History
June 1978: A donation of $150 was received from the Lake City Alumni Association to the founding board of interested individuals in Lake City.
January 1979: By-laws had been written and the necessary legal work had been done to make the group a non-profit incorporation.
February 1979: Our first production 'Never Too Late' premiered and claimed success. The Village Square Theatre was off the ground.
May 1979: A membership drive was launched and much interest was found in the community with a current listing of 126 members.
June 1979: In conjunction with the Lake City Alumni Association, the Village Square Theatre staged their first dinner theatre in the Lake City Community Building. It was acclaimed an overwhelming success.
September 1979: The children's production of 'Rumpelstiltskin' was produced. This fulfilled another dimension of what live theatre has to offer.
November 1979: The Village Square Theatre sponsored the Olde Creamery Theatre with their touring show 'Two by Two.'
February 1980: A cast of three put on a splendid performance in 'Star-Spangled Girl.'
June 1980: The second dinner theatre, 'The Drunkard' a melodrama- was praised by many. This was our last venture with the Alumni Association.
September 1980: Over 40 turned out for tryouts for the children's theatre, 'Hansel & Gretel' and 'Golden Goose.' Another dimension is tried and proven successful with an all children's cast.
February 1981: Olde Creamery Theatre presented the show 'Little Things,' high school workshops, and an adult workshop on directing. Membership is over 90 now.
April 1981: 'On Golden Pond' a real timely production, is presented before the movie is released. Our rendition rated honors.
May 1981: Production booklets are made and a scholarship is begun.
June 1981: Village Square Theatre was asked to participate in the Iowa Arts Council Annual Meeting held in Carroll, because of the successful melodrama given last summer. The dinner theatre 'A Bad Year For Tomatoes' is tried at school. Attendance was down, yet a profit was turned.
August 1981: Village Square Theatre helped the Lake City High School drama department purchase a lighting board system with an initial donation of $500.
September 1981: Village Square was called upon to present several skits for the 90th Alumni Reunion.
October 1981: A new twist in Children's Theatre again-this year a musical 'Ghost Towns Never Die' acclaimed much success. A very successful membership drive resulted in 165 members.
November 1981: Another gift of $500 was given to the school drama department.
January 1982: Olde Creamery Theatre visited again with the 'Road Show' and workshops.
April 1982: The musical 'Shenandoah' was presented at the high school. This was our largest undertaking and resulted in the birth of a men's chorus and a community orchestra.
July 1982: Children's Theatre was moved to summer at the urging of parents and the school. Great numbers again participated and kids pre-kindergarten to jr. high took part in 'Dr. Dolittle.' The kids excelled in their parts which sometimes called for dual parts. In connection with the children's theatre, we entered our first float in the 4th of July parade. We also have our own printed t-shirts now. Many board members enjoyed a super Okoboji day with the Huffman's and saw 'A Summer Night in a Turkish Bath.'
October 1982: The annual membership drive tallied 181 members. This number is counting families and couples only as one member.
November 1982: The dinner theatre 'Take Your Medicine' performed before three sell out crowds. Many good compliments on all areas of production ensued.
January 1983: Olde Creamery Theatre presented 'Short Stuff' plus workshops in the grade school. The Village Square Theatre Board sent $250 to the Lake City Independent Arts Council to support their efforts. The Lake City Chamber of Commerce also received a gift for decorating the city square for the holidays.
March 1983: 'Arsenic and Old Lace' was presented in mid March. One of the largest assets of this production was extremely well made sets.
April 1983: The Old Gold Singers of Iowa City provided a dynamic evening of entertainment. Another $250 was given to the Independent Arts Council.
May 1983: Village Square Theatre's first scholarship was awarded to Michael Wilkinson for $250. Props, sets, and costumes were moved from the bank basement and homes of individuals to a more permanent place above the Murken Insurance building (old bank) on the corner of Main and Center.
July 1983: 'Winnie the Pooh' was the Children's Theatre selection this year. Although last minute casting was made necessary, everything came off well.
October 1983: Membership drive was bigger than ever.
November 1983: Fall Dinner Theatre '83 was 'Play On' a difficult play within a play in three acts. Compliments poured in. The prime rib dinner catered by Mr. D's was a hit in itself.
February 1984: Our first awards banquet 'Golden Square Awards Banquet' was held on February 29th. It was a fun night honoring and roasting all.
March 1984: Seven headsets were purchased to help staging plays.
April 1984: Village Square participated in a Drama Night with the high school drama department. Our participation included bits and pieces of 'Spoon River Anthology.'
May 1984: Three applicants were approved for $250. Scholarships this spring - Jana Berns, Valerie Cardenas, and Mary Prill.
June 1984: 9 people attended ICTA convention in Spencer. Workshops and entertainment were tops. VST had the largest attendance of any theatre group in Iowa.
July 1984: Skits in the park were accepted and enjoyed. Two skits were repeated three times each.
October 1984: Children's Theatre was 'Pinocchio.' A special performance was put on for the elementary school following our planned productions.
November 1984: Dinner Theatre 'Move Over Mrs. Markham' sparked comments in the community - good from those who saw it and 'too sex-oriented' from those who didn't.
April 1985: Our final payment was made to the Independent Arts Council for the annual $500 donation.
May 1985: Three applicants were again selected as recipients of $250 scholarships. They were Julie Carr, Bret Hicks, and Ric Mohr.
June 1985: Village Square held a bake sale in the City Square with the proceeds going to the library fund.
July 1985: The Old West Theatre (VST) presented 3 action packed shows in the City Square. The melodrama, complete with piano, attracted a large crowd at each performance, including the TV station channel 8.
September 1985: Our membership drive enabled us to purchase portable staging for the dinner theatres.
October 1985: 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of the Black Forest' brought about many for tryouts and a good crowd for the shows.
November 1985: Dinner Theatre was 'Gaslight Girl' a musical melodrama. It called for a large cast which is difficult to arrange, but the task was accomplished.
April 1986: Children’s Theatre was moved to spring to avoid conflict with dinner theatre. This made double children’s’ theatre in the same school year. ‘Wizard of Oz’ was the show.
May 1986: Neil Morenz received the only VST Scholarship offered this spring. $100 was given to the city for remodeling the community building.
June 1986: A ‘Night in the Park’ brought about another successful bake sale. This year we kept the proceeds for ourselves.
July 1986: This year we moved inside the Community Building for a variety show. Andy Carrouthers of KCIM radio of Carroll acted as MC.
September 1986: Membership drive was successful but member lists were found that needed to be updated.
November 1986: $250 was given to the Independent Arts Council. Dinner Theatre was ‘FindersCreepers’ and used a cast of students and adults.
March 1987: Ole Creamery Theatre came to town with some workshops for the grade school and a production called ‘Stone Soup’.
May 1987: Neil Morenz received a renewal of his scholarship; Steve Morton and Laura Willis also received scholarships this spring.
June 1987: Another bake sale was held in conjunction with ‘Evening in the Park.’
June 1987: Auburn’s Centennial meant a float from VST for their parade.
July 1987: A pickup was decorated and set up for the Western Days parade, completed with piano and piano player. A western melodrama ‘Don’t Get Sassy’ was presented in the park.
November 1987: ‘The Girls of the Garden Club was planned for the fall dinner theatre. The cast called for 2 men and up to 34 women.
February 1988: The 2ND Annual Golden Square Awards Banquet was held with more people dressing for the occasion – including Gilda, the Golden Girl. Gilda presented the golden square awards and a check to Opportunity Living-a check for $1000.00. ‘Girls of the Garden Club’ ran away with the honors.
May 1988: The VST Scholarships awarded were both repeat winners – Laura Willis and Steve Morton.
June 1988: The annual ‘Night in the Park’ brought out our baking qualities again.
July 1988: Our shopping cart entry in the parade brought home top honors with a first place trophy.
September 1988: After moving several times and always on the lookout for rental property, VST has made the decision to purchase its own home – La Rosa Hacienda- the Ripley property, soon to become known far and wide as the Pink House.
February 1989: VST purchased 4 video cassettes for the instruction on play productions. We hope to learn new techniques from these for future productions.
March 1989: ‘Me and My Shadow’ brought some new faces to the stage. An ice storm almost closed us down on opening night, but the “show must go on.”
May 1989: Scholarships were awarded to Laura Willis, Lisa Clark, and Michelle Graham.
June 1989: Time for another bake sale.
July 1989: A skit in the park was presented for the 4th of July. It was mainly mime and called ‘The Waiting Room.’ This led to many more requests for this show.
November 1989: The fall production planned fell through but VST was determined to put on a production. Two skits were thrown together with a common theme in a few weeks preparation time. ‘Funeral Tea’ and ‘A New Sunrise’ turned a handsome profit even though it was an empty house at the matinee. We introduced the dessert bar instead of a dinner between the shows.
March 1990: VST’s production staff took to the road this season with it’s show ‘Background Music.’ The Victorian Tea Room in Breda provided the unique setting for this show. The sets were stupendous, including wallpaper and a staircase.
May 1990: VST Scholarships were awarded to Brant Astleford and Lisa Clark at the high school’s annual arts night. VST had the touring company “Eulenspiegel” come to Lake City and put on a workshop on puppetry and conclude with an evening show. We lost money, but it was a worthwhile investment.
June 1990: This has become our annual bake sale which brings in around $100 each year that helps pay the utility bills.
July 1990: Our entry in the 4th of July Parade was a kazoo band. It was award winning material, but we arrived at the park after judging.
February 1991: Our final payment was made early and the Ripley property is ours! We hold the deed and the mortgage.
March 1991: The annual dinner theatre was ‘Love, Sex and the I.R.S.’ The show was terrific, the meal was a disappointment (catered by Hy Vee).
May 1991: The candidates this spring were extremely qualified. VST chose to award three scholarships – Amy Comstock, Ann McClue, and Julie Hendricks. VST made a group trip t Spencer to see their production of ‘Steel Magnolias.’ Everyone was taken with their production and their sets.
June 1991: The bake sale brought in a high sales record of $150 even though the crowd seemed smaller than in the past.
July 1991: VST on their rotation schedule was in the park for the 4th of July. A puppet show was put on 3 times in the morning. The puppets were made by the board as a result of the puppet workshop from several years ago. They looked stupendous and were enjoyed. This may be the beginning of something.
November 1991: We’re on the road again. Back to the Victorian Tea Room in Breda. The ICTA is giving us $500 to produce a play in another community. ‘Steel Magnolias’ is the play we picked and besides loss of electricity, ice storms, cast dropouts, VST put on 5 shows to packed houses. Additional shows were added because of the demand to see this play, considered a huge success. Our biggest money maker to date.
February 1992: The Third Annual Golden Square Awards was held at the community building. T-shirts were given as awards in several categories as well as to the voted award winners. Jim’s Super Valu served the Iowa Chop meal.
March 1992: The board had a group outing at Spencer Community Theatre to see the play ‘Nunsense.’ Dinner was enjoyed at Stubb’s on the way.
April 1992: The kazoo band performed at the Chamber Smoker at the Wagon Wheel. $500 was given to the Southern Cal Schools for the purchase of curtains. $50 was received from the chamber and given back to them to help with the fireworks expense for the 4th of July. By motion from the group, it was decided to reduce the scholarships this time only to $200. and to award 6 scholarships-Ryan Albright, Corey Finley, Darcy Dougherty, Darren Graham, Jeremy Smith, and Debbie Stickrod.
July 1992: For Western Days we rented the local limo at a reduced price and promoted our fall show.
September 1992: Annual membership drive again. This year community calendars were given to those donating $10 or more. John put the calendar together in the spring and it was at no cost to the organization for the first 100.
November 1992: We had the show ‘The Importance of Uncle Roscoe’ at the high school with a dessert bar. Shelle Kent was director.
January 1993: Three porta phones were purchased. They were badly needed and are a great asset to the theatre group.
April 1993: Three scholarships are given again – Heidi Brown, Amy Brend, and Jeremy Smith. It was decided to give the money after the first semester of school is completed.
June 1993: ‘You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown’ was the musical cast and produced by Audrey Williams and Betty Yunek. The cast consisted of high school students.
July 1993: A float was put together for the Western Days parade. We used it to promote the fall show.
October 1993: Dinner theatre was held for the first time at Opportunity Acres. ‘Let’s Murder Marsha’ was the show with the dinner served by Jim’s. We started with a wine and cheese party and used a cruise theme.
March 1994: Another outing to Spencer Community Theatre. They are doing the sequel ‘Nunsense II.’
March 1994: We decided to do a benefit show this spring for the Young Mothers Clubs to raise money for playground equipment for the city park. We chose ‘Tom Sawyer’ as the show to do with a cast of 26- ages ranging from 8 to 60. We added a little to our profit to give them $1,000.
April 1994: Two scholarships were awarded this spring – Melissa Klein and Jill Heisterkamp.
October 1994: After months of searching, a sound system was purchased to enhance productions inside and out.
October 1994: Dinner theatre returned to Opportunity Acres for two weekends as it became the Red Stocking Dance Hall for ‘How the West Was Fun.’
March 1995: A contract was signed with Southern Cal High School to do the spring play. ‘I Remember Mama’ was highly acclaimed.
April 1995: Scholarships were given to Adam Finley, Tara Spencer, and Heather Smith. Two light trees were purchased to add to our effectiveness.
July 1995: Children’s Theatre was revived with kids from 5-13 putting together a great show ‘The Sleeping Beauty of Loreland.’
November 1995: ‘Faith County’ at Opp Living was a dinner theatre with a fair theme. The cast contained many high school students from Lake City and Rockwell City.
February 1996: Our 4th Annual Golden Squares Award Show was held at the Lake City Country Club. We went high tech this year and showed clips from different shows for different nominees.
March 1996: We find ourselves at Southern Cal again to do the school play ‘Our Miss Brooks.’ Was fun for the cast and a delight to the audience.
May 1996: Because of great applicants and a tie vote, we chose 4 scholarship winners at $200 each this year. Scholarship winners were Misty Litchfield, Jon Finley, JB Hinote and Cori Wilson.
July 1996: Several dressed up in rabbit costumes to advertise the summer’s children theatre for the rodeo parade.
July 1996: After last summer’s success, we moved up to a children’s musical, ‘Velveteen Rabbit.’ Judy Panning and Becky Davis were instrumental in getting this one off the ground.
October 1996: VST took to the road again. This fall found us in Auburn High School doing ‘Get Witch Quick’ using a lot of high school students from Lake City, Lohrville, and Auburn. We garnered $500 from ICTA as a grant to do this show out of town.
February 1997: ‘Faith County II-An Evening of Culture’ brought back some familiar characters from our first show, with different people playing the parts. This was another play within a play.
March 1997: We are again at the Southern Cal High School for the school play. ‘The Boarding House Reach’ was a large cast of colorful characters that everyone enjoyed. The cast voted on each other for Pony Awards for best actor and actress. The director made his own selection for ‘Director’s Choice.’
May 1997: At the Fine Arts Evening, Abram Anders and Renee Wiederin were the scholarship winners.
August 1997: A long going project and dream came true this month. Curtains were purchase and put into the aud at school along with a whole new face lift. Really a great project to see completed.
August 1997: Children’s Theatre moved back on the calendar a little to work around swimming and ball games. ‘Alice in Wonderland’ was this year’s choice. It used many characters and many ages.
November 1997: No show this fall as we stepped aside to allow a musical at high school which never took place. We did participate in Living Windows for the Chamber Christmas promotion. We decorated windows around the square and provided live mannequins for the evening.
April 1998: ‘Night of the Living Beauty Pageant’ was the school play with a cast of 30. Conflicts in the school calendar pushed the date back, but the show came off beautifully.
May 1998: Scholarships were awarded to Teresa Watters, Kimberly Schroeder, and Amelia Anders this spring. All girl applicants this year.
June 1998: Dinner theatre was back and back at Opportunity Living Acres. We held it in June as the spring was too full and we missed out last fall. The show was ‘Something Borrowed and Something Blue’ which used adults, college and high school students.
August 1998: ‘Toby Tyler and Ten Weeks With the Circus’ was the summer’s children theatre. Children’s theatre continues to draw crowds and make us money. We recycled circus barrels from hospital auxiliary fund raising days and banners from Charlie Brown.
September 1998: To support the hospital auxiliary and showcase VST we sponsored a table at the Table ‘A Fare salad luncheon at Opp Living by dressing a table in things from the pink house.
November 1998: Christmas windows were for the second year around the square. We used Currier and Ives scenes and Christmas around the world, featuring several foreign countries.
March 1999: The high school play this spring was ‘Locomotion, Commotion, Dr. Gorilla and Me.’ It was a zany show that the cast could enjoy doing.
May 1999: Scholarship winners this spring were students that stayed with the theatre since children’s theatre days- Jon Heim, Emily Morris, and Clint Pudenz. These are the type of student’s that will be missed on the stage.
August 1999: Seventeen years have passed and we produced a rerun for this summer’s children’s theatre. ‘Dr. Doolittle’ provided for a new generation almost in the cast and required some costume making as the old ones had worn thin and more were needed. The second run was as good as the first.
September 1999: Table ‘A Fare brought us back to Opp Living and this time we featured our soon to be fall play. We dressed as a priest and modern day nuns and had a table of black and white with religious articles for décor.
November 1999: Another year of living windows and another year of ideas based on Currier and Ives.
November 1999: Our earlier trip to Spencer pays off as we undergo the musical ‘Nunsense’. It took five ladies awhile to learn the dance steps and still be able to sing at the same time, somewhat like that old adage, can’t chew gum and walk at the same time. With a lot of work, they pulled it off and the audience really enjoyed the evening.
February 2000: The 5th Golden Square Awards Banquet took place again at the country club. Because of conflicts with a band concert we had to move the banquet to February 28th this year, but hope to be back on track in four years. Many of the awards were won by students and ‘Nunsense’ didn’t run away with all the awards as predicted.
March 2000: A melodrama was chosen for the high school play this spring-‘Dirty Work in High Places’. The students had fun with the olio and a new effect was used –smog.
April 2000: Scholarships were awarded at the annual fine arts night to Adam Newland, Lisa Boyd, and Nathan Schroeder.
July 2000: Indians were the word of the day as several children and one old buck promoted the summer play in the rodeo parade.
August 2000: This summer’s play ‘Pocahontas’ was preceded by two workshops by the cast as they made musical instruments (drums and rainmakers) and ceremonial masks to be used in the play. Costumes looked good as the Indians met the settlers on stage.
September 2000: The salad luncheon was on again, but this time we didn’t want to repeat what we had done the year before; therefore our table went Hawaiian. We used fish nets and sailor hats and leis and bright colors and tropical items to set our table.
November 2000: Riding high on the compliments from the previous year, our crazy nuns wanted to return to the stage to do the sequel. Because of a move, the novice had to be replaced. Nothing was held back as ‘Nunsense II’ took stage and new dance routines, accordion playing, roller skating and polka dancing had to be learned. Our caterer was Twin Lakes grocery and the diners enjoyed their meals on real china once again.
March 2001: The high school play took a change this year that at first wasn’t accepted by the students until they had practiced many times. ‘Les Miserable’ was more of a challenge to them instead of their usual comedy, but proved to be very moving and most effective. High compliments were received.
May 2001: The Fine Arts Evening has moved back to May and this year was an exceptional year for candidates. Scholarships were given to Robyn Anders, Katie Skinner, Nancy Redenius, and Anne Gordon. Three of the four had been on stage since early children’s theatres.
July 2001: Children’s Theatre has moved up slightly this year to fit into the director’s schedule better. ‘Beauty and the Beast’ took stage in Fanny Howell with some great new faces in the cast.
September 2001: Table ‘A Fare comes around again and this time we promote our play for fall by dressing up and Colonel Sanders and belles of the south. On the table are Magnolias and weapons of mystery and murder.
November 2001: Scheduling problems kept us out of the auditorium this fall; therefore a play was chosen that was conducive to being performed in the eating area. ‘Southern Fried Murder’ fit the bill real well as the actors and actresses mingled with the crowd and the meal became part of the show. The cast had to wait tables and clues were scattered in the dining room and shared with the audience. Everybody had a good time with this format- both cast and audience.
November 2001: Funds were passed to tear down and build a new garage on our property. The door on the old one was next to impossible to open anymore and the condition of the building was no better. Our new garage built by Redenius Construction is wider and longer and will hold much more. We moved larger furniture from the house to the new garage which made it much roomier for additional costumes as that area keeps growing.
March 2002: The senior play of 1963 was chosen as the school play for this spring. ‘Bull in a China Shop’ was fun for the cast and the audience enjoyed the little old ladies. This was the first time cuts were made at the tryouts.
May 2002: Not as many applicants this year and not as many deserving; therefore only two scholarships were awarded- Scott Schleisman and Anndrea Watters.
August 2002: Another nice turn out for children’s theatre tryouts. 36 students were given parts in this summer’s production of ‘Raggedy Ann and Andy.’ Everything seemed to run more smoothly and students learned their parts quickly and cooperated better.
September 2002: A dental theme to promote the upcoming dinner theatre graced the tables this fall. Four gowned dentists sat across from 4 bibbed patients.
October 2002: D. K. Molar the Devious Dentist was presented at Fanny Howell Auditorium and the high school lunchroom. Attendance was down because of the early weekend perhaps and the male lead role had to be replaced at the last minute when Ken Hying fell off the stage and broke ribs. Lois Smith added a mustache and read lines from a clip board as the dentist.
December 2002: For the town Christmas celebration we did amini-play based upon a book “The Christmas Letters” that John has put together. It was presented at the Capri theatre as they are not open at this time.
March 2003: “Life with Mother Superior” was the school play this spring. New talent has emerged.
May 2003: Scholarships were awarded to Erin Beckman and Leslie Bauman at the annual fine Arts night at the high school.
August 2003: August 9 & 10 were the dates of children’s theatre this summer with the production being “Wind in the willows.” A nice size cash with plenty of talent made up the cast.
November 2003: We almost had to move dinner theatre this year because of a conflict dwith school over the use of the facilities the weekend we wanted, but it rresolved and plans moved on. We did another Nunsense musical, “Nuncrackers.” It took in 4 students with the adult nums and added a brother this year.
December 2003: For the holiday kick-off we helped with a living nativity instead during the middle of December. A stable was built on the edge of the square of straw and with a covering of snow, made a pretty but cold setting.
February 2004: The Lake City country club was the setting for the 6th Golden Square Awards Banquest. A nice crowd was in attendance.
March 2004: “Girls of the Garden club” was revived and presented by the high school. Several of the original cast members of 1987 were in the audience.
May 2004: Scholarships were awarded to Lee Plummer and Marleta Smith in the amount of $ 250 each at the fine arts night
August 2004: Children’s theatre was set for August 7 & 8 for the production of “enchanted Sleeping Beauty of Briar Rose. Crowds were bigger than usual and everything went well.
September 2004: We had a change of fall shows but went with a tropical theme for Table Afare anyway. We had tropical t-shirts to wear and followed through with the cruise theme.
November 2004: “Opal’s Baby” was the dinner theatre this fall. It was a fun play about a lady who collect4ed junk. It was easy to stage as we just gathered all kinds of things from the pink house and garage to set the stage.
April 2005: April 1 & 2 were the nights of the high school play this year. “Mountain Fever” was the show with a pretty large cast.
May 2005: A Banner year for scholarships as there were quite a few talented individuals. The board recognized and awarded scholarships to Ashley Woodward, Amanda Trost, and Libby Gemberling this spring.
July 2005: The board went on a road trip to Webster city Community theater to see the show “Meshugga-nuns.” It was an exciting trip as one car ruined a tire on the way and the Chinese supper was a rush, but we made it to a good show.
August 2005: The summer theatre was “Sheherazade – a tale of Arabian Nights.” Susan True was a trooper and made many harem costumes for a large cast.
September 2005: We helped the music boosters sponsor the Missoula Children’s theatre to put on workshops at school and complete show “The Frog Prince” at the end of the week.
November 2005: Dinner theatre was another of our nun’s series – “Meshugga-nuns.” A piano player couldn’t be pegged down for the show; therefore the director, John, had Becky Davis record all the songs on a clavinova. He took the recording , borrowed a clavinova from the Lampe Funeral Home, and played from the machine himself, like Elton John, It worked quite well and the show was a huge success.
November 2005: The holiday promotion by the Betterment was on again and we were asked to do windows again. We chose Christmas of the Past, Present, and Future and manned 3 windows.
January 2006: Several went to the school board meeting to settle a scheduling conflict for the spring high school play. It was resolved to our approval; therefore plans were made to continue.
March 2006: On the road again. We booked seats as a group through the civic Center to take in the show “Lion King.” It was outstanding and enjoyed by everyone.
March 2006: “Anne of Green Gables” was the high school play this spring and with all the talent available, John was able to split the part of Anne into a younger Anne and the older Anne. It worked perfectly and the students did a super job.
April 2006: Our furnace basically died at the end of the last winter season and needed replacing. We were able to strike up a deal with John & Lonnie Daisy.
May 2006: Scholarships were given to Neil Anders, Stephanie Lang and Cassie Berns
August 2006: Summer theatre for children this year was the popular movie from this spring, “the Lion, The witch, and the Wardrobe.”
September 2006: this year we brought our own table and chairs to complet the theme for our junk collector, Opal. We ate grilled brats before we had our salads and had banana boats for dessert. It was fun and we picked up a new actress at the luncheon.
November 2006: “Opal’s Husband” was the play of choice this fall. The Lidderdale Country Store catered the excellent meal and the show was a huge hit. Our “’New’ Opal did well.
November 2006: for the holiday promotion we found ourselves back in the Capri doing several short stores from ‘chicken soup’ that were quite touching. Too bad the audience was almost smaller than the cash. Splitting the weekend activities over 2 days didn’t seem to work well.
March 2007: “The Somewhat True Tales of Robin Hood” was selected for the spring high school play. With a large cast and many costumes to scrounge up, it wasn’t easy, but it was fun and the students had a good time performing and the audience came out with rave reviews, saying it would be hard to top this production.
April 2007: Erin Thieszen was the lone recipient of a scholarship this spring.
August 2007: Jungle Book” was the play performed for summer children’s theatre. A Black plastic drop cloth was painted and hung for a backdrop and worked quite well.
September 2007: Our salad luncheon table was filled with nuns and showgirls this fall. We promoted the upcoming dinner theatre.
November 2007: Our costliest show of late was presented this fall “Nunsensations – the Las Vegas Renue”. The costumes and props were top notch and full of glitch and glitter, including the ostrich plume fans. It looked spectacular in spite of the cost. Color coded seating charts were developed and seats were sold for show only as well as show and dinner.
February 2008: Time for the Golden Square Awards banquet. This is our 7th award dinner. We booked the Carnegie Café for the evening, which worked quite well for logistics, mood and entertainment.
March 2008: How to top last year’s successful Robin Hood as the school play was what the director was facing this year. It turned out his choice of the musical “A Pirate’s Life for Me.” was right on the mark. The students had so much fun with it and the audience loved it.
May 2008: With the talent we had submitting applications this spring, we voted to set aside the rules of awarding on 3 scholarships and awarded scholarships to Sydney Snyder, Jeff Redenius, Natalie Gemberling and Nicholas Kavanaugh each for $ 250.
August 2008: “Puss in Boots: was the summer play. We had the perfect puss, a larger crowd and things went well.
September 2008: Our table look beautiful this fall, decorated for a wedding. Those sitting at our table were dressed in their finest wedding clothes including one bride.
November 2008: Our largest cast for many years was sought and found for the show “Virgil’s Wedding.” 22 cast members including 8 men. The dining room could have passed for the real thing including a gift table, registration table and cake table.
March 2009: The high school play selected this year was “Taming the Wild, Wild West in a Dress.” After many emotional displays, it was presented as a stage play with a fairly large cast. It was an overwhelming success with the antics of Justin Kelly and Alex Rossmanith who both did a better job in drag.
May 2009: Scholarships were awarded at the annual arts night. Three awards were given with only one for stage arts – Cathleen Watters – acting, band, vocal; Chris Handlos – graphic arts; Karel Zenor – vocal.
August 2009: Fanny Howell Auditorium was slated for a face lift this year. Village Square decided to revive a show they used in ’94 for a fund raiser, “Tom Sawyer.” This show melted together the children’s theatre with adults. Profits from the play helped buy new seats and build a technical booth for the auditorium.
September 2009: Table a’fare was really great this year. We were the envy of tables all around. We sometimes promote the fall production with our table theme and this year worked exceptionally well. Our theme was a family reunion and our centerpiece was a bucket of KFC chicken. While others waited to go through the salad line, we dined on chicken and corn on the cob.
October 2009: Village Square took a road trip in October to the Civic Center to see the show “Wicked.” We enjoyed a new look on the witch of OZ and after the show dined at the Cracker Barrel.
November 2009: “Virgil’s Family Reunion” was the dinner theatre this fall. We managed to have a return of most of last year’s cast in their same roles with the addition of a few and a shifting of others. The catered dinner by the Lidderdale Country Store carried out our theme with deviled eggs and pickle wraps to broasted chicken and apple pie (bars.)
March 2010: Throwing all cares aside, we stepped back in time, back to the “Nifty 50’s” this spring. We had a great time singing about the Blob and teen queens, dancing in a sock hop, and dressing in poodle skirts and letter jackets. The audience thoroughly enjoyed reliving some old memories.
May 2010: The scholarships awarded this year were all deserving actors and actresses. Tyler Main, Chelsey Snyder, and Shelby Huster walked home with the prize money this year.
August 2010: The audience was treated to an old classic “Heidi” this summer. It had a need for an alpine backdrop, so after many hours of painting, we had a new beautiful mountain scene. The students had more challenging material to learn and present. They did a good job with the challenges, especially Sydney Batz as Heidi.
September 2010: Time for table a’fare again. Everybody wanted to come this year; therefore we had to add a second table. Our original table had a Coca Cola theme and the second one was Santa’s pants. Our added treat this year was a vatiety of salad sandwiches, chips and a Coke.
November 2010: We need a little medical help this fall. Enter “The Dastardly Doctor Devereaux.” The dinner theatre this fall was a musical melodrama. We had the kookiest nurses and the zaniest patients that any clinic has ever seen. Attendance was down a little this year.
April 2011: Each year the high school play receives high reviews that it will be hard to top the next year. What’s in store for this year? The answer was a soap opera mystery spoof. “Let’s Hang Him and Read the Will” had a little bit of everything for everyone – suspense, mystery, drama, comedy and love – but mostly comedy.
May 2011: Four scholarships were given for the year with many applicants: Alex Rossmanith, Tonie Curran Jr. Tanner Schumacher, and Ivy Benechek.
August 2011: The tenth anniversary of a play performed and time for a rerun. “Beauty and the Beast” was a perfect choice for this perfect cast with an exceptional 8th grade class.
September 2011: Table A ‘Fare found us with a Italian restaurant with our own lasagna to fill our stomachs where the salads don’t. Alisha Batz made a mean casserole which was the envy of other tables.
November 2011: The Fanny Howell Auditorium is closed for remodeling; therefore we had to find other venues. “Who Poisoned His Meatball?” was the choice and practices began at Tami Green’s office. The portable staging was moved into the high school lunchroom for the performances. It wasn’t the best of situations, but we made the best of it.
March 2012: The auditorium was still closed; therefore the high school play moved to the Rockwell City auditorium. It was the first year for both schools to join all activities which helped on having more for auditions. We had to get use to the hollow echo of the room, no backstage and wings to speak of, and the control booth far removed, but it came together well and was most successful. “Shoestring Theatre” was in the record books.
May 2012: Not many scholarship applicants this year. Taylor Davis and Austin Jacobs were the finalists.
August 2012: Children’s theatre was able to move back to familiar territory as Fanny Howell was available again. “Wild Pecos Bill” worked well with the combined students that tried out for parts in the play. Western themes are nice to work around.
September 2012: The salad luncheon was expressed on a bowling alley theme complete with ball and pins on the tables. Grilled brats and bags of taco chips were our added foods this year.
November 2012: Bring on the nuns. They are back and this time they are in Hollywood. “Nunset Blvd.” was fun and challenging. Some of the regulars were back, but others had their first experience as part of the sisterhood. This fall was complete with bowling, songs and dances.
March 2013: This year finds us combined schools with Rockwell City – Lytton and Southern Cal. “Just Another High School Play” offered an opportunity for the director to make an appearance at the end of the show. The male leads were excellent.
May 2013: The scholarship applicants appeared not to care whether they completed the requirements to apply or not. Brett Nicholson, our first Rockwell City winner, and Zach Stewart were given the nod this spring.
August 2013: “The Magical Lamp of Aladdin” was the choice for this summer’s children’s theatre. Numbers were down, but we managed to have 20 cast members and they did a good job.
November 2013: We chose to do a small musical “Bingo” for the fall dinner theatre. It was an audience participation play and several games of bingo were worked into the production. The theme was easy to work with and exploit for the dining room with bingo cards, daubers,and items of luck (rabbits feet, trolls etc.) on the tables along with beautifully decorated cakes by Dannette Ellis on pedestals for dessert.
March 2014: Working with the high school vocal music director, Erin Thieszen, we were able to do a musical “Oklahoma” this spring. With a cast of 20 which could have been larger we were able to double up parts and make it workable.
August 2014: Summer theatre was kept alive with 23 students practicing to put on the show “Haphazardly Ever After.” The students did an exceptional job and we lived through a ‘new’ problem. One student didn’t show up for the actual shows; therefore someone in the proper costume had to step in and do the part. Thank goodness, the lines weren’t many or difficult.
November 2014: “Opal’s Million Dollar Duck” was the selection for the fall dinner theatre. This was another in the Opal series that we have produced before. There were problems with some memories, but Matt Enabnitt was a pure joy to watch. The pink house was hard hit for stage props.
March 2015: The high school play this spring took us to Egypt, the land of pyramids and cobras. “The Curse of the Cobra’s Kiss” gave the need to google for special props and the high school art department made special pottery jars. Our ‘mummy’ was a fun idea to come up with.
August 2015: We chose a classic for the summer children’s theatre. “Treasure Island” was a fun play to produce with pirate costumes and props. The production had to be at the Rockwell City Middle School as Fanny Howell Aud had new construction around it for a new band and vocal room.
November 2015: We joined with the high school choir and put on the show “Grease.” The whole choir was used which meant 70 + students to costume and most in 2 costumes. Whew! We’ll never be sure we got all the costumes back even with making a costume list as parts were added after the initial exchange.
April 2016: The high school play this spring had opening night fall on April Fool’s Day. No fools were made and the play went smoothly. Our version of “Hollywood Hillbillies” fit the cast so well.
March 2017: The high school play this spring attracted a large turnout for tryouts. “Trouble in Tumbleweed” had parts for 20 & 28 showed up. An Entr’actes (Olio) was made for the overflow. One student got into trouble for an action earlier and became not eligible opening day. One cast member knew his part and took over with the audience none the wiser.
May 2017: Scholarship winners this year are: Deianeira Grage, Jordan Ludwig, Anastasia Sackfield.
January 1979: By-laws had been written and the necessary legal work had been done to make the group a non-profit incorporation.
February 1979: Our first production 'Never Too Late' premiered and claimed success. The Village Square Theatre was off the ground.
May 1979: A membership drive was launched and much interest was found in the community with a current listing of 126 members.
June 1979: In conjunction with the Lake City Alumni Association, the Village Square Theatre staged their first dinner theatre in the Lake City Community Building. It was acclaimed an overwhelming success.
September 1979: The children's production of 'Rumpelstiltskin' was produced. This fulfilled another dimension of what live theatre has to offer.
November 1979: The Village Square Theatre sponsored the Olde Creamery Theatre with their touring show 'Two by Two.'
February 1980: A cast of three put on a splendid performance in 'Star-Spangled Girl.'
June 1980: The second dinner theatre, 'The Drunkard' a melodrama- was praised by many. This was our last venture with the Alumni Association.
September 1980: Over 40 turned out for tryouts for the children's theatre, 'Hansel & Gretel' and 'Golden Goose.' Another dimension is tried and proven successful with an all children's cast.
February 1981: Olde Creamery Theatre presented the show 'Little Things,' high school workshops, and an adult workshop on directing. Membership is over 90 now.
April 1981: 'On Golden Pond' a real timely production, is presented before the movie is released. Our rendition rated honors.
May 1981: Production booklets are made and a scholarship is begun.
June 1981: Village Square Theatre was asked to participate in the Iowa Arts Council Annual Meeting held in Carroll, because of the successful melodrama given last summer. The dinner theatre 'A Bad Year For Tomatoes' is tried at school. Attendance was down, yet a profit was turned.
August 1981: Village Square Theatre helped the Lake City High School drama department purchase a lighting board system with an initial donation of $500.
September 1981: Village Square was called upon to present several skits for the 90th Alumni Reunion.
October 1981: A new twist in Children's Theatre again-this year a musical 'Ghost Towns Never Die' acclaimed much success. A very successful membership drive resulted in 165 members.
November 1981: Another gift of $500 was given to the school drama department.
January 1982: Olde Creamery Theatre visited again with the 'Road Show' and workshops.
April 1982: The musical 'Shenandoah' was presented at the high school. This was our largest undertaking and resulted in the birth of a men's chorus and a community orchestra.
July 1982: Children's Theatre was moved to summer at the urging of parents and the school. Great numbers again participated and kids pre-kindergarten to jr. high took part in 'Dr. Dolittle.' The kids excelled in their parts which sometimes called for dual parts. In connection with the children's theatre, we entered our first float in the 4th of July parade. We also have our own printed t-shirts now. Many board members enjoyed a super Okoboji day with the Huffman's and saw 'A Summer Night in a Turkish Bath.'
October 1982: The annual membership drive tallied 181 members. This number is counting families and couples only as one member.
November 1982: The dinner theatre 'Take Your Medicine' performed before three sell out crowds. Many good compliments on all areas of production ensued.
January 1983: Olde Creamery Theatre presented 'Short Stuff' plus workshops in the grade school. The Village Square Theatre Board sent $250 to the Lake City Independent Arts Council to support their efforts. The Lake City Chamber of Commerce also received a gift for decorating the city square for the holidays.
March 1983: 'Arsenic and Old Lace' was presented in mid March. One of the largest assets of this production was extremely well made sets.
April 1983: The Old Gold Singers of Iowa City provided a dynamic evening of entertainment. Another $250 was given to the Independent Arts Council.
May 1983: Village Square Theatre's first scholarship was awarded to Michael Wilkinson for $250. Props, sets, and costumes were moved from the bank basement and homes of individuals to a more permanent place above the Murken Insurance building (old bank) on the corner of Main and Center.
July 1983: 'Winnie the Pooh' was the Children's Theatre selection this year. Although last minute casting was made necessary, everything came off well.
October 1983: Membership drive was bigger than ever.
November 1983: Fall Dinner Theatre '83 was 'Play On' a difficult play within a play in three acts. Compliments poured in. The prime rib dinner catered by Mr. D's was a hit in itself.
February 1984: Our first awards banquet 'Golden Square Awards Banquet' was held on February 29th. It was a fun night honoring and roasting all.
March 1984: Seven headsets were purchased to help staging plays.
April 1984: Village Square participated in a Drama Night with the high school drama department. Our participation included bits and pieces of 'Spoon River Anthology.'
May 1984: Three applicants were approved for $250. Scholarships this spring - Jana Berns, Valerie Cardenas, and Mary Prill.
June 1984: 9 people attended ICTA convention in Spencer. Workshops and entertainment were tops. VST had the largest attendance of any theatre group in Iowa.
July 1984: Skits in the park were accepted and enjoyed. Two skits were repeated three times each.
October 1984: Children's Theatre was 'Pinocchio.' A special performance was put on for the elementary school following our planned productions.
November 1984: Dinner Theatre 'Move Over Mrs. Markham' sparked comments in the community - good from those who saw it and 'too sex-oriented' from those who didn't.
April 1985: Our final payment was made to the Independent Arts Council for the annual $500 donation.
May 1985: Three applicants were again selected as recipients of $250 scholarships. They were Julie Carr, Bret Hicks, and Ric Mohr.
June 1985: Village Square held a bake sale in the City Square with the proceeds going to the library fund.
July 1985: The Old West Theatre (VST) presented 3 action packed shows in the City Square. The melodrama, complete with piano, attracted a large crowd at each performance, including the TV station channel 8.
September 1985: Our membership drive enabled us to purchase portable staging for the dinner theatres.
October 1985: 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of the Black Forest' brought about many for tryouts and a good crowd for the shows.
November 1985: Dinner Theatre was 'Gaslight Girl' a musical melodrama. It called for a large cast which is difficult to arrange, but the task was accomplished.
April 1986: Children’s Theatre was moved to spring to avoid conflict with dinner theatre. This made double children’s’ theatre in the same school year. ‘Wizard of Oz’ was the show.
May 1986: Neil Morenz received the only VST Scholarship offered this spring. $100 was given to the city for remodeling the community building.
June 1986: A ‘Night in the Park’ brought about another successful bake sale. This year we kept the proceeds for ourselves.
July 1986: This year we moved inside the Community Building for a variety show. Andy Carrouthers of KCIM radio of Carroll acted as MC.
September 1986: Membership drive was successful but member lists were found that needed to be updated.
November 1986: $250 was given to the Independent Arts Council. Dinner Theatre was ‘FindersCreepers’ and used a cast of students and adults.
March 1987: Ole Creamery Theatre came to town with some workshops for the grade school and a production called ‘Stone Soup’.
May 1987: Neil Morenz received a renewal of his scholarship; Steve Morton and Laura Willis also received scholarships this spring.
June 1987: Another bake sale was held in conjunction with ‘Evening in the Park.’
June 1987: Auburn’s Centennial meant a float from VST for their parade.
July 1987: A pickup was decorated and set up for the Western Days parade, completed with piano and piano player. A western melodrama ‘Don’t Get Sassy’ was presented in the park.
November 1987: ‘The Girls of the Garden Club was planned for the fall dinner theatre. The cast called for 2 men and up to 34 women.
February 1988: The 2ND Annual Golden Square Awards Banquet was held with more people dressing for the occasion – including Gilda, the Golden Girl. Gilda presented the golden square awards and a check to Opportunity Living-a check for $1000.00. ‘Girls of the Garden Club’ ran away with the honors.
May 1988: The VST Scholarships awarded were both repeat winners – Laura Willis and Steve Morton.
June 1988: The annual ‘Night in the Park’ brought out our baking qualities again.
July 1988: Our shopping cart entry in the parade brought home top honors with a first place trophy.
September 1988: After moving several times and always on the lookout for rental property, VST has made the decision to purchase its own home – La Rosa Hacienda- the Ripley property, soon to become known far and wide as the Pink House.
February 1989: VST purchased 4 video cassettes for the instruction on play productions. We hope to learn new techniques from these for future productions.
March 1989: ‘Me and My Shadow’ brought some new faces to the stage. An ice storm almost closed us down on opening night, but the “show must go on.”
May 1989: Scholarships were awarded to Laura Willis, Lisa Clark, and Michelle Graham.
June 1989: Time for another bake sale.
July 1989: A skit in the park was presented for the 4th of July. It was mainly mime and called ‘The Waiting Room.’ This led to many more requests for this show.
November 1989: The fall production planned fell through but VST was determined to put on a production. Two skits were thrown together with a common theme in a few weeks preparation time. ‘Funeral Tea’ and ‘A New Sunrise’ turned a handsome profit even though it was an empty house at the matinee. We introduced the dessert bar instead of a dinner between the shows.
March 1990: VST’s production staff took to the road this season with it’s show ‘Background Music.’ The Victorian Tea Room in Breda provided the unique setting for this show. The sets were stupendous, including wallpaper and a staircase.
May 1990: VST Scholarships were awarded to Brant Astleford and Lisa Clark at the high school’s annual arts night. VST had the touring company “Eulenspiegel” come to Lake City and put on a workshop on puppetry and conclude with an evening show. We lost money, but it was a worthwhile investment.
June 1990: This has become our annual bake sale which brings in around $100 each year that helps pay the utility bills.
July 1990: Our entry in the 4th of July Parade was a kazoo band. It was award winning material, but we arrived at the park after judging.
February 1991: Our final payment was made early and the Ripley property is ours! We hold the deed and the mortgage.
March 1991: The annual dinner theatre was ‘Love, Sex and the I.R.S.’ The show was terrific, the meal was a disappointment (catered by Hy Vee).
May 1991: The candidates this spring were extremely qualified. VST chose to award three scholarships – Amy Comstock, Ann McClue, and Julie Hendricks. VST made a group trip t Spencer to see their production of ‘Steel Magnolias.’ Everyone was taken with their production and their sets.
June 1991: The bake sale brought in a high sales record of $150 even though the crowd seemed smaller than in the past.
July 1991: VST on their rotation schedule was in the park for the 4th of July. A puppet show was put on 3 times in the morning. The puppets were made by the board as a result of the puppet workshop from several years ago. They looked stupendous and were enjoyed. This may be the beginning of something.
November 1991: We’re on the road again. Back to the Victorian Tea Room in Breda. The ICTA is giving us $500 to produce a play in another community. ‘Steel Magnolias’ is the play we picked and besides loss of electricity, ice storms, cast dropouts, VST put on 5 shows to packed houses. Additional shows were added because of the demand to see this play, considered a huge success. Our biggest money maker to date.
February 1992: The Third Annual Golden Square Awards was held at the community building. T-shirts were given as awards in several categories as well as to the voted award winners. Jim’s Super Valu served the Iowa Chop meal.
March 1992: The board had a group outing at Spencer Community Theatre to see the play ‘Nunsense.’ Dinner was enjoyed at Stubb’s on the way.
April 1992: The kazoo band performed at the Chamber Smoker at the Wagon Wheel. $500 was given to the Southern Cal Schools for the purchase of curtains. $50 was received from the chamber and given back to them to help with the fireworks expense for the 4th of July. By motion from the group, it was decided to reduce the scholarships this time only to $200. and to award 6 scholarships-Ryan Albright, Corey Finley, Darcy Dougherty, Darren Graham, Jeremy Smith, and Debbie Stickrod.
July 1992: For Western Days we rented the local limo at a reduced price and promoted our fall show.
September 1992: Annual membership drive again. This year community calendars were given to those donating $10 or more. John put the calendar together in the spring and it was at no cost to the organization for the first 100.
November 1992: We had the show ‘The Importance of Uncle Roscoe’ at the high school with a dessert bar. Shelle Kent was director.
January 1993: Three porta phones were purchased. They were badly needed and are a great asset to the theatre group.
April 1993: Three scholarships are given again – Heidi Brown, Amy Brend, and Jeremy Smith. It was decided to give the money after the first semester of school is completed.
June 1993: ‘You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown’ was the musical cast and produced by Audrey Williams and Betty Yunek. The cast consisted of high school students.
July 1993: A float was put together for the Western Days parade. We used it to promote the fall show.
October 1993: Dinner theatre was held for the first time at Opportunity Acres. ‘Let’s Murder Marsha’ was the show with the dinner served by Jim’s. We started with a wine and cheese party and used a cruise theme.
March 1994: Another outing to Spencer Community Theatre. They are doing the sequel ‘Nunsense II.’
March 1994: We decided to do a benefit show this spring for the Young Mothers Clubs to raise money for playground equipment for the city park. We chose ‘Tom Sawyer’ as the show to do with a cast of 26- ages ranging from 8 to 60. We added a little to our profit to give them $1,000.
April 1994: Two scholarships were awarded this spring – Melissa Klein and Jill Heisterkamp.
October 1994: After months of searching, a sound system was purchased to enhance productions inside and out.
October 1994: Dinner theatre returned to Opportunity Acres for two weekends as it became the Red Stocking Dance Hall for ‘How the West Was Fun.’
March 1995: A contract was signed with Southern Cal High School to do the spring play. ‘I Remember Mama’ was highly acclaimed.
April 1995: Scholarships were given to Adam Finley, Tara Spencer, and Heather Smith. Two light trees were purchased to add to our effectiveness.
July 1995: Children’s Theatre was revived with kids from 5-13 putting together a great show ‘The Sleeping Beauty of Loreland.’
November 1995: ‘Faith County’ at Opp Living was a dinner theatre with a fair theme. The cast contained many high school students from Lake City and Rockwell City.
February 1996: Our 4th Annual Golden Squares Award Show was held at the Lake City Country Club. We went high tech this year and showed clips from different shows for different nominees.
March 1996: We find ourselves at Southern Cal again to do the school play ‘Our Miss Brooks.’ Was fun for the cast and a delight to the audience.
May 1996: Because of great applicants and a tie vote, we chose 4 scholarship winners at $200 each this year. Scholarship winners were Misty Litchfield, Jon Finley, JB Hinote and Cori Wilson.
July 1996: Several dressed up in rabbit costumes to advertise the summer’s children theatre for the rodeo parade.
July 1996: After last summer’s success, we moved up to a children’s musical, ‘Velveteen Rabbit.’ Judy Panning and Becky Davis were instrumental in getting this one off the ground.
October 1996: VST took to the road again. This fall found us in Auburn High School doing ‘Get Witch Quick’ using a lot of high school students from Lake City, Lohrville, and Auburn. We garnered $500 from ICTA as a grant to do this show out of town.
February 1997: ‘Faith County II-An Evening of Culture’ brought back some familiar characters from our first show, with different people playing the parts. This was another play within a play.
March 1997: We are again at the Southern Cal High School for the school play. ‘The Boarding House Reach’ was a large cast of colorful characters that everyone enjoyed. The cast voted on each other for Pony Awards for best actor and actress. The director made his own selection for ‘Director’s Choice.’
May 1997: At the Fine Arts Evening, Abram Anders and Renee Wiederin were the scholarship winners.
August 1997: A long going project and dream came true this month. Curtains were purchase and put into the aud at school along with a whole new face lift. Really a great project to see completed.
August 1997: Children’s Theatre moved back on the calendar a little to work around swimming and ball games. ‘Alice in Wonderland’ was this year’s choice. It used many characters and many ages.
November 1997: No show this fall as we stepped aside to allow a musical at high school which never took place. We did participate in Living Windows for the Chamber Christmas promotion. We decorated windows around the square and provided live mannequins for the evening.
April 1998: ‘Night of the Living Beauty Pageant’ was the school play with a cast of 30. Conflicts in the school calendar pushed the date back, but the show came off beautifully.
May 1998: Scholarships were awarded to Teresa Watters, Kimberly Schroeder, and Amelia Anders this spring. All girl applicants this year.
June 1998: Dinner theatre was back and back at Opportunity Living Acres. We held it in June as the spring was too full and we missed out last fall. The show was ‘Something Borrowed and Something Blue’ which used adults, college and high school students.
August 1998: ‘Toby Tyler and Ten Weeks With the Circus’ was the summer’s children theatre. Children’s theatre continues to draw crowds and make us money. We recycled circus barrels from hospital auxiliary fund raising days and banners from Charlie Brown.
September 1998: To support the hospital auxiliary and showcase VST we sponsored a table at the Table ‘A Fare salad luncheon at Opp Living by dressing a table in things from the pink house.
November 1998: Christmas windows were for the second year around the square. We used Currier and Ives scenes and Christmas around the world, featuring several foreign countries.
March 1999: The high school play this spring was ‘Locomotion, Commotion, Dr. Gorilla and Me.’ It was a zany show that the cast could enjoy doing.
May 1999: Scholarship winners this spring were students that stayed with the theatre since children’s theatre days- Jon Heim, Emily Morris, and Clint Pudenz. These are the type of student’s that will be missed on the stage.
August 1999: Seventeen years have passed and we produced a rerun for this summer’s children’s theatre. ‘Dr. Doolittle’ provided for a new generation almost in the cast and required some costume making as the old ones had worn thin and more were needed. The second run was as good as the first.
September 1999: Table ‘A Fare brought us back to Opp Living and this time we featured our soon to be fall play. We dressed as a priest and modern day nuns and had a table of black and white with religious articles for décor.
November 1999: Another year of living windows and another year of ideas based on Currier and Ives.
November 1999: Our earlier trip to Spencer pays off as we undergo the musical ‘Nunsense’. It took five ladies awhile to learn the dance steps and still be able to sing at the same time, somewhat like that old adage, can’t chew gum and walk at the same time. With a lot of work, they pulled it off and the audience really enjoyed the evening.
February 2000: The 5th Golden Square Awards Banquet took place again at the country club. Because of conflicts with a band concert we had to move the banquet to February 28th this year, but hope to be back on track in four years. Many of the awards were won by students and ‘Nunsense’ didn’t run away with all the awards as predicted.
March 2000: A melodrama was chosen for the high school play this spring-‘Dirty Work in High Places’. The students had fun with the olio and a new effect was used –smog.
April 2000: Scholarships were awarded at the annual fine arts night to Adam Newland, Lisa Boyd, and Nathan Schroeder.
July 2000: Indians were the word of the day as several children and one old buck promoted the summer play in the rodeo parade.
August 2000: This summer’s play ‘Pocahontas’ was preceded by two workshops by the cast as they made musical instruments (drums and rainmakers) and ceremonial masks to be used in the play. Costumes looked good as the Indians met the settlers on stage.
September 2000: The salad luncheon was on again, but this time we didn’t want to repeat what we had done the year before; therefore our table went Hawaiian. We used fish nets and sailor hats and leis and bright colors and tropical items to set our table.
November 2000: Riding high on the compliments from the previous year, our crazy nuns wanted to return to the stage to do the sequel. Because of a move, the novice had to be replaced. Nothing was held back as ‘Nunsense II’ took stage and new dance routines, accordion playing, roller skating and polka dancing had to be learned. Our caterer was Twin Lakes grocery and the diners enjoyed their meals on real china once again.
March 2001: The high school play took a change this year that at first wasn’t accepted by the students until they had practiced many times. ‘Les Miserable’ was more of a challenge to them instead of their usual comedy, but proved to be very moving and most effective. High compliments were received.
May 2001: The Fine Arts Evening has moved back to May and this year was an exceptional year for candidates. Scholarships were given to Robyn Anders, Katie Skinner, Nancy Redenius, and Anne Gordon. Three of the four had been on stage since early children’s theatres.
July 2001: Children’s Theatre has moved up slightly this year to fit into the director’s schedule better. ‘Beauty and the Beast’ took stage in Fanny Howell with some great new faces in the cast.
September 2001: Table ‘A Fare comes around again and this time we promote our play for fall by dressing up and Colonel Sanders and belles of the south. On the table are Magnolias and weapons of mystery and murder.
November 2001: Scheduling problems kept us out of the auditorium this fall; therefore a play was chosen that was conducive to being performed in the eating area. ‘Southern Fried Murder’ fit the bill real well as the actors and actresses mingled with the crowd and the meal became part of the show. The cast had to wait tables and clues were scattered in the dining room and shared with the audience. Everybody had a good time with this format- both cast and audience.
November 2001: Funds were passed to tear down and build a new garage on our property. The door on the old one was next to impossible to open anymore and the condition of the building was no better. Our new garage built by Redenius Construction is wider and longer and will hold much more. We moved larger furniture from the house to the new garage which made it much roomier for additional costumes as that area keeps growing.
March 2002: The senior play of 1963 was chosen as the school play for this spring. ‘Bull in a China Shop’ was fun for the cast and the audience enjoyed the little old ladies. This was the first time cuts were made at the tryouts.
May 2002: Not as many applicants this year and not as many deserving; therefore only two scholarships were awarded- Scott Schleisman and Anndrea Watters.
August 2002: Another nice turn out for children’s theatre tryouts. 36 students were given parts in this summer’s production of ‘Raggedy Ann and Andy.’ Everything seemed to run more smoothly and students learned their parts quickly and cooperated better.
September 2002: A dental theme to promote the upcoming dinner theatre graced the tables this fall. Four gowned dentists sat across from 4 bibbed patients.
October 2002: D. K. Molar the Devious Dentist was presented at Fanny Howell Auditorium and the high school lunchroom. Attendance was down because of the early weekend perhaps and the male lead role had to be replaced at the last minute when Ken Hying fell off the stage and broke ribs. Lois Smith added a mustache and read lines from a clip board as the dentist.
December 2002: For the town Christmas celebration we did amini-play based upon a book “The Christmas Letters” that John has put together. It was presented at the Capri theatre as they are not open at this time.
March 2003: “Life with Mother Superior” was the school play this spring. New talent has emerged.
May 2003: Scholarships were awarded to Erin Beckman and Leslie Bauman at the annual fine Arts night at the high school.
August 2003: August 9 & 10 were the dates of children’s theatre this summer with the production being “Wind in the willows.” A nice size cash with plenty of talent made up the cast.
November 2003: We almost had to move dinner theatre this year because of a conflict dwith school over the use of the facilities the weekend we wanted, but it rresolved and plans moved on. We did another Nunsense musical, “Nuncrackers.” It took in 4 students with the adult nums and added a brother this year.
December 2003: For the holiday kick-off we helped with a living nativity instead during the middle of December. A stable was built on the edge of the square of straw and with a covering of snow, made a pretty but cold setting.
February 2004: The Lake City country club was the setting for the 6th Golden Square Awards Banquest. A nice crowd was in attendance.
March 2004: “Girls of the Garden club” was revived and presented by the high school. Several of the original cast members of 1987 were in the audience.
May 2004: Scholarships were awarded to Lee Plummer and Marleta Smith in the amount of $ 250 each at the fine arts night
August 2004: Children’s theatre was set for August 7 & 8 for the production of “enchanted Sleeping Beauty of Briar Rose. Crowds were bigger than usual and everything went well.
September 2004: We had a change of fall shows but went with a tropical theme for Table Afare anyway. We had tropical t-shirts to wear and followed through with the cruise theme.
November 2004: “Opal’s Baby” was the dinner theatre this fall. It was a fun play about a lady who collect4ed junk. It was easy to stage as we just gathered all kinds of things from the pink house and garage to set the stage.
April 2005: April 1 & 2 were the nights of the high school play this year. “Mountain Fever” was the show with a pretty large cast.
May 2005: A Banner year for scholarships as there were quite a few talented individuals. The board recognized and awarded scholarships to Ashley Woodward, Amanda Trost, and Libby Gemberling this spring.
July 2005: The board went on a road trip to Webster city Community theater to see the show “Meshugga-nuns.” It was an exciting trip as one car ruined a tire on the way and the Chinese supper was a rush, but we made it to a good show.
August 2005: The summer theatre was “Sheherazade – a tale of Arabian Nights.” Susan True was a trooper and made many harem costumes for a large cast.
September 2005: We helped the music boosters sponsor the Missoula Children’s theatre to put on workshops at school and complete show “The Frog Prince” at the end of the week.
November 2005: Dinner theatre was another of our nun’s series – “Meshugga-nuns.” A piano player couldn’t be pegged down for the show; therefore the director, John, had Becky Davis record all the songs on a clavinova. He took the recording , borrowed a clavinova from the Lampe Funeral Home, and played from the machine himself, like Elton John, It worked quite well and the show was a huge success.
November 2005: The holiday promotion by the Betterment was on again and we were asked to do windows again. We chose Christmas of the Past, Present, and Future and manned 3 windows.
January 2006: Several went to the school board meeting to settle a scheduling conflict for the spring high school play. It was resolved to our approval; therefore plans were made to continue.
March 2006: On the road again. We booked seats as a group through the civic Center to take in the show “Lion King.” It was outstanding and enjoyed by everyone.
March 2006: “Anne of Green Gables” was the high school play this spring and with all the talent available, John was able to split the part of Anne into a younger Anne and the older Anne. It worked perfectly and the students did a super job.
April 2006: Our furnace basically died at the end of the last winter season and needed replacing. We were able to strike up a deal with John & Lonnie Daisy.
May 2006: Scholarships were given to Neil Anders, Stephanie Lang and Cassie Berns
August 2006: Summer theatre for children this year was the popular movie from this spring, “the Lion, The witch, and the Wardrobe.”
September 2006: this year we brought our own table and chairs to complet the theme for our junk collector, Opal. We ate grilled brats before we had our salads and had banana boats for dessert. It was fun and we picked up a new actress at the luncheon.
November 2006: “Opal’s Husband” was the play of choice this fall. The Lidderdale Country Store catered the excellent meal and the show was a huge hit. Our “’New’ Opal did well.
November 2006: for the holiday promotion we found ourselves back in the Capri doing several short stores from ‘chicken soup’ that were quite touching. Too bad the audience was almost smaller than the cash. Splitting the weekend activities over 2 days didn’t seem to work well.
March 2007: “The Somewhat True Tales of Robin Hood” was selected for the spring high school play. With a large cast and many costumes to scrounge up, it wasn’t easy, but it was fun and the students had a good time performing and the audience came out with rave reviews, saying it would be hard to top this production.
April 2007: Erin Thieszen was the lone recipient of a scholarship this spring.
August 2007: Jungle Book” was the play performed for summer children’s theatre. A Black plastic drop cloth was painted and hung for a backdrop and worked quite well.
September 2007: Our salad luncheon table was filled with nuns and showgirls this fall. We promoted the upcoming dinner theatre.
November 2007: Our costliest show of late was presented this fall “Nunsensations – the Las Vegas Renue”. The costumes and props were top notch and full of glitch and glitter, including the ostrich plume fans. It looked spectacular in spite of the cost. Color coded seating charts were developed and seats were sold for show only as well as show and dinner.
February 2008: Time for the Golden Square Awards banquet. This is our 7th award dinner. We booked the Carnegie Café for the evening, which worked quite well for logistics, mood and entertainment.
March 2008: How to top last year’s successful Robin Hood as the school play was what the director was facing this year. It turned out his choice of the musical “A Pirate’s Life for Me.” was right on the mark. The students had so much fun with it and the audience loved it.
May 2008: With the talent we had submitting applications this spring, we voted to set aside the rules of awarding on 3 scholarships and awarded scholarships to Sydney Snyder, Jeff Redenius, Natalie Gemberling and Nicholas Kavanaugh each for $ 250.
August 2008: “Puss in Boots: was the summer play. We had the perfect puss, a larger crowd and things went well.
September 2008: Our table look beautiful this fall, decorated for a wedding. Those sitting at our table were dressed in their finest wedding clothes including one bride.
November 2008: Our largest cast for many years was sought and found for the show “Virgil’s Wedding.” 22 cast members including 8 men. The dining room could have passed for the real thing including a gift table, registration table and cake table.
March 2009: The high school play selected this year was “Taming the Wild, Wild West in a Dress.” After many emotional displays, it was presented as a stage play with a fairly large cast. It was an overwhelming success with the antics of Justin Kelly and Alex Rossmanith who both did a better job in drag.
May 2009: Scholarships were awarded at the annual arts night. Three awards were given with only one for stage arts – Cathleen Watters – acting, band, vocal; Chris Handlos – graphic arts; Karel Zenor – vocal.
August 2009: Fanny Howell Auditorium was slated for a face lift this year. Village Square decided to revive a show they used in ’94 for a fund raiser, “Tom Sawyer.” This show melted together the children’s theatre with adults. Profits from the play helped buy new seats and build a technical booth for the auditorium.
September 2009: Table a’fare was really great this year. We were the envy of tables all around. We sometimes promote the fall production with our table theme and this year worked exceptionally well. Our theme was a family reunion and our centerpiece was a bucket of KFC chicken. While others waited to go through the salad line, we dined on chicken and corn on the cob.
October 2009: Village Square took a road trip in October to the Civic Center to see the show “Wicked.” We enjoyed a new look on the witch of OZ and after the show dined at the Cracker Barrel.
November 2009: “Virgil’s Family Reunion” was the dinner theatre this fall. We managed to have a return of most of last year’s cast in their same roles with the addition of a few and a shifting of others. The catered dinner by the Lidderdale Country Store carried out our theme with deviled eggs and pickle wraps to broasted chicken and apple pie (bars.)
March 2010: Throwing all cares aside, we stepped back in time, back to the “Nifty 50’s” this spring. We had a great time singing about the Blob and teen queens, dancing in a sock hop, and dressing in poodle skirts and letter jackets. The audience thoroughly enjoyed reliving some old memories.
May 2010: The scholarships awarded this year were all deserving actors and actresses. Tyler Main, Chelsey Snyder, and Shelby Huster walked home with the prize money this year.
August 2010: The audience was treated to an old classic “Heidi” this summer. It had a need for an alpine backdrop, so after many hours of painting, we had a new beautiful mountain scene. The students had more challenging material to learn and present. They did a good job with the challenges, especially Sydney Batz as Heidi.
September 2010: Time for table a’fare again. Everybody wanted to come this year; therefore we had to add a second table. Our original table had a Coca Cola theme and the second one was Santa’s pants. Our added treat this year was a vatiety of salad sandwiches, chips and a Coke.
November 2010: We need a little medical help this fall. Enter “The Dastardly Doctor Devereaux.” The dinner theatre this fall was a musical melodrama. We had the kookiest nurses and the zaniest patients that any clinic has ever seen. Attendance was down a little this year.
April 2011: Each year the high school play receives high reviews that it will be hard to top the next year. What’s in store for this year? The answer was a soap opera mystery spoof. “Let’s Hang Him and Read the Will” had a little bit of everything for everyone – suspense, mystery, drama, comedy and love – but mostly comedy.
May 2011: Four scholarships were given for the year with many applicants: Alex Rossmanith, Tonie Curran Jr. Tanner Schumacher, and Ivy Benechek.
August 2011: The tenth anniversary of a play performed and time for a rerun. “Beauty and the Beast” was a perfect choice for this perfect cast with an exceptional 8th grade class.
September 2011: Table A ‘Fare found us with a Italian restaurant with our own lasagna to fill our stomachs where the salads don’t. Alisha Batz made a mean casserole which was the envy of other tables.
November 2011: The Fanny Howell Auditorium is closed for remodeling; therefore we had to find other venues. “Who Poisoned His Meatball?” was the choice and practices began at Tami Green’s office. The portable staging was moved into the high school lunchroom for the performances. It wasn’t the best of situations, but we made the best of it.
March 2012: The auditorium was still closed; therefore the high school play moved to the Rockwell City auditorium. It was the first year for both schools to join all activities which helped on having more for auditions. We had to get use to the hollow echo of the room, no backstage and wings to speak of, and the control booth far removed, but it came together well and was most successful. “Shoestring Theatre” was in the record books.
May 2012: Not many scholarship applicants this year. Taylor Davis and Austin Jacobs were the finalists.
August 2012: Children’s theatre was able to move back to familiar territory as Fanny Howell was available again. “Wild Pecos Bill” worked well with the combined students that tried out for parts in the play. Western themes are nice to work around.
September 2012: The salad luncheon was expressed on a bowling alley theme complete with ball and pins on the tables. Grilled brats and bags of taco chips were our added foods this year.
November 2012: Bring on the nuns. They are back and this time they are in Hollywood. “Nunset Blvd.” was fun and challenging. Some of the regulars were back, but others had their first experience as part of the sisterhood. This fall was complete with bowling, songs and dances.
March 2013: This year finds us combined schools with Rockwell City – Lytton and Southern Cal. “Just Another High School Play” offered an opportunity for the director to make an appearance at the end of the show. The male leads were excellent.
May 2013: The scholarship applicants appeared not to care whether they completed the requirements to apply or not. Brett Nicholson, our first Rockwell City winner, and Zach Stewart were given the nod this spring.
August 2013: “The Magical Lamp of Aladdin” was the choice for this summer’s children’s theatre. Numbers were down, but we managed to have 20 cast members and they did a good job.
November 2013: We chose to do a small musical “Bingo” for the fall dinner theatre. It was an audience participation play and several games of bingo were worked into the production. The theme was easy to work with and exploit for the dining room with bingo cards, daubers,and items of luck (rabbits feet, trolls etc.) on the tables along with beautifully decorated cakes by Dannette Ellis on pedestals for dessert.
March 2014: Working with the high school vocal music director, Erin Thieszen, we were able to do a musical “Oklahoma” this spring. With a cast of 20 which could have been larger we were able to double up parts and make it workable.
August 2014: Summer theatre was kept alive with 23 students practicing to put on the show “Haphazardly Ever After.” The students did an exceptional job and we lived through a ‘new’ problem. One student didn’t show up for the actual shows; therefore someone in the proper costume had to step in and do the part. Thank goodness, the lines weren’t many or difficult.
November 2014: “Opal’s Million Dollar Duck” was the selection for the fall dinner theatre. This was another in the Opal series that we have produced before. There were problems with some memories, but Matt Enabnitt was a pure joy to watch. The pink house was hard hit for stage props.
March 2015: The high school play this spring took us to Egypt, the land of pyramids and cobras. “The Curse of the Cobra’s Kiss” gave the need to google for special props and the high school art department made special pottery jars. Our ‘mummy’ was a fun idea to come up with.
August 2015: We chose a classic for the summer children’s theatre. “Treasure Island” was a fun play to produce with pirate costumes and props. The production had to be at the Rockwell City Middle School as Fanny Howell Aud had new construction around it for a new band and vocal room.
November 2015: We joined with the high school choir and put on the show “Grease.” The whole choir was used which meant 70 + students to costume and most in 2 costumes. Whew! We’ll never be sure we got all the costumes back even with making a costume list as parts were added after the initial exchange.
April 2016: The high school play this spring had opening night fall on April Fool’s Day. No fools were made and the play went smoothly. Our version of “Hollywood Hillbillies” fit the cast so well.
March 2017: The high school play this spring attracted a large turnout for tryouts. “Trouble in Tumbleweed” had parts for 20 & 28 showed up. An Entr’actes (Olio) was made for the overflow. One student got into trouble for an action earlier and became not eligible opening day. One cast member knew his part and took over with the audience none the wiser.
May 2017: Scholarship winners this year are: Deianeira Grage, Jordan Ludwig, Anastasia Sackfield.