The Barrow-Civic Theatre is taking a step back in time to examine how the healing properties of a reaction should not dictate a future.

The musical "Footloose" examines how the healing process from a tragedy takes time. That the community actions, perhaps seen as necessary at the time, cannot be expected to live on forever. And a growing future generation should not be shackled by the past.

And it has catchy tunes that many of us might recognize from either our youth or from radio's insistence that these songs are now considered oldies.

How on earth can songs from the 80s be considered oldies? 

With only ten contestants instead of the usual 12, the first two weeks of the annual contest saw no eliminations.
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That will end this week as votes from the first two weeks will be added to Wednesday evening's vote total.

The performer receiving the fewest votes will not be invited back for week four. It is the nature of the contest as they whittle down to a champion.

​Tim Craver, Mike Craig, Alexis Kline, Mason Davis, Herb Morton, Beth Schmader, Matthew Myers, Brooklyn Culver, Olivia Moorehead and Madelyn Williams are set to perform Wednesday at Bandstand Park beginning at 7 p.m..

Franklin takes the Fourth of July celebrating seriously. So seriously that it takes more than a week to fit it all in. 

The Fourth of July festivities started Wednesday with the kick off of the annual Taste of Talent vocal competition. (See our earlier story for pictures). 

Things continued Thursday with the first of two concerts by the Silver Cornet Band. 

Then Friday's big feature was the ever popular Penny Carnival. (Scroll to the bottom for more pictures.)

Saturday, the Liberty Fest Parade concluded just as the skies opened up and soaked the streets for several minutes and delayed the start of the ice cream social and concert in Bandstand Park. 

And there is still more to come. 

On Monday, the Venango Humane Society will hold it's annual Pet Show in the Bandstand Park. Registration starts at 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday will be the second round of singing and voting for Taste of Talent. All 10 contestant will perform a song starting at 7 p.m. at Bandstand Park.

The Silver Cornet Band will give its Mostly Marches concert at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Bandstand Park. 

The festivities wrap up on Friday with a Route 8 Band concert, food vendors and fireworks in Riverfront Park starting at 6 p.m. 

The annual Taste of Talent Vocal competition in Franklin's Bandstand Park kicked off Wednesday night with 10 contestants.

​Tim Craver, a Taste veteran kicked off the first of three weeks that all contestants will perform with a cumulative vote count before the first person is "voted" off.

Mike Craig, Alexis Kline, Mason Davis, Herb Morton, Beth Schmader, Matthew Myers, Brooklyn Culver, Olivia Moorehead and Madelyn Williams followed Craver.

The organizers, the Franklin Fine Arts Council, have some new merchandise for sale, a newly design Taste of Talent shirts, sweatshirts and hats.

"Im not sure we sold any sweatshirts tonight," Events and Marketing Coordinator James Shreffler joked. The shirts will be one sale each week at the event for $20.

Mother Nature was a Franklin Knight Sunday evening providing a beautiful cool. but not cold spring graduation evening.
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132 diplomas were handed out in the ceremony at the football stadium. 

A special dedication was given to Madison Johnson who died a few years back in an accident. This was her class.
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​The Madrigal singers performed prior to the procession of seniors. The senior Madrigals performed twice including the national anthem.

​Valedictorian Olivia Tawney told of her tough senior year dealing with health issues as she encouraged her fellow classmates to live life to the fullest.

Salutatorian Abigail Boland addressed her fellow students  about their time together and the future.

​Gabriel Taylor sang "I want you to have it all and senior class president Sophia Rondinelli opened the creepy introducing the class to the stadium filled with guests.

Dr. Eugene Thomas accepted the class and presented the class to school board president Sabrina Backer who kicked off the handing out of the diplomas.

Mortar boards and tassels flew.

​Congratulation the class of 2025.

Half cooked dinner, absent party hostess, and friend with an injury aren't the usual characteristics of a successful anniversary party, but it makes a humorous start the memorable Neil Simon play "Rumors" opening Friday at the Barrow-Civic Theatre.

We could speculate about what character might be your favorite between Ken, Len and Glenn.

But gossip says it could be Ernie. 

The word on the street is that Chris, Cookie, Claire and Cassie know how to keep a party hopping. But the tea might have been spilled before anyone even arrived. 

She said yes.

Oil City native Bryce Rhodes had a plan. In December he began making arrangements to take his girlfriend Hannah McQuade to the annual Franklin on Ice winter festival where he had many fond memories as a kid. 

"I thought  it would a perfect event where I could invite her to go see the ice sculptures and in the midst of it all, pop the question," Rhodes said.

In his pocket he carried a bit of ice, a diamond ring that he would present to her after they walked around checking out the sculptures. He asked her which one is her favorite hoping to get the perfect location to take a knee.

She said she really liked the lights on the trees and without hesitation he dropped and asked the her to marry him.

The Youth Theatre Program and its no-cut philosophy celebrates it's quarter of a century of giving young people something to do, train local theater enthusiasts to be actors and stage crew, create memories that last a lifetime - for the kids and the instructors, and keeps local theater in general thriving in the community.

“It creates of our future,” said Brooke Lawrie, theatre board member and youth theatre alumni. “More of our youth start here. Then they get their confidence and fall in love with theater.”
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On Thursday night, about 40 kids were working on just that. After five weeks of rehearsing songs, learning dances, memorizing lines, and working out technical cues, they were putting were putting together the finishing touches of this year’s show.

"A Mixed-Up Musical" pays homage to many of the shows that came before by including many of the characters and a few of the popular songs for shows done at the Barrow over the years. 

“I was in your shoes 20 years ago. (now) this is my home and it all started with Miss Martha and her team,” Lawrie told the young performers following their final rehearsal. 

The same time that Lawrie did her first all-youth show, Kelly Zerbe joined the production team. For two decades, Zerbe has been teaching dances to the kids, many of whom never danced before they stepped foot on the stage. 
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A few years later Jess Rodriguez came on board to assist with costumes and the tech crew. 

“We can finish each other sentences… when it comes to theater,” Heise said of the production team. 
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Having a good team is the only way to maintain the no-cut audition format that can bring in a varying amount of kids from year to year.
 
One year there was enough participants to have an entire deck of cards among the ensemble for “Alice and Wonderland.”

About a decade ago, more than hundred kids signed up to do “Jungle Book.”

​“We never saw so many sweat suits,” Heise said about the costumes that year. There were so many animal characters Rodriguez had to bring in teenage volunteers to help paint faces, and it took almost two hours to get it done.

Heisse said it is hard to pick a favorite show from the years, but remembers certain affects they were able to pull off to make a scene really jump out here and there. But she could point out memories of being invited to weddings and graduations by her students. Rodrigues toucher her hand to her heart in agreement.

And she points to Barrow regulars including the theater's lighting and technical designer Jim Amaro as reasons that go beyond just giving the kids positive reenforced memories, but as a means of teaching life skills.

Heisse says there is a good amount of talent out there that just needs harnessing and she and her crew are proud they can help.

Many of the youth theater students take on starring roles in their school productions and also landing major parts in community theaters all over the region.

The Barrow's board told the youngsters that they are future of the theater and thanked them for their hard work.

The show is this Saturday from with a matinee at 2 p.m. and an evening show at 7:30 p.m.