Crier Column, 2/23: Unplugged Lights at Creekside, School-Community Forum, Brigadoon at WHS, Hip Hop for Black History

Woodstown High School students rehearse a dance in their spring musical "BRIGADOON" Performances are Feb. 29 (3:30 p.m.) Mar. 1, 2, 7, 8 (7 p.m.), Mar. 9 (2 p.m). Tickets at CurtainCallClub.org

Hear ye, hear ye! O yez, o yez!

As a former news reporter for The News of Cumberland County, Today's Sunbeam, and the Gloucester County Times (which all became the South Jersey Times), I miss reporting. Though I don't have the ability to be a full-time news reporter any more, I thought I'd put together a column (possibly weekly) with a round-up of local news.

Nevertheless, in the spirit of Town Crier-ing, here is a round-up of news I felt prudent to share ...

Woodstown Crier Column — Friday, Feb. 23, 2024

COMMUNITY

•   Woodstown Schools Community Forum: Monday, Feb. 26, Tues. Feb 27. This hour-long event will provide an opportunity for all stakeholders – families, students, teachers, staff, and community members – to share their perspectives, ask questions, and contribute ideas for the future of our district. (Register here)

•   Farming: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) registration is available at Buzby Farm. Sign up now for a fully customizable supply of produce beginning the week of May 6. Support a working family farm and a community of local producers. Help keep Salem County green. Connect with the seasonality of local food.  Fill your table with the freshest produce harvested and packed just for you. Your box will be created especially for you based on your preferences and you can preview and customize your box. 

•    Dance & History: In observance and celebration of Black History Month (February), The Hip Hop Shop of Swedesboro held a program at Woodstown High School, and from the looks of the video, the students were not shy about jumping and jiving together. Even Principal Rich Senor got in on the fun! "We taught some hip hop, fun hype music and club bangers for the dance floor! All the kids were so much fun, respectful and the participation was way more than I expected from 9th-12th graders! The staff and students were so welcoming. Thank you for recognizing my business during  Black History Month," wrote Jenn Romano-Baus of The Hip Hop Shop.

Woodstown students learn the basics and history of Hip Hop as part of their celebration of Black History Month, led by The Hip Hop Shop of Swedesboro. Photo shared by Jenn Romano-Baus on Pilesgrove-Woodstown Living (Facebook).

•    Overheard: The Petit Farm on Auburn Road was sold. Rumor is it will still be used for farming. Let's hope that's true and not warehouses.

•    Sighting: Speaking of local news coverage — Thomas Drayton of Fox 29 was spotted trying the new bread bowl at Woodstown Diner. 

ENTERTAINMENT

•    UNPLUGGED LIGHTS, Maggie DiPalma and Paul Kranz will perform live acoustic music at Creekside Inn, 6 - 9 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024.

•    BRIGADOON, presented by the historic Woodstown High School Drama Club, will be performed Feb. 29 at 3:30 p.m., March 1, 2, 7, 8 at 7 p.m., and March 9 at 2 p.m. This story follows two American hunters hiking through the highlands of Scotland who stumble upon a peculiar but lively village not on any map — only to learn that one day in Brigadoon is 100 years on Earth. Get tickets to this magical tale here: Tickets!

•    ARSENIC AND OLD LACE, presented by the Blue Moon Theatre at the Woodstown Opera House, just announced its cast, and it is stacked with Woodstown talent — especially a return to the stage of Paul Kranz, Woodstown High's long-time theatre director. Performances are this April.

The recently announced cast of "ARSENIC AND OLD LACE" at the Blue Moon Theatre (Woodstown Opera House) features plenty of Woodstown actors include Ricky Thompson, Brady Thompson, Sam Williams, and Paul Kranz, to name a few.

•    DIVAS LIVE! A Drag Show, presented by the Blue Moon Theatre at the Woodstown Opera House. Saturday, Mar. 2, 2024, 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Tickets.

•    MUSIC AT FRIENDS, Sunday, Mar. 24, 2024. Featuring Arielle Egan (Woodstown) ​and Tyler Daddario. From the site: Join Arielle and pianist Tyler Daddario as they delve into the world of Broadway style, composition, and influence. From Broadway’s origins to shows that have opened in the last 15 years, hear the music you love ... and will love to discover ... as Tyler and Arielle connect the dots in between. More info.

ATHLETICS

•    Basketball: Girls Varsity, Woodstown vs. Overbrook @ Woodstown; Friday, Feb. 23 at 4 p.m.

•    Basketball: Girls Varsity NJSIAA Playoffs, Woodstown vs. Penns Grove @ Woodstown; Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 5:30 p.m. 

GOVERNMENT

•   Meeting: Woodstown Borough Council, Feb. 27, 7 p.m. 

•   Meeting: Pilesgrove Twp Committee, Feb. 27, 7 p.m. 

Woodstown Crier: I'll see everyone next Friday & Saturday at Woodstown's BRIGADOON. Bell in hand. Might switch up my outfit with a very 'Woodstown' kilt!

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Want to share your Woodstown-Pilesgrove news in the Crier Column? Email Jim Cook at WoodstownCrier@gmail.com

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A nod to the past: The Crier Column was inspired by the BEN Column (Bridgeton Evening News) created and authored by the incomparable Jack Hummel. Hummel was an editor and reporter for the Bridgeton News for decades. I met him when I started in 2010 and he was a great mentor to me and so many other young reporters. He was a polarizing figure because of his astute impartiality. Fair was fair when it came to Jack. He died in early 2019. I miss him every time I write. Honoring the past and those who came before us in important as I believe it informs our future. Like my column on Town Crier Ron LeHew, here's a tribute to Hummel I wrote when he passed in 2019.

"My radio shuffled to Patsy Cline tonight.
I'm no mystic.
But it no less evokes a cool memory of one of my greatest mentors.
Someone who made me know I was welcome at the paper.
A writer who taught me fairness and courage.
An editor with whom I spent many a wonderful late night proofreading pages.
Maybe acting a fool.
He often played Patsy Cline, and many other old country artists, late at night.
He was the king of short sentences.
And new grafs.
I know he'd be angry I'm posting about him on social media.
He'd grumble.
Then brush the rice cake crumbs off his cut-off hoodie.
And his shorts.
And call me out in the column.
God, I loved this man.
RIP Jack Hummel."

Woodstown High School Drama Club celebrates 100 years of musical theatre from ''All At Sea' to Brigadoon'

Backstage (stage left dressing room) students of the WHS Drama Club began cataloging every show the high school had produced. Though at times incorrect (see 80s and early 90s), these students have continued this tradition for more than 20 years. In 2024, damage to the wall containing the Great List was repaired with plaster and much of the list was covered up. A new effort by the Curtain Call Club will preserve the Great List -- but going back more than a century.

CLICK HERE FOR
'THE GREAT LIST'

(Note: "Woodstown Theatre Department" refers to the Woodstown High School Drama Club and Woodstown Middle School Drama Club, which as of 2024 produces a Fall Play, Spring Musical, and Junior Musical each academic year. In the past, the Theatre Department operated under different names and produced a Junior Play, Senior Play, Junior-Senior Play, Drama Club showcase, and, at times, an Operetta.) 

Hear ye, hear ye! O yez, o yez!

As a proud Woodstown High School Drama Club alumni, I am always eager to learn about the storied history of the Club I got to perform in from 2002-2006.

Did you know the first 'musical' at Woodstown High School was performed 100 year ago?! Let's take a step back in time ...

In 2003, an effort was begun by Drama Club students to list every musical since the 1980s backstage on the backstage wall. From the late 80s until the late 2000s, the backstage area was full of signatures and messages from members of the Theatre Department (High & Middle School Drama clubs). It was called "The Great List."

These messages ranged from silly and bawdy to cathartic and inspiring. Sadly, most of these message have been painted over due to regulations and repairs, but the dressing room writings remain in tact.

"The Great List," however, was born out of an interest in the High School Drama Club's history. Anyone who's been part of the Drama Club in the past 40 years knows the group is laden with traditions — from reciting "Modern Major General," to shouting a line from the show before each performance, to singing the "Senior Song" at the final cast party (to name a few), the Drama Club is rich with history.

Cut to: In 2024, I announced I would be creating a booster club to support the Theatre Department by reviving The Curtain Call Club of Woodstown — a group started in 1934 by Woodstown alumni performers who fundraised a scholarship for Woodstown students during the Great Depression. They went on to operate the Woodstown Opera House until May 1964. The new Curtain Call Club will support the Woodstown Theatre Department by providing, in the function of a Booster Club, accessible funds to the Drama Clubs, fundraising, educational enrichment, and legacy (history) preservation.

Building a Booster Club takes a lot of time and money, and I'm still working hard on getting it all together — but it's coming along, and A LOT of progress has been made. My goal is to have the Curtain Call Club incorporated by Summer 2024, ready to fundraise in the 2024-2025 academic year, and able to fully fund the Theatre Department by 2025-2026.

In the process of building the Curtain Call Club, I have been doing considerable research into the Theatre Department at Woodstown High, and found incredible resources in our past yearbooks at the Woodstown-Pilesgrove Library, Woodstown-Pilesgrove Historical Society, and the Woodstown High School Library. 

Since the backstage Great List was partially covered over in 2024 due to damage to the backstage wall, I've decided to create a virtual "Great List," honoring the tradition that was started my Freshman year, and providing a glimpse at every show ever produced on the Woodstown High School stage. This interactive catalogue will grow over time with cast lists, photos, and more from Woodstown productions of the 1920s to today.

Damage to the wall containing the Great List required a plaster repair that covered part of the writing.

One of the great discoveries I found was that 'musical theatre' (as we call it today) was first introduced to Woodstown High School in 1924 with the founding of the Woodstown Music Club. The Music Club was first organized in December 1922 with the mission to "promote better music, social welfare, and scholastic standards not only in our school, town and county, but wherever it may be demanded. The world or nation today is in need of proper music as it is in need of proper literature," as described by the Woodstown 1923 Yearbook, the "Susan Tatler."

This group began by producing a musical showcase in 1923 created by students and faculty called "Princess Chrysanthemum." It was a fundraiser to support the Woodstown Radio Club (which I'm still researching).

The success of the 1923 showcase led to the production of a full-scale operetta the following year titled: "All At Sea" featuring music by Gilbert and Sullivan. This operetta was the first of its kind at Woodstown High School, as operettas were the precursor to musical theatre. Music was accompanied by the Woodstown High School Orchestra. The production played February 14 and 15, 1924.

Thus, we can safely say the Woodstown Music Club introduced musical theatre to the high school 100 years ago.

The Cast and Creative Team of ALL AT SEA, the first operetta produced by the Woodstown Music Club at Woodstown High School, February 14 and 15, 1924.

For the 100th anniversary, we are producing "Brigadoon," a musical about a village in Scotland that only appears out of the mist for one day every 100 years. We've also made it a tradition, in the spirit of Brigadoon, to produce it every 15 years — the first two being in 1994 and 2009.

As for the Woodstown Music Club, they existed until the late-1920s, producing operettas, until the Theatre Department produced solely Junior and Senior Class plays. Modern musicals, as we know them today, were introduced by the Drama Club in 1984 with "Babes in Arms." Thus, "Brigadoon" marks the 41st consecutive musical produced at Woodstown High School — how exciting!

If you attend a performance of "Brigadoon" this March, be sure to visit me representing the Curtain Call Club in the lobby to learn more about "All At Sea" and the history of our Theatre Department — and how you can help contribute to the lasting success of our Theatre Department through support of the Curtain Call Club.

Performances of "Brigadoon" run Feb 29 (3:30 p.m.), March 1, 2, 7, 8 (7 p.m.) and March 9 (2 p.m.). All performances are at Woodstown High School , 140 East Ave. Woodstown, N.J. 08098.

For tickets, visit www.whsdrama.org (or click the link). 

For more about The Curtain Call Club of Woodstown, visit www.CurtainCallClub.org (or click the link)

The Curtain Call Club of Woodstown returns in 2024!

The Curtain Call Club returns to Woodstown in 2024!

Hear ye, hear ye! O yez, O yez!

Greetings, dear residents of Woodstown! Gather 'round as your Crier brings you the latest dispatch from the heart of our charming town.

One of my new favorite roles in Woodstown is as the Assistant Director of this year's high school musical, Brigadoon. The story follows two hunters in the highlands of Scotland who come across a village that appears magically out of the mist once every 100 years.

This year, the Drama Club announced a need for a Booster Club to assist with the funding of its annual plays and musicals, and to enrich the theatre program in Woodstown's schools. This gave me the idea to revive something in our community that's been dormant for 60 years.

In the Brigadoonian spirit of revival, for the past two months, I have been working with the Drama Club to bring back The Curtain Call Club of Woodstown. 

The Curtain Call Club was founded by Woodstown alumni performers in 1934 as a way to fundraise for Woodstown High School students during the Great Depression. In the 1940s, they undertook the responsibility of renovating the Woodstown Opera House, where they operated and performed for the community until May 1964. Their performances are well remembered by those who were there to experience it, and their history remains an important part of Woodstown.

OUR TOWN
Woodstown High School, 1967
Directed by Jayne Hopkins

For the past 60 years, however, they were thought to be gone — but that was only an intermission. We are reviving The Curtain Call Club in 2024 with a newfound dedication to its roots and an enthusiastic embrace of the future. As your Town Crier, it brings me great joy to herald this revival. The new Club will be composed of parents of current students, Woodstown High School theatre alumni, and members of the community working as a booster club for the Woodstown High & Middle Schools Drama Clubs (aka. Woodstown Theatre Department). Just as the Curtain Call Club is a historic institution in Woodstown, so is our High School's Theatre Department, educating students in the performing arts and providing live entertainment to our community for more than a century.

This reimagined chapter of the Curtain Call Club is not just a return to the stage; it's a lively celebration of community, creativity, and continuity. The Club's primary mission is to fully fund productions by the  Woodstown Theatre Department, and also engage with our neighbors, enrich the minds of our youth through educational programs, and preserve the cherished legacy of our local performing arts.

To get involved with the Club, click here.

For tickets to Brigadoon (Feb. 29, Mar. 1, 2, 7, 8, 9), click here.

Theatre: Almost Maine at the Woodstown Opera House

Desiree Lara and Andrew Fralinger in a scene from "Almost, Maine"

On Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, I had the pleasure of attending the opening night performance of Almost, Maine at the Woodstown Opera House.

The play was produced by the Blue Moon Theatre, and featured a stellar cast. I would go into detail about each individual performance, but the best way to experience this play is to go in knowing as little as possible. Chances are, you'll leave the theater with joy in your heart and a smile on your face.

The play follows nine short stories that present a whimsical and heartwarming take on the concept of love and romantic relationship in its many forms. Nine couple end up in a small town called "Almost" in the state of Maine. Well, it's not quite a town, but it's home to most of the characters. There, they explore suddenly fall in and out of love, all while awaiting the arrival of the Northern Lights.

Almost, Maine was directed by Anthony Appel and features Nikoleta Barboni, Patrick Connelly, Jami Cubbler, Alair Diremigio, Andrew Fralinger, Desiree Lara, Tara Lessig, Evan Long, Nance Reeves, Angela Robb, Patrick Walton, and David Warren. It was stage managed by Dawn Zleski. 

Each of these actors beautifully navigated the emotions of falling in love, falling out of love, heartbreak, sudden love, slow love, and confusing love. Performing this play so close to Valentine's Day, and in the dead of winter (though Maine's winter seems a bit colder than ours) couldn't have been more appropriate and only enhanced the little surprises in each vignette.

I have done two shows at the Blue Moon Theatre (Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead and The Rocky Horror Show), and it's one of the best theaters in the South Jersey region. How lucky is Woodstown to have its Opera House back open?! Kudos to the Joe and Cheryl Stark, and the entire cast and crew of Almost, Maine.

Performances run Feb. 10, 16, 17 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 18 at 2 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased at www.thebluemoontheatre.com

Passing the bell and honoring Town Crier LeHew

Ron LeHew, Town Crier of Salem County

Hear ye! Hear ye! O yez! O yez!

I am the Town Crier of Woodstown — a role with big shoes to fill. The first known Town Crier of Woodstown (actually, of Salem County) was the incredible Ron LeHew. I want to make sure I pay proper homage to this 'gentle giant' (as he was remembered).

I still have a lot to learn about Town Crier LeHew. He wore a terrific colonial outfit, buckle shoes, tri-corner hat, waistcoat (among other accoutrements) around town at all the special events, towering high and sharing the lore of the town. My first time seeing Mr. LeHew was at Seven Stars Tavern (now a private residence) in Pilesgrove Twp. Seven Stars was one of the first drive-thrus in America (it was for beer in the 1700s). 

It's also notoriously haunted.

LeHew was the keeper of those fabulous ghost stories, and I am eager to find a record of them. I assume they were passed down word-of-mouth through the town, and I am unsure how many of those tales exist still in our town's collective memory, but I'm confident they're not gone.

Nevertheless, LeHew wrote a beautiful column every two weeks in the local newspaper Today's Sunbeam. As a teen who loved newspapers, I remember never missing his column; and, I didn't think twice about snatching up a copy of Mist over the Meadows, Vol. 1 — his collection of columns from 1989 to 1991. 

He knew how to capture Salem County in words in a way no one else could, and in a way I will never be able to replicate — nor would entertain trying. 

He made us matter. When I re-read his columns, I can still feel Market Street in Salem, Woodstown By Candlelight, the buzzing of churches on Christmas Eve, costumed children politely asking for their treats on Halloween.

In 2004, when I was 16 years old, I had the fun idea to dress up as a colonial for Woodstown By Candlelight — an annual event on the first Friday of December where the town comes alive with open businesses, bustling carolers, and historic homes lit for touring.

As a young performer, I was excited to march my way down to see one of my favorite teachers: the Woodstown High School Drama Director Paul Kranz. I showed up to his house to show off my breeches and waistcoat and tricorn hat. He got a real kick out of it. But, to my surprise, there was someone else with the same clothing in his living room. I wasn't alone!

Kranz introduced me to LeHew that night. LeHew told me about his role as Town Crier, what he did, his passion for art and history and storytelling, and that one day he'd probably have to pass off the torch.

Tragically, Lehew passed away just three years later — far too soon.

Cut to: in 2023, I was working on a show at the Blue Moon Theatre in the historic Woodstown Opera House, and the theater's owner Cheryl Stark kindly asked me to think about taking on the role of Town Crier, as the Opera House would be open for the tour. The offer was overwhelming. It had been nearly two decades since LeHew last rang his brass bell. I couldn't give her an answer on the spot.

That night, I went home and thought it over. I looked through an old book titled O The Great Days (In Distance Enchanted) of photography of Woodstown during the early 1900s, photos taken by the local business-owner, impresario, and legend Edward W. Humphreys. His father had built the Opera House where I'd coincidentally been offered the job of Crier. I thought back to that night when I was a teenager talking to THE Ron LeHew. I enjoyed those Humphreys photos over the years, imagining what the tall swan fountain in the center of Woodstown must have been like, what the dirt roads felt like, what the original Cowtown must have smelled like (I hear it was awful! And wonderful!). 

Halloween, 2023

I accepted the honor of bringing the Town Crier back to Woodstown. I started a little earlier than Woodstown By Candlelight — I dressed up for Halloween and rang the bell from the long wrap-around porch of Mrs. & Mrs. Lance Bird and Kate Dilks, of the First Baptist Church of Woodstown, and we welcomed tick-or-treat'ers with candy and hot dogs. I even made it a point to wander down North Main to visit Paul and Claudia Kranz, who were dishing out candies to Woodstown and Pilesgrove's best-dressed little ghosts and goblins. Since Halloween, I've had a terrific time strolling the streets and welcoming people to the Blue Moon Theatre at Woodstown By Candlelight, and attending Christmas Eve Candlelight service at First Baptist Church of Woodstown.

Yes, Ron LeHew's are big shoes to fill, but as a way to honor him, I promise I will make it my own. He was an artist — one of the best. He made this role an indelible part of our county's history and I can only hope I come a fraction as close as he did to honoring that legacy. There are a few touches of him in my outfit: his shirt was blue and his waistcoat maroon. My long socks are maroon and my waistcoat is blue. I didn't want to copy, but I wanted an homage to his colors.

Town Crier LeHew, if you're out there (in the mist over the meadows), know that you are remembered and still a beloved institution in this community. I shared with the Woodstown-Pilesgrove Historical Society how we met when I was a teenager and they just loved that. I hope I make you proud. Any time I tell someone I'm the new Town Crier, they immediately exclaim your name, and a streak of joy washes across their face — a little because it's exciting to have a Town Crier again, a little because they can feel a special, eternal part of you still here.