Community theater group Evergreen Playhouse in Centralia turns 50 this week.
Five decades ago a group of thespians gathered together and with no outside funding, just the desire to put on a show, successfully performed “Sabrina Fair.” Ticket sales from that show funded the next production, a tactic repeated over and over.
Initially the troupe performed in the ballroom of the Lewis and Clark Hotel. After a dozen years, Evergreen Playhouse found a permanent home in its 135-seat theater just a few blocks off of the downtown core of Centralia on Center Street.
The nonprofit group is run by volunteers and funded by donations, grants and ticket sales.
Evergreen Playhouse members founded the Community Auction for Theater Arts to raise money to keep the playhouse open. CAFTA holds an auction every two years, and with strong community support, CAFTA not only funds Evergreen Playhouse, but also has handed out money to other area arts projects, notably Lewis County Community Concerts, the Fire Mountain Arts Council in Morton and the Centralia Arts in the Schools.
Evergreen Playhouse started out self-sufficient. That it is still going strong is a testament to the founders of the playhouse and now the next generation committed to the idea of community theater.
That its reach expanded to financially support other artistic programs is remarkable.
Let the show go on!
Conservationism Honored
This Feb. 4 will mark the awarding of the fourth annual Russ Mohney Recreation Resource Stewardship Award, an honor given in partnership by The Chronicle and the Lewis County Economic Development Council.
Past honorees are Friends of the Cowlitz, Gary Loomis and the Lewis County Chapter of the Backcountry Horsemen of Washington. The award honors those who have helped expand our ability to enjoy the great outdoors, which is abundant here in Southwest Washington.
The award is named after Chronicle outdoors expert Mohney who for the past decade has delighted us with his “Peasant Naturalist” musings in his weekly column “Backyard Naturalist,” as well as his regular reporting on area fishing, hunting, birding and all things outdoors.
This past year Mohney wrapped his columns together, expanded on the best of them, and published “A Simple Song, Recollections from a Backwoods County.” It is a delightful read, and available for purchase at The Chronicle in Centralia, Book ‘n’ Brush in Chehalis, the Sunbird Shopping Center and the Lewis County Historical Museum.
Mohney is an incredible man, full of wit, wisdom and a bit of vinegar. His bio reveals a full life, too full to fit in this small column.
We are fortunate Mohney lives here in Centralia. Today, Mohney turns 75. Happy birthday, Russ, and happy fishing to you. Thanks for all your many contributions.
