All the world's a stage…

And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages. ~ As You Like It {Shakespeare}

I have loved the theater for as long as I remember, whether it was in school or out. For most of my adolescents and teens I was on a stage, dreaming of the day Hollywood would come knocking.

Obviously, Hollywood never came knocking, but the fun I had! Whether it was a musical, a play, or a variety show, it is there that I come alive. There isn’t much that can be compared to the thrill and terror of waiting in the wings for your cue….praying you don’t miss it, remembering that “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me”.

But it is a sad day, the theater that I have performed at most in the past 20 years is in threat of being closed. For many years they have been slowly raising funds to restore the beautiful theater, where Teddy Roosevelt once spoke. {Read more about its history here}

No longer will restoring the building be enough. Due to the digital age our theater will be closing it’s doors, permanently, as of January 1, unless $70,000 can be raised to update the projectors.

While on the Historical Register that is not enough to save the theater. Without the income from movie viewings the theater will be unable to stay open, meaning that before too long it may be razed or converted into something else.


One little girl is doing an incredible amount of work to save the theater!

I’m not one to jump on different bandwagons and be asking for donations, but for this I will. One of my biggest dreams is for the day that I can see my kids perform on the stage where I did, and hope to again. Unless money can be raised, that won’t be happening.

Please, if you have it in you to donate something, even just $7.00 (the cost of an evening ticket at our theater), it would mean so incredibly much to our community. Our theater is the only one for 40 miles around and the only Arts facility in our county.

You can donate directly through the theater’s website. Or if it’s easier, send a paypal donation to my email address and I will see that the theater receives your donation, along with your name/address, as it is tax deductible.

Help Save the Walton Theater! A Truly Historic Place! @jess_LITWH http://tinyurl.com/d69kcc9 or http://tinyurl.com/c3cfmgy <------Click to Tweet!

Weekend in Review

All weekend we've been running: I'm ready for the work week, just so that we can rest!

There was the Civil War Reenactment in town over the weekend. My mom, sister, and I, along with the local theater group (which we are a part of), were asked to perform at the Evening Service on Saturday night.

In full Civil War era clothes we marched to the fairgrounds, ready to wow the masses in the singing of: "When the roll is called up yonder", "Somebody's Knocking at Your Door", "Bringin' in the Sheaves" and "Battle Hymn of the Republic".

Throughout the whole weekend Matt was busy working on our hen house. He did a phenomenal job. I am so lucky to have a husband who not only is willing, but has the know-how to build the things I want. Most husbands wouldn't be as patient as he his with meeting my demands.
Here's the hen house thus far:

We still have a lot to finish on it (obviously). We still have to cut out the door for the chickens and the window, as well as build the run for them and hang the chicken wire, and paint! Oy!

I also had to, unfortunately, write a letter to the editor of our local paper. I'm embarassed to say that the village never put out the American flags this weekend. Not one. The only flags that were out were ones that individual people or businesses put out. I was really ticked off about that. As far as I know there was no reason for the flags not to be out.

Here is a picture of my grandfather (he's 88-WWII Veteran) in our Memorial Day Parade. You can't really see him, but he's in the passenger seat waving. (If my uncle got a better shot, I'll put that up instead).

My parents, brother and SIL, and sister all came over after the parade. Matt and my dad and brother brewed a batch of beer, while us girls sat around and talked. After lunch we all went outside and threw wood into the basement. We have a wood furnace and needed to get last years wood into the house before this years wood gets delivered.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, and that your week goes quickly.

"It is well that war is so terrible--we should grow too fond of it" Robert E. Lee

This weekend there is a Civil War Reenactment taking place in our town. Yesterday my mom, sister and I were part of an evening worship service. The committee for the reenactment asked our theater group if we'd be willing to sing several hymns for the service. Unfortunately I do not have a video. I had asked Matt to film, but somehow things got lost in communication and it didn't happen. I do have lots of pictures though!

I've now been bitten by the Reenactment Bug. While I've always been interested/fascinated with the Civil War, seeing "it" makes it even more so. I hoping that someday we'll go to Gettysburg for their reenactment.