Tag Archives: The Sound of Music

Jul21

The Hills Are Alive

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The Hills Are Alive

A highlight of the time I spend in Washington each year is attending the productions of Leavenworth Summer Theater. This week we attended both productions nestled up in the hills in the amphitheater. They were both amazing!

The venue itself is spectacular. From the time Maria arrives singing as she walks through the surrounding woods until the final scene with the Von Trapp family perched up on a hill the audience is totally captivated. Our seats were in the center on the aisle which made it even more enjoyable in scenes such as the wedding procession. We even had a stormtrooper standing beside us in the scene where the Nazis were searching the abbey. This year marks the 30th anniversary of this production in Leavenworth, and is the best one I’ve seen yet.

Beauty and the Beast was the other musical. The choreography of the dancing and the music was fabulous. We had fierce wolves running by us as well as the lovely Belle as she went in search of her father. This was another engaging performance for both adults and children alike.

There are usually three productions each year but the venue at the Fish Hatchery is no longer available. Word is out that next year some performances will be held at the Festhalle in downtown Leavenworth. That should prove to be another excellent venue.

I can’t wait to see what the other musicals will be in addition to Sound of Music. And I know I’m not the only one. Every summer visitors come here from all over. Even the cast come from afar in addition to the many locals who participate.

Come here and experience it for yourself!

Jul15

Week in Weather

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Week in Weather

A tornado near Chicago’s O’Hare. A tornado in Montreal. A tornado in Ottawa. Manitoba is in Tornado Alley. Do I really want to go to Winnipeg at the end of this month?

In Fargo, North Dakota there was a shooting that left one police officer dead and two in critical condition. In another lifetime I used to visit that town often for a weekend getaway.

What is happening to our world? Don’t even get me started on other international disasters in the news.

On a happier note, we went to see Sound of Music last night. This production by Leavenworth Summer Theater is one of the highlights of my summer up here. The amphitheater with a view of the mountains is spectacular. Maria comes through the surrounding woods singing and the final scene when the family is making their escape over the mountain…such a perfect venue!

We may get some relief from the heat on Monday. The forecast calls for highs of only mid-eighties. There is still an extremely high fire alert out.

Enjoy your weekend!

Aug17

Music and Movies

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Music and Movies

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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

Aug11

And August Begins

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And August Begins

It’s August already? What happened to July? Since I returned from Springdale, the days have been a blur of activity. Aside from the usual exercise classes, bridge games and lunches with friends at the senior center, there have been other things on the agenda.

Along with my friend Becky, we volunteered one night at the concession stand for Leavenworth Summer Theater’s production of The Sound of Music. The venue is atop a hill, albeit a considerable amount of smokey haze somewhat obscured the spectacular view of the mountains. The audience numbered approximately 500 people, and it was well worth the climb uphill to reach their seats. In the opening scene, Maria sauntered through the woods singing as she made her entrance onstage. What an ideal setting for this musical!

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The Rotary Club held a barbecue at a park in Wenatchee. Clubs from Leavenworth, Cashmere and Wenatchee were represented. The park had a swimming pool, a playground and tennis courts.  About 100 people attended this event.

Last Friday I braved the smokey skies and headed for Lake Chelan. I was delighted with the museum and enjoyed viewing the variety of items on displayed. I sauntered through the churchyard and headed down to the water, but it was far too smokey to stay very long. I then had a lovely lunch at BC McDonalds before returning to Leavenworth.

 

 

Guess what some of us did last Saturday morning at 8 am? Nope, we didn’t sleep in. We attended a four hour CPR/First Aid class held at Leavenworth Church of the Nazarene. And we now have a two year certification by the American Red Cross. I hope we never have to use these skills but it’s good to have reviewed basic first aid, CPR and the use of AEDs. It’s also interesting to note how the laws vary from state to state, quite different from the classes I took back in Canada where lawsuits were only lightly mentioned.

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Earlier in the week on the internet I obtained my Washington food handlers certification. I want to volunteer in the kitchen at the Senior Center where this course is required. And this week I began a new course online entitled Rethinking Ageing offered by The University of Melbourne. I also had my home group online from Church of the Rock in Winnipeg.

Earlier this week I also went out to Plain with my friends Dee and Karen. The first stop was Plain Hardware.

 

Karen then gave us a spectacular tour of Grunewald Guild. She used to live here and we spent hours touring the buildings and the grounds. Once again, I took far too many photos, but here is a sampling.

 

We then took a short drive through Lake Wenatchee State Park, where despite the smokey haze, surprisingly quite a few people were swimming and boating.

I am heading to the golf course shortly to have lunch with Charlene. Wild Huckleberry is one of my favorite restaurants in Leavenworth. Not only is the food amazing, but the view is  also spectacular. Perhaps the deer will be out today. A lovely start to the weekend!