When we talk about heritage, we’re usually talking about the cultural heritage of a community.
And this year’s Heritage Days festival had that in droves and drones…
New to the festival this year was the first ever pickleball tournament, held at the Mount Vernon High School tennis courts. More than 10 teams participated in the recreational and competitive leagues. Pickleball is a sport that has seen a resurgence in popularity and is one of the big activities at Lester Buresh Family Community Wellness Center. So big that it didn’t take long to fill both the recreation and competitive pickleball leagues this year.
That heritage was also on display Friday evening, with the honoring 100 years of drama at Mount Vernon High School. John Rife was the master of ceremonies for the event, his own mother Gladys Rife a long time drama and English teacher at the district.
Alumni spoke about the importance of the program to them and how it has shaped their careers and love for the arts in today’s world.
Darrel Becicka, class of 1984, said that when he graduated from the school, there wasn’t an auditorium as fine as the performing arts center.
Yet he ended up at Simpson College and learning opera music.
“Back then, I had a dream of being a country western singer,” Becicka said. “My professors really put a damper on that, highlighting instead opera singing.”
Becicka was helped, however, by having multiple opportunities in the community theater and productions to have three or more opportunities a year to perform on stage when at Mount Vernon.
Grant Freeman, class of 2006, spoke about the importance of teacher Maggie Ellison and costume designer Barb Shepley.
Freeman said that Ellison was the teacher who helped him birth his love of theater years ago, and was the person who told him the speech coaching position was opening at Mount Vernon, a role he has now held for 10 years.
“She was a teacher who inspired you to be the best you could be,” Freeman said. “She was a teacher who found you at your level and then did what she could to lift you to the next level.”
Freeman said while he and Tenley now manage the speech program, it’s run in a similar fashion to how Ellison taught.
When it came to Shepley, Freeman said that in this community, Shepley has been instrumental in so many costume decisions and choices.
Amy Friedl Stoner, class of 2001, spoke about how she is so grateful her own kids are now getting to take part in theater programs at Mount Vernon.
“It’s been one of those “come full circle moments” Friedl Stoner said.
She’s a singer who has shared the stage with a number of performers at the Paramount and other locations, and extended opportunities for Mount Vernon students to share the stage with her.
The evening concluded with the drone show at Mount Vernon, which had a very full bleachers for the first ever drone show for Mount Vernon Heritage Days.
Of course, that tradition carried on with the Mount Vernon Alumni breakfast at the schools, where Julia Andrews introduced new superintendent Matt Leeman to the community. Many who needed a ride from their cars to the front door in the first hour got that ride courtesy of the new superintendent, filling his first volunteer role for the district. Read more about Leeman in an upcoming issue of the Sun.
Carnival games, the Memorial Park Fun Zone, parade and more of Heritage Days activities took place all day Saturday as well in uptown Mount Vernon.