soon became the meeting place. Where else could you hear the news? Bring your horse and buggy or wagon to town, hitch them up to the hitching posts around the watering hole and go on about your business. The small wooden shops carried everything the early settlers needed…garden seeds, plows, material for dresses, jars of candy for the youngsters, and yes, the place to hear all the news. I would have liked this. I still like this.

Following the Civil War, there were rumblings about a monument. For a long while, it was just rumblings. Folks talked about it, and even a few tried to get it going. Then along came Jesse Carpenter. Jesse was a Civil War Veteran. He is remembered at best for writing a book, “The War for the Union.” This book, available to read at the Angola Carnegie Library, is a detailed historical account of Steuben County’s soldiers. Jesse’s book sold for three dollars with all the proceeds going towards a monument. In July of 1916, the Grand Army of the Republic petitioned the Steuben County Commissioners to finally build this monument. The dedication ceremony was held on September 13, 1917. According to newspaper articles, there were bands and speeches, and I even read once that folks camped out for three days in pure joy.

Under Miss Columbia are the plaques with all the names of the1,278 soldiers from our county. Every single one. When I give tours of the town, I always point out the role of women during this time also. As the Civil War progressed, the men left plows and farms, shops and businesses to the women while they were gone. It is our history, and these are our stories.

As I sit in the silence of this gray foggy morning, I think about all of this. I try to imagine life during previous times and the folks who built our town, our way of life. As I sit contemplating, the square fills up with those folks coming to share in the morning. I stay back in the shadows with my own thoughts. My grandfather and my uncle served, and I fiercely remember them on this day. My grandpa was only 16 during the First World War. He lied about his age so he could defend our country. As we remember, I look at all the small wooden crosses. This has been a tradition in our county for so many years. Once upon a time, the high school girls made paper flowers and walked down to decorate each cross.

As we move always forward in our own lives, how can we not remember them on this day? I listen for taps before I meander on home the back way. Home for me is my pretty little purple house built long before I arrived in this world, or any of you for that matter. I notice the deer have once again knocked down my Oriole feeder. I find it in the grass and refill the jelly luring the Orioles to come back! I notice also, as the sun finds its’ way through the clouds, that my peony bush has opened up on this morning. One of the reasons I bought my house so many years ago was the blooming peony bush, and right on schedule it bloomed this morning.

I go inside to make my morning tea…the sun is now filtering in through the windows, warming the house, pushing my freshly planted seeds out of the ground as summer has officially started. I go about my morning thinking about the past. We all should. 

This day will pass, but our stories will not be forgotten. 

The sweetness of May mornings...

 

Mother's Day lilacs...

There is something about May mornings that brings about the sweetness of the earth. Fresh air in open windows. Fresh dirt in the gardens. Fresh flowers in the vase. Fresh birdsong. It has been a bit chilly to sleep with the windows open, but I just pile on more blankets, so I don’t miss this freshness.

With the coming of May, Mother’s Day greets all of us. I know for some this is a very hard day of remembering or longing. My mother passed two years ago, but I still have the joy of my three sons. Even though two of my sons live far away, I hear their voices on the other side of the phone wishing me a Happy Mother’s Day. Lucky for me Aaron and Rachel live here so we can celebrate together. They always bring me a bouquet of lilacs…usually from the farm. This year the weather has been a bit different, and the old-fashioned lilacs are no longer blooming, so they found a bouquet of French lilacs. I love seeing them come through the door carrying these flowers.

Years and years ago, when we first had the farm. I planted a lilac bush. It was the first thing I actually planted. I knew old houses had lilacs growing outside their back doors, along with the kitchen gardens. I did not pay much attention to the history of the lilac or why it drew me in, but I needed to plant it. Years later, when the farmhouse burnt to the ground, the lilac bush was singed but recovered so that Aaron can usually pick bouquets from that bush.

Most folks love lilacs and their scent. They completely fill up a garden or a room. Let’s just look at the history of lilacs for a moment. The lilac tree is actually native to Eastern Europe and  Asia. When folks came to America in the 1700’s, these lilac trees were dug up and carried with them. I read a few accounts that said that snippets of the trees were actually wrapped in paper and sewn in the lining of coats and made the journey all the way across the Atlantic safely. When arriving on American soil they were planted, as I said, next to back doors and kitchen gardens. Of oourse, the settlers brought other seeds and plants to their new home, their new country, but the lilac was one of their favorites. Some historians feel they brought these lilacs because they carried memories with them. They wanted to bring some of the Old World with them, and the lilac was one of the easiest to bring. The very first record of the first lilac was in 1750 at Governor Wentworth’s garden in New Hampshire. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both had lilacs in their gardens, so these were not just for the commoner with a back yard garden.

I know my memory goes back to my grandmother’s lilacs. She planted hers back by the rhubarb patch. In order to get to that patch, we had to walk by the lilacs. Combining the scent of lilacs and rhubarb is something I still like, and it always takes me back. We would sit their for hours devouring her rhubarb dipping the stems into little tin cups of sugar. Of course, we were sick all night, but at the time it didn’t matter. I always think of this when I smell the lilacs too!

The lilac is also easy to cultivate and grow in rocky soil or sandy soil or good garden soil. They can be watered or not watered and they will still thrive. It is always amazing to me, and sad, to drive by old homesteads where once a family lived and worked and gardened. The house is usually gone or on its way out, but the lilac still stands as a reminder than once upon a time family grew up there. These are the stories that capture my heart.

I planted French lilacs on the side of this old house. I was told that years ago, Aunt Daisy planted lilacs by the outhouse in my back yard. Unfortunately, those were taken out years ago. I wish they were still here. Lilacs can live to be a hundred years old.

My Mother’s Day bouquet won’t last long, I know that, but still, they grace my house with beauty and color and scent. Most of all, I know they were lovingly gathered by Aaron and Rachel for Mother’s Day.

 

Suffragettes

 

Angola Suffragettes with Mayor Hickman!

In March of 1776 Abigail Adams (1744-1818) wrote to her husband, John Adams, “Remember the women and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.” Abigail understood that she needed to stand up for women. Sher herself was educated in her father’s study. His study included books on politics, religion, law, languages, history so she was well educated. When the time came for her to use her educated voice, she did not hesitate. While John and other men were off to the American Revolution, she bridled her horse in the afternoons and rode off to spend the afternoon with other women whose husbands were off to the war. She spent time reading to the women as they worked on projects…knitting, sewing, spinning. Abigail was one of the few who could read and so she read the news to the women who were hungry to hear about the war. Perhaps, and historians agree with me, she was the first Suffragette.

Shortly after Abigail, another revolutionary figure for women was Mary Wollstencraft (1759-1797). Do you look puzzled by the name? She was the mother of Mary Shelley who wrote “Frankenstein.” Mary died in childbirth with Mary, but not before leaving her work to the world. In 1792 she wrote, “A Vindication of the Rights of Women.” Her premise was that women didn’t need to be superior to men, but to be equal to men in voting, and in property rights, etc. She was very vocal and left behind her writings and her passion to Mary.

On the heels of these two powerful women, comes Sojourner Truth (1797-1883). Here in Steuben County we have a full-size statue of her which is a daily reminder of her words and her strength. She was an abolitionist who was not afraid. She came here even though the Indiana Constitution forbid it. In 1851 our Constitution, Article 13 said, “No negro or mulatto shall come to our state.” It went on to say that anyone caught here or even housing a negro or mulatta would be fined $500. She came here and spoke anyway on our courthouse steps. Some of the men against her said, “If you speak here, we shall burn down the courthouse.”

She was brave and fearless and replied, “Then I shall speak among the ashes.” We are honored to have her grace our square in this town. Next time you go by, take a pause to actually look at her and think about her story.

Who comes after Sojourner Truth? There are so many names in our history, but I just chose one more and that is Alice Paul (1885-1977). She was a very educated woman with an undergraduate degree in biology. She also completed her master’s degree and a PhD in sociology. She also completed her law degree. She was so vital to women and made it her life’s work. In 1913 she helped organize the first national suffrage parade in Washington on the eve of Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration. There were 8,000 marchers wearing purple, gold and white. There were 26 floats and ten marching bands! When Wilson arrived at the White House, he asked, “Where are all my greeters?” to which someone replied, “They are all at the parade.”

In 1917 she helped organize the first protest at the White House. She, along with so many other women, were arrested on the charge of obstructing traffic and sent to prison. The conditions were just awful, and Alice Paul went on a hunger strike. She grew weak and the prison officials thought she might die in jail so they force fed her three times a day. When she was released, along with the other women, she was pale and weak, but still on fire.

Women finally gained the right to vote. The Constitution was ratified on August 18, 1920. It was the 19^th amendment.

Why do I tell you all of this? Today is voting day in Indiana. It is our duty, our honor and our right to vote. After all the women went through to give us this day (yes, I am talking to the women!), it is our moral obligation to carry the torch.

Why else do I share this with you? Our Carnegie Library has received the gift of the Smithsonian display, “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America.” It is only here until May 10^th so go see it!!

As for today, go vote. Your voices and your votes count. Men, your votes count too.

Go vote!

Another year for the Pleasant Lake Lions Club

Ralph is a staple at every Lions Club Variety Show...and yes, he is hilarious!

 

Lights! Camera! Action! Here we go again! You ask, “Now, what show are you talking about?” I am glad you asked. This Saturday night the Pleasant Lake Lions are at it again entertaining you. This show has been in existence for 70 years. That is amazing. How many folks have come and gone singing and dancing and telling the lovely corny jokes? The stage whispers of their long-ago voices as the ensemble once again takes over at the Dale Hughes Auditorium.

I have been a participant in this show for several years with characters like Lily Tomlin, Minnie Pearl, or the Bride of Frankenstein! (The Frankenstein show was hilarious!) Every show has a theme, and the songs reflect that theme. The ensemble sings the songs and in between there are jokes and walk throughs! This year the theme is the Game of Life. Under the direction of Tom Adamson and Mary Ramsey, this year’s musical story goes through the stages of life with lots of songs you will know!

Rehearsals for the ensemble started a couple of months ago on Sunday afternoons. We gathered in Pleasant Lake to learn the songs and sing together. We have invited Judah and Sean from my Trine theatre, and they are joining us in song and in their fun showstoppers!

After being in the show for several years and knowing so many of the good folks in Pleasant Lake, I decided to join the Lions Club. No, I don’t live in Pleasant Lake, but I guess I have been forgiven by all of them. I knew it was something I wanted to do, but I didn’t realize at the time how deeply committed folks were to this long-going club and all the good they do in the community. I do say “they” as I probably am not as good a club member as some of them. I go to meetings…sing in the show…help a little with fund raisers, but I guess I leave the rest to them. The Lions members take their roles very seriously from cleaning up the beach to providing pickle ball courts to making sure the parks and areas are clean and always ready for you to visit.

Our local chapter is just one of 50,000 clubs with 1.4 million members. These chapters help out all countries in the world including disaster relief and supporting refugees in war-torn countries. They also provide children with eye exams and glasses. All of the money earned by our fund-raisers and this show goes right back into the community. I am sure those are the real reasons I joined. You can even be a big part of this by attending our show on Saturday night! And, you know what? If you cannot give a donation, that is okay too. We want you there.

When the curtains open, we will be smiling and singing for you. Are we a perfect choir and ensemble? No! I think that is what makes it wonderful. We are just regular folks singing our hearts out to you…telling you jokes and hoping that for a couple of hours we take you back in time. This year we take you back to dating and courting, marriage, and past that. I am sure you will know the songs so please sing along. There is 7^th inning stretch in which you all get to stand and stretch and sing with us. The words will be in your program, although I doubt you will need them!

Tom is a fun director. He goes from playing his guitar to the karaoke machine to his own whistling. Adding to the fun Lee Saur pulls his harmonica out of his pocket when we sing “Country Roads.” One night while we were rehearsing and watching the monitor that is our lifeline thanks to Mike, we came to the song “On the Road Again.” Tom likes to tell us little tidbits before each song, but when we got to that one, he put down his guitar, looked at us and said, “I feel like I am on the road again with my friends as we do this show.”

I feel like that too. I think the Pleasant Lake Lions Club has enriched my life in so many ways. I have made connections with lots of different folks and found ways to serve our community.  See you Saturday night!

“The life I love is makin’ music with my friends

And I can’t wait to get on the road again.”

Willie Nelson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holly is my very favorite star!!

 

The family with Holly!

I love flying after dark. It is lovely to watch the beauty of towns lip away into the darkness with the sliver of a moon and the planets to guide the airplane. I settled back with my new book and the small reading light above. I always have a new book (yes, a  new hard-copy book) for the trips I take. It is quite delicious to open it up to page one and begin a new journey.

After a while, I feel a nod coming on, but the gentleman next to me began a conversation. He was from Maine with the purest accent. His job, as it turned out, is a ferry boat captain in Maine. I told him about the love I have for Ocracoke, and the ferry rides I took there. He looked at me with an interesting look and said the name of his ferry is The Ocracoke. They buy used ferries from other places. We had a good chat about ferries and islands and soon we landed.

My trip was a popcorn visit to Charleston to see Abe’s family. My usual holiday visit was put on hold to go to Florida for Adam’s wedding so now I had the chance to visit before ramping up for my own tech week. So, you ask, why did I choose this past weekend to visit with all the show work ahead of me? There is a simple one-word answer. Holly.

Unbelievably, Holly is a senior in high school this year and their theatre department had their spring musical this past weekend. Nothing could have kept me away as it was her last high school show. I love knowing that I played a role in her love of theatre as she and Brianna have been active participants in my LaGrange summer theatre for the past several summers. In fact, Holly helped me write one of the shows. She loves acting and was always such a role model for the other young actors.

Holly attends Wanda High School with a population of 3,000 students. It is a public school with a focus on the arts. They are at the top of the state for their art’s programs featuring music, theatre, dance, and graphic arts. Holly had small parts in the shows before this one, but she was cast in one of the main roles in the show, Chicago.

I don’t know if you are familiar with the show written by John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Bob Fosse. It premiered on Broadway on June 3, 1975, with 936 performances. It was directed and choreographed by the brilliant Bob Fosse. I first saw it in New York City years ago, and when Holly told me that it would be the show for her senior year, I was definitely surprised. Now they have an amazing theatre department with an equally amazing director and lots of resources at their fingertips, but still, Chicago?  It is a huge show with so many moving parts.

Holly was cast as Mary Sunshine with speaking, singing and dancing parts. There was absolutely no way I was going to miss this show even with the time crunch I felt. The theatre was full for each production with over 600 in attendance. The set was gorgeous and to top it off was the sign, Chicago, over the whole stage lit up in stage lights. Abe was brought in for consultation for the sign and then had the pleasure and the knowledge to build it. It was the perfect addition and brought a shout out from the director. Abe and Kristin went to opening night while I watched the twins and then we all went on Saturday night sitting in the second row. The show was electrifying from beginning to end, and, of course, I could not take my eyes off Holly. She was perfect…she really was, and she was in her element. So was I. Each show was topped with a standing ovation!

The popcorn visit gave me time to be with all of them from helping in the yard to playing with the kids. It was full of fun and memories.

By 4:00 a.m. on Sunday I was back at the airport and coming home to my own show which opens this weekend. Theatre is not everyone’s cup of tea, I know that. But when it is in your blood, you are hooked for life.

Congratulations to my lovely granddaughter and to the cast and crew at Wando High School!

 

The Director's Circle!

 

Sean and I after the dress rehearsl!

I know many folks love March Madness. I do too. Seriously. I look forward to March Madness every year, and sometimes the madness spills into April. I am not talking about basketball! Confused you a bit, didn’t I? No, I am talking about theatre. It seems as if most schools and communities delve into theatre during the winter months to bring you brilliant pieces of theatre for March and April. My own calendar is dotted with shows…some are mine…but most are around the area.

And why theatre? Why even do theatre? What is the purpose? Anton Chekhov once said, “You should feel a flow of joy because you are alive. Your body will feel full of life. That is what you must give from the stage. Your life. No less. That is art: to give all you have.”

So many folks I know did theatre in high school or early years of community theatre as a young adult. Me too. I loved theatre in high school. I loved anything about getting on a stage! I kid around a bit saying I was once in the NFL. True story. The high school version of NFL is the National Forensic League. My biggest competitor in high school was Shelley Long. Of course, most younger people don’t even know who I am talking about anymore. (By the way, in case you are one of those, she starred in Cheers!) While we were in high school, we had no idea how our lives would spin. She went to Hollywood. I went to college. Sometimes I think back on those days of competition. She was always the one to beat…we took turns.

Those of you who have been a follower of this column know that I got the love of theatre from my dad. In his early years he was a great actor and contributor to the Fort Wayne Civic Theatre. I used to go with him to the rehearsals…hair up in pin curls, pajamas and a housecoat, and slippers. “You must be quiet,” he said. I always had a bit of a hard time being quiet, but I knew if I talked or made any commotion, I wouldn’t get to go back. It was marvelous. Of course, my parents didn’t send me with my dad so I would choose a life of performing. It was simply to give my mom some relief time.

Sitting in that dark theatre night after night and watching my dad was pure gold. Now I sit on the other side of the stage with Lydia, my assistant director. We have become such a team. We respect each other’s work and ideas. Always.

This past weekend we attended the show Arsenic and Old Lace at Gaslight Theatre in Kendallville. I love the show and I directed the show at Trine three years ago. One of the stars of the show (indeed, there were many) was Sean Carpenter. When Sean and I first met, I did not think I realized the talent he kept hidden. In Dracula he just had a bit part carrying lanterns and helping backstage. But Sean was the kind of guy that stepped in wherever and whenever needed. This past weekend Sean was the director of Arsenic in Kendallville. I was invited to the dress rehearsal with Lydia. We took my two Kathy friends and off we went.

Sean was wearing his Arsenic t-shirt. So was I, but a different one from our show. There were only the four of us at the dress rehearsal, so Sean sat with us. I watched the show with one eye and one eye on this new young director! It was hard for me to see a different cast and echoes of voices from my Trine students filled the air. Sean said it took a while to get those images out of his head too, but after a while he was able to see his cast.

After the dress rehearsal, the cast swarmed down upon us. (Well, there were only four of us!) We loved the show. I asked Sean, “So what do you prefer? Directing or acting?” He immediately replied, “Acting!” Nonetheless, Sean, you are now in the director’s circle.

So many shows are coming your way for March Madness. Go see them all, if you can. Students, community members, teachers all try to work their magic while you are there. It is never perfect. That is what live theatre is all about.

Congratulations, Sean, for a job well done!