As the final performance of this year’s Westlock Rotary Dinner Theatre production of Ole Koots Campfire … The Cruise hit the stage at the Westlock Community Hall last Saturday evening, it also set a new attendance record show chairman Dick Arth told the audience.
The nine performances, which ran over the past three weekends with seven evening dinner shows and two Sunday matinee performance was another successful and entertaining fund raising event for the Westlock Rotary Club.
The Cruise was the 16th dinner theatre production — each one directed by Bunnie Arth, who has directed some 30 shows in Westlock over the years and also acted in some herself in the past. The three Old Koots shows and some others have also been written by her.
At the Oct. 22 production, with Rotary District 5370 Governor Harry Buddle of Edmonton in attendance, three members of this year’s performance were presented with $1,000 Paul Harris Awards.
Coming as a complete surprise to them, main character Rex Vollema (Old Koot), Cathy Lent (Rosie) and Dave Lent (Gunter) were awarded.
The money goes to fund educational and humanitarian programs for Rotary around the world, and in this instance, the $1,000 contributed in the names of these three individuals was to honour them for exceptional service to the Westlock Rotary Club.
Each received a medallion along with a certificate and lapel pin.
Over the history of the Westlock Rotary Dinner Theatre, not including this year, in excess of $800,000 has been raised to fund a wide variety of projects within the community and also around the world.
The dinner theatre productions involve not just most of the members of the club, but also spouses, family members and many members of the community.
And there’s more coming. Bunnie has already lined up next year’s show, a sequel to the successful Patsy Cline show done a few years back. This one is called Always – Patsy Cline, with Terry Steiestol back again in the lead role of the famous singer.
