The Litchfield High School Drama Department’s production of “Tarzan” will open tomorrow evening and will continue through the weekend. The show can be seen Thursday at 7 p.m., Saturday, November 1st, at 3 and 7 p.m. and on Sunday, November 2nd, at 2 p.m. in the Bernie Aaker Auditorium.
Director Sara Dollerschell says she had looked at a couple of other musicals, but those fell through, and she had looked at doing “Tarzan” a few years ago, so decided to have the students do it this year. She says Halloween does not work well for doing a performance, so they will skip that and some of the students will be playing in the football game against Albany anyway on Friday evening. She says she’s tried to work around all of the students’ schedules for rehearsals.
Dollerschell says it’s a fun, family-friendly show with great music which will make you happy. She says Tarzan’s parents are killed, so he is raised by gorillas and there are two Tarzans in the show, with Deagan Weatherholt playing the grown-up version.
Deagan says he would describe Tarzan as hopeful. He says he had been in some theater productions as a child, but not in high school because it always conflicted with football, but he made it work this year.
Deagan says he’s hoping to have his Tarzan call perfected in time for Thursday night’s opening. Viola Pennertz is in the role of Jane who travels to Africa with her father to study gorillas and she is the first human that Tarzan sees. She says she has also had a busy schedule this fall.
Viola says she is co-choreographing “Tarzan” with fellow dance team member Maddie Beecroft. She says she’s been in numerous school and community theatre productions over the years and her favorites include “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Sound of Music.” Tickets for Tarzan can be purchased at the door or in advance on the Litchfield School District website.
The Minnesota State Patrol responded to a 2-vehicle crash just before noon on Tuesday at the intersection of Highways 24 and 34 on the northeast side of Litchfield. A 2012 GMC Sierra pickup was traveling east on Highway 24 and a 2025 Toyota Corolla was traveling south on Highway 34 when the vehicles collided.
The crash occurred at 11:51 a.m. The GMC was driven by 60-year-old Anthony John Fisher of Watkins. He received non-life-threatening injuries and was not transported. The Toyota was driven by 54-year-old Jay Jonathan Schoenecker of Watkins. He received non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to Meeker Memorial Hospital. Also responding to the scene were the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office, Litchfield Fire and Rescue and Mayo Ambulance.
A Litchfield man is facing multiple charges, including two gross misdemeanors for his third DWI offense, after an incident in a local cemetery that ended with a collision into a tombstone and a struggle with law enforcement. 32-year-old Taylor Ryan Twardy has been charged with 2nd Degree DWI, 2nd Degree Test Refusal, Obstructing the Legal Process, Criminal Damage to Property, and having an Open Bottle in a vehicle.
According to the criminal complaint filed in Meeker County District Court, the incident began around 1:12 a.m. on October 26 when a Litchfield Police officer on patrol noticed a suspicious pickup truck inside the cemetery on South Sibley Avenue after visiting hours. As the officer approached, the truck’s headlights were extinguished.
The officer positioned his squad car behind the pickup and activated his emergency lights. The complaint states the truck then attempted to accelerate away with its lights still off, but it collided with a tombstone before coming to a stop.
The driver, identified as Twardy, was ordered out of the vehicle. He reportedly apologized multiple times, stating he shouldn’t be driving. The officer noted strong signs of impairment, including the odor of alcohol, bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and poor balance. Twardy admitted to drinking a “couple of beers.”
During field sobriety tests, Twardy showed significant signs of impairment and was unable to complete one test due to stumbling. He agreed to a preliminary breath test, which registered a blood alcohol concentration of 0.17.
The complaint alleges that upon seeing the result, Twardy attempted to flee on foot. The officer grabbed him and took him to the ground, where Twardy continued to fight and resist arrest. Two Meeker County Sheriff’s deputies arrived and assisted in handcuffing him. A search of his truck revealed a freshly opened can of beer in the center console.
Once at the Meeker County Jail, Twardy refused to submit to a chemical breath test. Court records show Twardy has two prior DWI convictions from 2017 and 2020, which elevates his current DWI and test refusal charges to gross misdemeanors.