The Litchfield High School Theater production of “Footloose” begins tonight and continues Friday and Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Bernie Aaker Auditorium.
Tickets are on sale at the Litchfield High School office, on the School District website and they will also be sold at the door.
Director Sara Dollerschell says “Footloose” takes place in a small Midwestern town that has banned dancing because of the fear of it being a dangerous influence for young people. She says it is different from the movie version, with more songs, but the themes are similar.
Dollerschell says she’s had a great cast and crew to work with and many of the students have been balancing their rehearsals with other activities. She says many of them will go right from “Footloose” into the Litchfield High School Marching Band indoor concert next weekend.
Sophomore Xander Chvatal is in the drumline with the marching band and is also in cross-country so he’s gone right from meets to rehearsals and his mom has had food in the car for him. He says his character is Willard who becomes the best friend of the lead character, Ren.
Xander says Willard cannot dance, but by the end of the show, he knows how to dance. Senior Hailey Vines is in the role of Rusty – a friend of the lead female character in “Footloose” – Ariel. She says she has also choreographed the entire production and the other actors learned their moves quite easily.
Vines says she is captain of the Litchfield High School dance team. She says she’s probably been in about 13 theater productions in her lifetime.
Retiring state Representative Dean Urdahl and his wife, Karen, are hosting an open house to thank area residents for their support during his 22 years in the Minnesota House of Representatives. The event will be from 3-to-6 p.m. on Sunday, November 10th at the Litchfield Opera House.
A short program will take place at 4 p.m. and snacks will be provided. Urdahl says he has a great appreciation for the incredible support local people have shown him over the years and this event is a way of thanking them. He says everyone is welcome, and he looks forward to personally extending his gratitude to those who entrusted him to be their voice in the House over the years.
Urdahl is not seeking re-election in District 16A and announced last March he will retire from the House when his 11th term expires this January.
The Litchfield Rotary Club had a successful rose and fall bouquet sale. The roses and fall bouquets will be available to be picked up at Davis Auto Body on East Highway 12 on Thursday and Friday from 11:30-to-1 and from 3:30-to-6 and on Saturday from 9-to-noon.
Litchfield Rotary Club President Andrew Letson says it helps if you can bring your sales stub, but if you lost it, they can look up your order. He says they order a few extra flowers, so if you forgot to place an order, you could call a Rotary member to secure a last minute bouquet.
Letson says this is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Litchfield Rotary Club and they use the proceeds for all kinds of great community projects. He says they recently helped with the purchase of an audio enhancement system at Lake Ripley Elementary School.
Letson says he would like to thank the community for all of the support it gives the Litchfield Rotary Club each year. Rotary Membership Chair Dennis Gartner says the Rotary Club meets on Tuesday mornings at 7 o’clock at the Rescue Hall for breakfast and new members are welcome.
Gartner says if anyone is interested in joining the Rotary Club, they may call him at 320-221-3636. He says the Litchfield Rotary Club supports all kinds of great projects such as Beds for Kids, scholarships, the installation of AEDs around the town, the Splash Pad at Memorial Park and the development of Prairie Park.