It’s the middle of August. Here in Washington it’s time to get ready to go back to school. In Mexico some of the students have already begun classes. But the temperature here still soars into the 90s and it’s hard to believe that summer is drawing to a close.

Leavenworth Summer Theater featured three amazing performances this season. At the Ampitheater up on Ski Hill Road, The Sound of Music delighted the audience from the time Maria sauntered through the woods in the opening scene until the final scene where the Von Trapp family stood in the hills above as the musical came to an end. What a setting!

This was also the venue for Little Women, another outstanding performance. The third was My Fair Lady which was held at The Fish Hatchery. Don’t let the name of the location fool you as the outdoor stage was surrounded by the natural beauty of the mountains. 

We also attended a performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Short Shakespeareans. This was held at The Riverside Playhouse in Wenatchee and all performers were between the ages of 1 to 16. What a fabulous way to introduce children to the magical world of Shakespeare!

This past week The Jubilant Bellringers from Des Moines, Washington were in Leavenworth. The musicians ranged in age from tenth graders to college freshmen. They also play a variety of instruments besides handbells and we were treated to a trumpet solo as well as a saxophone solo.

Due to the heavy smoke that has invaded our town recently, the annual Village Voices picnic was moved indoors from The Lions Park. This is a nonprofit community choir that was founded in 1982. These people have a passion for singing and have the opportunity to perform in a professionally-directed chorus. Of course the Bavarian theme that Leavenworth is known for is also reflected in the music.  The Christmas season is synonymous with Village Voices.

The music continued with the movie Momma Mia Here We Go Again. While I do prefer live performances when it comes to musicals, the music was fabulous and I felt that the storyline was better than the one in the last movie.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor brought many of us in the audience to tears. I recall watching the TV show with my children back in the 80s and some memories were brought back to life for me. In our crazy world, it would be most refreshing to have more children’s programming available that is similar to Mr. Rogers.

Another excellent movie was Christopher Robin. I believe that this movie is geared more towards adults than children. There were actually very few children in the audience when we saw it. The wisdom contained in the short phrases spoken by Pooh is both meaningful and memorable.

It’s been quite the summer for music and movies in my life. Has it been for you?