Whenever our Publisher wore socks without shoes, someone would comment, "Your toes must feel good, because they're out". Those of us here in Mitchell can say the same thing about the Sun. It has been a while since anyone in these parts has felt the warmth of the Sun, and all of us here at the Holabird Advocate are so grateful to see and feel the Sun once again!

     Was the Beatles’ breakup partly due to the fact that the semi-democratic band was on the verge of turning into “Paul McCartney and the Beatles”?

     The year is coming swiftly to a close, so I feel I must take a little time to thank all of you for your support in bringing back the Holabird Advocate. These last two months have been busy, but I'm glad I took on the second job of Publisher of this Newsblog. As much as I love this job, I also love the job that pays the rent, which as it happens has given me double shifts tomorrow, Monday, and on Tuesday, which just happens to be our 11th anniversary. With God's help, I'll have something put together sometime on January 2! Of course, it world events demand it, I'll break in earlier if need be!

     It wasn't an easy trip, but Our Publisher, Jerry Hinkle, drove the old familiar route back home to Mitchell, arriving at around 12:30 in the afternoon yesterday. E.E. Hinkle used to urge to slow down and look at the beautiful scenery as he drove. Jerry did slow down, but didn't look at the scenery. As a good drivers does in wintertime, Jerry kept his eyes on the road, both of them at the same time.

Once home, Jerry called back to Holabird so his family wouldn't be worried. Then he unpacked, took a nap, and then went to his paying job.

     Shelby Hinkle suggested to her uncle Jerry Hinkle, that he sign up for Google Plus. Of course, has has heard of it before, but didn't know anything about it. He still doesn't, but he'll study up on this. The fact that Google is behind it, is a point in it's favor. Jerry's worst fear is that he'll sign up for it, and discover it's as lame as Twitter!

     It's funny how back in Mitchell, I'd have to go looking for adventure to put on the Front Page of the Holabird Advocate, but when I come to Holabird, adventure just seems to happen. My parents and I went to Pierre to take care of a few things, my mother had her annual mammogram (y'all ladies who haven't better get it done), we went to see the last day of the Capitol Christmas Trees, and we met my brother Doug and dropped off some stuff that his family left behind.

     Before leaving Pierre, we stopped at the Walmart and I saw a video camera that was label as "YouTube ready". Which started me thinking if I should diversify into Television. For as little as $18 I could join the thousands of others who flood the internet with videos in a cheap attempt at super stardom. Worst case scenario: people who can't read can watch me make a fool out of myself and laugh at me. For $28 I can get an HD video Camera. I'm going to study on this a little more before I do it, but so far, I'm not seeing a downside. Sometime next year, I could start filming "The Jerry Hinkle Program" and be just as famous as everyone else who does that!

     So we get back to the Ponderosa, have evening vittles, and then my dad and I argue about politics (one of the few legal forms of recreation that I enjoy). About 9 pm, my niece Brittany comes over to look for her special medicated toothpaste and toothbrush kit. It turns out that we thought it was part of the stuff that Doug left behind. Dad arranged to meet Doug in Blunt, and wanted me to go along. We were going to meet at my niece Ashley's place, so my parents, Brittany and I piled in the car, but halfway there, we got a call from Doug that the house was dark, so we met at the gas station. One thing is for sure, Brittany will have one heck of an essay for school about what she did on Christmas vacation. It'll be funny too!

     Coming back to Holabird for the Christmas season was so much fun and enjoyable, but tomorrow it's back to the big city! I have a feeling I'll have writers block for a while. Happy Boxing Day! God be with you and do the best you can!

     I spent a little too much time at the Allen party last Sunday, and as a result was about 2 minutes late to my paying job, luckily I show up late about as often as my mother burns the gravy, so the boss knew I wouldn't make a habit out of showing up late. Either that or nobody noticed the slight tardiness on my part, at any rate, I hit the ground walking very fast, managing to leave the work area cleaner that it was when I arrived. 

     Christmas Eve saw me back on the job, quite busy, but out by 3pm. After fueling up at M&H, I made it to the Ponderosa at about dusk. My brother Dougie and his family was already there. At first the plan was to go to Methodist Midnight Mass at 9:30, but the temperature was -9 outside and my mother had sliced open her finger while she was slicing the prime rib roast.

     This morning the silent night was filled with the sounds of Hinkles eating pancakes, bacon, and two kinds of sausage. My dad became rather insistent that we change the oil in my Park Avenue Buick, Teenage Mutant Ninja Danny, which was due for it's 6000 mile checkup. Dougie took charge and soon discovered that my tires needs inflating and rotating, and that a few of my headlights and tail lights were out, and needed changing. Nobody said owning a luxury car is easy!

     Christmas Dinner went well, with my brother Darrel and his family joining us, as well as Ken and Joyce Ferris. As Christmas day gave way to Christmas evening, most of the guests started leaving until it was just me and my parents.

     As I look out into the dark cold winter  night through the dining room picture window, I notice how truly dismal, depressing and desolate the month of December is outside in the country. Back at Mitchell there are plenty of lights outside. Lights that offer protection from the unknown, as well as a cheerful break from the darkness of the cold winter. I can't see those lights from the Ponderosa, but  I know they are there. I can barely see the lights of Holabird and Highmore from here as well.

     We celebrate the miracle of light at Christmastime because at one time there was no light. With all the depressing news of death and violence lately, it can get us down if we let it. Darkness could surround us. But we who are people of God are called to be the light of the world, a candle by the window to offer security guidance and cheer in the dark days. If indeed the media is waging a war on Christmas, the body of Christ appears to be losing. But the light cannot be overcome by the darkness unless we snuff it out. I hope we can keep the light of Christmas burning on the inside that radiates to the world the whole year through.

     Tomorrow being Christmas Eve gives those who need to get their shopping done very little time with which to do it. Our own Publisher, Jerry Hinkle, has been so busy with other things that he hasn't had much time or the inclination to do that. Today, he had time to go to the Mall. He had plans to buy Warning Salsa for everyone in his family, but they were all sold out!

Speaking of being busy, Dr. and Mrs. Allen are having a high society function at their home at 5 pm tonight and are most insistent that our Publisher show is courageous dynamic self there. Trouble is, he has to work at 5:30 Luckily it's a come and go affair, so he can show up, be their long enough to bore all in attendance and leave before people want to toss him out on their own.

Jerry also has to work tomorrow, but has that evening off. then he won't have to be back until Thursday evening, So he'll be in the Holabird area for about 3 days. those so incline can make an appointment for an audience with him, but there's no rush.

     As you all know, the Mayans, a Native American civilization that died out before the white people could kill them, predicted somehow that the world, or at least the calendar, would come to an end. It seems that this occasion is being met with all kinds of "End of the World" parties. We humans can find so real strange excuses to consume massive quantities of alcohol.

     OK, So we'll play along. Yes the world is going to just stop existing because an ancient society that couldn't even predict the end of its own existence says it's so. Well that's all there is to it, then! Of course, if the end of the world doesn't happen at midnight, there is still 24 hours for it to happen. So long world, it's been good to know ya!

     When this world ends, and the new one begins, I hope y'all will come back to the Holabird Advocate to find out how it all turns up! God be with you and do the best you can! 

     Last night was very hard for our Publisher. First a gang of marauding teenagers tried to mug him armed with chains and knives. Then as he got away from them, he discovered a terrorist plot to blow up the Corn Palace, but that goodness he woke up to find it was all a dream before the bomb went off. He was awakened by a clatter outside, but instead of a sleigh with reindeer, it was a snowplow. While our Publisher slept at least 3 inches of snow fell on the ground. There will be another snow removal at 11pm don't don't any of y'all park your car on the street tonight!

Meanwhile the snow report indicates a light dusting in the Medicine Creek area of Holabird, as well as the Twin Cities area. And as it's supposed to, the sun is shining on the Ponderosa!

     There was a report on Yahoo News that McDonald's COO was requested to the companies independent franchisers that they buck the trend and open on Christmas Day. Sales of the fast food giant dipped by about 2% in October, but in November, they went up by about the same amount in places where the restaurants were opened on Thanksgiving. the company appears to think making themselves available on Christmas will boost sales for December as well. All of the restaurants owned by the company will be opened on Christmas day. Some Churches are not happy about this. 

UPI Reports that Heather Oldani, a spokesperson for the company had no comment, except to say that, "restaurants will be open to serve our customers when and how they need over the holidays."

All of us here at the Holabird Advocate will have more on this story if the need arises.

For nearly 50 years, little girls have been able to learn the fine art of baking by using a light bulb inside an Easy Bake oven. Now little boys can learn learn too! A 13 year old girl circulated a petition for Hasbro, makers of the Easy Bake oven to make their product more gender neutral. Over 40,000 people signed the petition, and Hasbro is listening. If only there was an Easy Bake grill!

     I've stayed silent on the issue of the shooting at Sandy Hook elementary ever since it happened last Friday. The reason, I didn't know enough about it to give it the full analysis that an issue like that deserves. Truth be told I'll probably never understand this mess, and that's OK. I doubt anyone who has spoken or written about it understands it any more or less than I do.

     I was working a double shift at my paying job, and on a break when I heard about it. Another shooting? It seems like every time the heat from one shooting in the news dies down another takes its place. Predictably the gun control freaks are politicizing this story to the point of nausea as well.

     I stayed silent as long as I have for two reasons. First, I didn't want to write about it at all, but I knew that as unpleasant as the task was, i had to cover it. Being courageous and dynamic comes at a price. Sometimes I have make the hard choices. Secondly, I wanted to get all the facts right. No speculation here! what I wrote about this had to be what I knew to be true. 28 people died, and 20 of them were children. One minute they had their whole life in front of them, the next minute they had a one man wrecking crew shooting a gun in front of them. I owe it to them to get the details right.

     Once again people are under the mistaken belief that the absence of a gun would have prevented this tragedy. But on the same day that school was being shot up, 20 children were being stabbed in China. The person that did the killing wanted a lot of people to hurt and he didn't care how it happened. He got what he wanted! The sad part is that we as humans say that we don't want to here about things like this, and yet when you saw the headline I used, you kept reading. That's human nature for you!

     A photo from Sir Richard Branson that has made the rounds on Facebook reports that nearly 11,000 people were murdered by handguns last year. When you consider that there are 80 million guns in this country, that shows that guns are not the problem. Don't get me wrong 11,000 deaths is 11,000 too many, but the solution is not to take 79,989,000 guns away from those who take the responsibility to heart. There has got to be a better way, and I hope we find it before one more innocent life is cut tragically short. God be with you and do the best you can!

     It appears that our Publisher is working at his paying job during the time that the Oak Ridge Boys will be on stage at the Palace of Corn next Thursday. Also nobody has applied to be our cub reporter, which means that Jerry won't have to spring for tickets, incidental money and a bonus. All things considered he broke even.

     There have been reports of the possibility of freezing rain and another snowstorm in the Mitchell area next Saturday and Sunday. If such an event does occur, all of us here at the Holabird Advocate will name it Caledonia instead of Caesar like the Weather Channel. Our Publisher likes to keep everyone on their toes!

 

    On what was the 100th anniversary of the birth of Bergit Hinkle, her grandson, Jerry Hinkle, our courageous, dynamic Publisher, was on the receiving end of much generosity. On his way to the office yesterday, there was a rather large package, which he set aside to open later. Later on, at the office, one of the Fusion Pastor's wives dropped by with a plate of cookies. Then at his paying job, Jerry got a little helping hand, which is always welcome on a fundraiser night!

     Our special report on Bergit's birthday was a ratings bonanza. Our biggest post relaunch audience, 18 Readers logged in, and the response was 100% positive, which is consistent! Oh, and by the way, the package was from South Dakota 4-H, and that was really something. Jerry was expecting a t-shirt, but the package was somewhat bigger. He noticed that they spent $14.65 on the postage. Turns out that on top of the 4-H t-shirt, they threw in a 4-H cap, some decals, a 4-H coffee mug and a nice little note. When they give a prize, they don't go halfway! 

     The Oak Ridge Boys are scheduled to bring their Christmas show to Kornfield County at the Corn Palace on the evening of December 20. If anyone is available to play cub reporter and cover this concert, the Holabird Advocate will supply your ticket, front the successful applicant  $15 for incidentals, and a throw in a possible bonus if certain criteria are met. If we can't find someone, our Publisher may have to do that himself, providing other obligations don't get in the way!

     When she was born on December 11, 1912, her dad was hoping for a boy to replace John Acel, the son that lived for 45 days after being born in 1910. She told me that he was disappointed that she's been born a girl. I'm not sure if that was the case, but she must have thought so. At any rate, another boy was born in 1916, and if, in 4 years this Newsblog is still in operation, I'll have one of his grandchildren write about him.

     Back to Grandma. when she was growing up, she liked ice skating, and in the wet years in Valley Township she was literally able to skate to school. When she told me that, I found it hard to believe, but when we had that hard winter of 1996-97, and the flood that came in the spring, I began to see that she could have done that. She also liked dancing. She hated celery, that is until she tried it. At least that was her story. She was always trying to get me to try different foods. Even claiming that I hated peanut butter before I tried it, but it didn't work. It wasn't until I moved to the big city that I was willing to try out new things. I HATE celery, and yes, I tried it!
     Grandma was the 4th of 6 children if we include John Acel. She was the middle child. For all of her Skating to school, Grandma only made it to the 8th grade. As it happens, that's all he education she needed. Grandma had more common sense than just about anyone that has earned a Ph.D. When it came time to marry, she ended up marrying the boy next door, my Grandad. Her dowry was an expectant sow.
     Grandma was married for 63 years to Grandad. From what I saw their marriage was more about putting up with the other person more than love, but as I think on it, putting up with someone is a part of love. I noticed that when Grandma washed the dishes, he would dry. I've been told it wasn't always that way between them.
     Motherhood was something that Grandma took to well. She took care of her family through a depression, dust storms, drought, grasshoppers and other forms of pestilence. Somehow Grandma's 3 kids never knew they were poor. Keeping up with the Joneses was easy when the Joneses were poor too! They managed to send the youngest daughter to college, get the oldest daughter married off, while the son stayed behind to help out until Uncle Sam requested the honour of his presence in the Army. Her children were indeed the best gift that she gave to this world!
     As soon as she sent her kids out into the world, they came back with grandchildren. She was always ready with a hug and a cookie whenever either was needed. The healing words "Don't cry it's a long way from your heart" didn't always do the job, but her heart was always in the right place.
     Grandma was not one to travel, she was usually content to stay home. Indeed she never traveled far from there. When the end came, she didn't want to die in a cold impersonal hospital. She wanted to die at home. As difficult as it was, that is how it happened. On that cold December day in 1994, she died in her own house, just a few feet from where she was born. It was a very sad occasion for me, but a few years after her passing I noticed something wonderful.
     My brother had a baby girl 15 years ago. Like my great grandfather, I was hoping for a boy, because my other brother had 3 girls that tried my patience severely. While at first I was disappointed, I began to see glimpses of Grandma in Brittany. She made all kinds of facial expressions, especially that "Are you kidding me" look. I began to see that watching Brittany grow up was like having Grandma back. Like Grandma, Brit is quick with a joke, and always had a hug for anyone who needed it. She even bakes cookies. I know that she will grow up and be every bit the incredible lady that my Grandma was. She's not exactly like Grandma, and she never will be, and that's fine. But it's good to know that there is a part of her that will always live on, even though they never met.
So happy 100th Birthday Grandma! God be with you and do the best you can!

     After all was said and done, the official snowfall tally for Mitchell was 1.5 inches, which is hard to believe, since the city will start removing snow tonight at 11pm. The wind reportedly gusted up to 54 MPH at times. it is expected to warm up in the area over the next couple of days.

     The Holabird Chamber of Commerce had heard that recent events in Washington state, including approving gay marriage and legalizing pot smoking for fun has the more conservative residents of that state looking to move to a place more hospitable to their way of thinking. Some are willing to move all the way to Texas. We'd like to take this time to ask you to consider Holabird. It's a clean little friendly town with the lowest crime rate in the country. Nobody smokes weed here, at least not publicly. And no gay person has ever been married in Holabird. The best part is there are no Texans! Yes, Texas is a nice place to visit, but all that hot air gets old after a while. But in Holabird. the hot air gets cold after a while.

     If you have a business, dig this! There is no income tax in Holabird, and no city sales tax!

     so what are you waiting for the Holabird metropolitan area has plenty of unoccupied houses that, with a little love and care, could be your new home!

     The weather in in Mitchell has become brutal, putting the brut in Brutus, as in the winter storm that has been upgraded to a blizzard. The overnight low in Kornfield County is expected to be around -5 with a wind chill value of -20 well into tomorrow.

     The Mitchell Fusion service opened with "Let it Snow" today. Many were absent from the service, optioning to watch it online. Those who did put forth the effort to attend were praising God for the moisture, and for making it to the service despite the weather. Mitchell declared a snow emergency at 10:33 am this morning, so there is at least 3 inches of snow on the ground! For some reason, the Public Library is closed today, so the Holabird Advocate moved the home office to the Ramada Inn.

     Everyone talks of how the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, but I'm skeptical that such a thing is possible. The Forbes 400 provides us with a gage to see that the rich do in fact get richer, but what of the poor. I was watching "A Christmas Carol" earlier today, and I must say that the poor have come a long was since the 1840's. Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses? Both of these institutions are not doing the vigorous trade that they enjoyed in the Victorian era. Nobody is working for 15 shillings a week, or forced to steal coal from their employer to keep warm. It is, in fact, a good time to be poor in America. Tiny Tim would have better better healthcare now. He and his 5 siblings would be able to enjoy Nintendo, Xbox, or whatever else they fancied. Mrs Crachit may be forced to take a job outside the home, but she'd be able to get training to built up her marketable skills. If someone can show me a flaw in this line of thought, feel free to send an E-mail or post to our Facebook page. Either way, God we with you and do the best you can!

     The Calendar says December, but until yesterday morning, it never really seemed like it in Mitchell, when Winter Storm Brutus came uninvited. The weatherman promised 2.5 inches, but it hasn't quite arrived yet. We've heard that back in Holabird the folks have received more that 3 inches of snow. another round of flurries is expected today and into the night with temperatures in the teens. Sounds like a good excuse to stay home and bake cookies!

     It's been said "To err is human, to really screw up you need a computer" The South Dakota 4-H Facebook page reached 1001 "likes", so to celebrate they drew randomly from those "likes" to gift someone a t-shirt, and the name of Jerry Hinkle was drawn. In order to find out his shirt size, they needed to contact him. They were so desperate to contact him, they "liked" our FB page to leave him a message, which he thought was spam. Eventually all the misconceptions were cleared. In a few days, he'll have a new t-shirt, just in time for the winter weather.

     Shakespeare once suggested that what we call a rose would smell as sweet, or as Andy Griffith translated "You can change the name of a rose, but you can't do anything about the smell". Sometimes a good name can make all the difference. The name of Greenland suggests beautiful lush pastures and trees. Have you ever been to Greenland. It's a dreadful, cold, barren place.

Lee Iacocca wrote in his book, "Straight Talk" of a board meeting that took place while he was the CEO of Chrysler. It was suggested that the company change its name to Chrysco, because the name of Chrysler was too associated with cars. Mr. I shot back "If we changed the name to Chrysco, we'd be too associated with shortening." The motion failed!

Walter P. Chrysler bought the Maxwell company. Have you ever driven a Maxwell? The car was a joke, and I mean that literally. Comedian Jack Benny had so much fun at the Maxwell's expense that he got rich and never had to used foul language. Comics can't do that these days! Chysler knew that he had to change the name before he changed the cars. The proud name of Chysler has taken some beatings, but it's still on every car they've produced since 1925. Formitable!

    I foolishly thought a new name would freshen up my writing, so the Holabird Advocate became the Jerry Hinkle Program. For some reason the new name did not take to the Readers. It took me nearly 4 years to realize that I had made a mistake. Now if I can live up to the reputation that I've created for this blog, all will be well! God be with you and do the best you can!

     It started out as an ordinary at the home office, when all of the sudden, we were notified that Shannon Walls posted to our Facebook page. Shannon's son, Hunter Mees, helped bring about something wonderful into our lives about 7 years ago, just by getting cancer.

Hunter's story began with an article in the Wessington Springs newspaper. It was picked up by South Dakota Magazine, then we picked it up, and by the time we set it back down, people all over the state were talking about it, people were getting their hair cut, and giving money to the tune of $30,000.

     The world has changed a whole lot in those 7 years. Since then, blogging has given way to other social media, our Publisher picked up a BA degree, and Hunter is cancer free and playing high school basketball. Being a small part of the effort in Hunter's cure has become our most prized accomplishment. While some criticize the Internet, it can't be denied that had it not been created, Hunter's cure would have had to have come from somewhere else. Technology has it's place.

Our Publisher has a page on MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. And yet Blogger is still his favorite form of media, social or otherwise. The Holabird Advocate  has a Facebook page as well, where people can go to get all the inside scoop on what we're up to.

The recent flap over Bob Costas speaking his mind on guns last Sunday proves that both sides of the issue need to step back and look at the other side. After Costas made those remarks, a lot of people became offended, or at least claimed to be, and demanded that he be fired.

     In much the same way, when Hank Williams Jr. made some so called offensive remarks, not only were there calls to get him fired, but those calls were answered almost immediately after the fact. For now, it appears that Mr. Costas will keep his job. That's good, because it would be sad for anyone to lose their job at Christmastime! 

     I find it hard to believe that this country is so polarized that they throw a fit over anything that a sportscaster says. Then again whenever these kinds of issues get brought up, people get their undies in a bunch. As for me, I was not offended by any of Mr. Costas's remarks. He felt compelled to share them, I listened. even though i didn't quite agree with everything he said, I was never offended.

I believe in both the 1st and 2nd amendments. I feel free to speak my mind and deal with the results when it goes bad. That's what a blogger does. I have to speak my mind. When someone gets offended they stop reading, them I'm sunk! Still that is what makes America the best country in the world. We can disagree, but there is plenty of room for all opinions.

      I don't own a gun, and at present have no use for one. But I'm glad I live in a country where I can choose to get one if I so desire. Should I choose to, it is my responsibility to learn the proper way to handle a gun. As corny as it sounds, it's true that guns don't kill people. My dad has a 30-06. It has killed everything from rabbits, coyotes, raccoons, skunks and deer. never has it killed a person. The only way it could, is if someone who did not have my dad's moral compass and his careful aim was to use it. The gun didn't kill that football player's girlfriend. it was the football player himself. It's sad bit true! It's not a gun culture, it's a hate culture. You can take away the gun, but removing the hate is a whole heap harder! God be with you and do the best you can!

     In June of this year, a young lady from the Denton, Texas area know as Laina became a YouTube sensation when she made a viral video parody of a Justin Bieber song. Her signature "creepy face" has generated quite a few memes as well. Of the 23 videos on her YouTube channel, 5 have gone mega-viral (more than 1 million hits each). All this in less than 6 months. Impressive stuff so far.

     But that is just part of the reason Laina, and the fictional character she has accidentally created, is being honored by our little newsblog. This young lady, whose last name has been successfully concealed from the public. has used her sudden fame to give back to the world. In her first "Dare to Share" challenge, which we'll post sometime later today, she helped raise more that $22,000 for a charity called Surf Camp in about a month's time.

While it's true that she's not curing cancer or feeding the hungry, Laina is using what she has been given to help others. All of us here at the Holabird Advocate are impressed by that. Her videos are mostly G rated, family friendly, and funny. Her parents can be proud.

Yes, we are aware that this is old news, but Former Governor Rounds had to make this formal announcement while we were on hiatus. It matters little, however, since this announcement did not catch anyone by surprise. The content of his speech, invoking his grandchildren, reminded all of us here at the Holabird Advocate of his late predecessor, Bill Janklow, when he gave a similar speech in his run for the House back in 2002.

     Some are wondering if Rounds has the right stuff to go up against Senator Tim Johnson  in 2014. Someone must think he has a chance, or he would have washed his hands of the race already. Our Pollmaster General reports that among Holabird Advocate Readers, 42% prefer him, compared to 25% for Johnson. The rest favor Representative Noem for the seat that hasn't been Republican since Larry Pressler vacated it in 1997. Time will tell if the rest of South Dakota goes GOP in this race.

For the first theatre review since the relaunch, I hit the jackpot with the Mitchell ACT production of "White Christmas". I had mixed feelings about this going in. The Movie upon which this play is based has been a favorite of mine ever since I first saw it on TV 25 Christmases ago.
     However, Director Melissa Vatter Miller known to many as "Mama Mel" put together a great cast. Director Devin Carey did his part to make the dance numbers in the show look up to the Broadway standard, to my untrained eye at least.
For this production Wallace and Davis were played by Mark Puetz and Tanner LaValliere respectively. The movie goes into better detail about how they teamed up, but that's OK. The guys meet up with the Haynes sisters, Judy and Betty, played by Madison-Ainsley Miller and Elizabeth Moore respectively. This is where the chemistry kicks in! The two ladies blend well enough together that you'd believe they were actual sisters, and the dance numbers between Bob and Betty and Phil and Judy as well as the kissing were very realistic, and very convincing. The play made better use of supporting characters than the movie with plenty of "Let me be in the show" moments.
The problem with most musical theatre is all of the singing and dancing, but not here. The worst part of this production was the intermission. This reviewer managed to finish his popcorn and candy bar, visit to the rest room, wash hands and face (next time buy M&M's) and still get back to his chair and wait for Act II for what seemed like forever. The wait, was worth it however. With two standing ovations in Sunday's afternoon matinee, this show was a crowd pleaser!
The bottom line is that I laughed when I was supposed to, cried when I was supposed to, and I applauded with the rest of the audience about 87.5% of the time. To me, our community theatre is just like Broadway at a fraction of the cost, and that's thanks to the tremendous local talent we have in the Mitchell area. If it wasn't, I wouldn't go as often as I do!