Raising community pride, historical awareness and money
From April 12 through 14, 2018, the Merry and Bright Winter Festival Committee, in cooperation with the Friends of Paulding, put on a mystery dinner theatre fundraiser titled, “No Compromise: Mosquitoes, Mayhem and the Militia in the Great Black Swamp”. It was a historical play about Paulding County’s reservoir war and was set in Carryall, Crane and Emerald Townships, Paulding, Ohio, in the year 1887. The play, written by Jane Nice, was intimate and characters served guests their meals and provided fun facts about the time period throughout the evening. Money was raised from the sale of tickets, tips for the wait staff, the purchase of newspapers, 50/50 raffle tickets and gift basket tickets to help with the purchase of lights, decorations and other expenses for the Merry and Bright Winter Festival.
Cast members were: Narrators – Bargain Bin Ladies, Rhonda Smalley, Eileen Kochensparger; Governor Foraker – Governor of Ohio, Max Hibbard; John T. Norris – Detective, Max Hibbard; Private Reeves – Military Man, Tyler Boss; Sheriff Deputy, Nathaniel Trausch; Emily Applegate – Seamstress, Renee Boss; Oliver Applegate – Butcher, Dynamiter, Tim Boss; Joseph Benson – Hardware Owner, Dynamiter, Don Crossland; Mrs. Benson – School Teacher, Ruby Crossland; Jess Bond – Blacksmith, Dynamiter, Bob Miller; Mrs. Bond – Housewife, Heather Miller; Doc Graves – Physician, Jay Dachenhaus; Mrs. Henry Harrison – Young Mother, Erin Karlstadt; Frank Lamb – Barber, Dynamiter, Greg White; Mrs. Lamb – Housewife, Nancy White; Wesley Johnson – Logger, Dynamiter, Nathaniel Trausch; Reverend McClusky – Preacher, Shaun Matako; Mrs. Simon Nedrow – Housewife, Gardener, Brenda Crawford; Warner Ryel – Saloon Owner, Dynamiter, Katie Diaz; Worden “Henry” Sperry – Dynamiter, Justin Boss; Francis Zuber – Farmer, Dynamiter, Clint Vance; and Scene Clapper, Newspaper Girl, Delaney Dachenhaus.
A special thank you from the Merry and Bright Winter Festival committee members goes to the Lutheran Church for the venue; Jane Nice, the writer and for handmade props; Renee Boss, for directing; Tim Boss for set up; Brenda Crawford, Merry and Bright parade committee chairperson, for production coordinator and promotions; Donna Hibbard as the pianist; Kim Tracy for the sound system; Tyler Boss for special sound effects; Logan Gross for making the clapper; Michael Mott, DDS for providing the golden tooth; Flat Rock Lodge #580 for providing catch canvas; John Paulding Historical Society and Kim Sutton for providing costumes and props; Above and Beyond for donating gift baskets; Jill Strahley for the program design; Joe Barker with My102.7 for radio promotion; and to our surprise guests’ appearance, the Fark sisters. Apologies to anyone that may have been missed.
Brenda Crawford commented “Many, many hours were put into this production and we hope to continue putting this mystery dinner theatre on as a fundraiser in the future. The entire cast had such an enjoyable time practicing and entertaining the audience and I couldn’t be happier with the delicious meal that was catered by Above and Beyond. Moving forward from this, our committee is working on other small fundraisers that hopefully will be a part of the various other bigger events put on by the Friends of Paulding board. The Merry and Bright celebration has become a winter festival and has expanded its hours, which will begin mid afternoon on Sunday, December 2 and will include Shop the Square and other fun activities ending with the Christmas tree lighting in the park and the parade. We hope that the downtown businesses will join in and be open for a few hours as well.”
The Friends of Paulding board took the reigns from the Paulding Chamber of Commerce and is responsible for coordinating events like John Paulding Days, Flat Rock Creek Festival and the Merry and Bright Winter Festival, among others. The board has events planned each month for the entire year and would like to invite the community to consider volunteering in some form. The board recognizes that everyone leads busy lives, but even small amounts of time are greatly appreciated from individuals, businesses, church groups, athletic groups, scholastic groups, and other organizations. Most events are scheduled as part of Friday 2 Friday, which are held the second Friday of each month. To learn more, present ideas, or add your name to the volunteer list, email friendsofpaulding@gmail.com.
