Bonner Springs Chieftain (Newspaper) - July 24, 2008, Bonner Springs, Kansas 7tt CUNTS SERVING BONNER EDWARDSVILLE AND THE KAW VALLEY SINCE 1896 THURSDAY JULY INFO Meet the QB Kaos quarterback Jason Sutherland was a basketball standout at MU before coming to LOCAL School board to fill vacant seat President appoints committee to review make Woodlands to close racing doors JESSE TRUESDALE Wyandotte County got hit with two loads of bad business news this and both had to do with On Kansas Racing LLC announced it would be closing the Woodlands Race Park on The following night Sands Las Vegas announced it was dropping its pursuit of a casino proposal in The Woodlands had been cleared to install up to 800 slot machines under the states expanded lottery law that also provided for four stateowned casinos to be Unified Government of Mayor Joe Reardon said the Woodlands announcement was bad news but he was hopeful an alternative to the tracks shuttering could be found to avert the loss of more than 200 Our citizens voted overwhelmingly to allow slot machines at the Wood Our community has fought for more than 15 years for this to become a We believed those steps would lead to a Woodlands that would be on a strong financial Reardon I am hopeful that within the next 60 days The Woodlands and the Lottery Commission can craft an agreement that makes good business sense for both and is beneficial to the taxpayers of Kansas and the citizens of A STEP BACK IN TIME KEVIN STAGE MANAGER REBECCA front critiques Renaissance Festival actors during a rehearsal at the fairgrounds in Bonner Entertainment director Jim far has been rehearsing his actors since June to prepare for opening weekend in Actors prepare oldworld festival HOLE KELLEY Scene four rehearsals open as lovers Hermia and from A Midsummer Nights run away into a forest infested with In between calls of directions can be heard from the entertainment director who sits on in front of the unfolding Across the front gate the gypsy boys with tambourines in hand rehearse a synchronized dance routine as drums keep the beat behind When the scene comes to an the actors are called forward and listen as the stage manager reads off a list of mistakes to changes to make and compliments for lines that came off The brief huddle ends and the actors and director take their places to start the process all over This is the activity taking place at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival Fairgrounds two months before the festivals front gates are opened to the But it is also just a fragment of the work thats been taking place since January to prepare for the day when the 16th century town of Canter comes Its certainly a huge said Jim Stamberg the Renaissance Festival entertainment Well entertain Some Broadway shows cant even say GETTING INTO CHARACTER Starting in Stamberger plays host to recruiting parties throughout the Kansas City area to attract new performers and which are fol lowed by auditions in Once actors are cho the lengthy work of character development In Stamberger requires that the actors attend acting classes to perfect accents and character This happens even before the scenes are lines are memorized and the script is physically acted To this is the most important part of the whole Unlike regular we have to go one with the he At a normal per you walk on stage for two walk off and youre Were performing 100 percent of the 8 hours a Its the lives of the char acters that make Canterbury come Staying in character while interacting with patrons is not an easy There are seven scenes that will pop up all around patrons throughout each performance which Stamberger said are meant to come out of nowhere and then disappear in the These slices of life as Stamberger refers to draw audiences into the but dont end when the all the lines are It is the actors jobs to communicate with patrons throughout the day and in between scenes to make sure everyone is up to date on how far along the story has pro that We want to capture their Stam berger We want them to want to see what happens next and ask where the next scene will For Renaissance Festival performer Nick of Kansas the character development process has been the most challeng ing compared to the theater he was used Kledis had attended the Renaissance Festival for many years before deciding to get involved him See RENAISSANCE page 7A do tie Mike a spokesman for the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commis See page 3 A To view video of an interview with Ed Van executive director of the Kansas visit the Chieftain Web site at Woman dies at age 105 wisdom lives on NICOLE KELLEY After 105 years of longtime Edwardsville resident Pearl Branch comb has died but not without behind many words of wisdom to those around As one of her Lana Branchcomb was always talking about She may not have been but she always had a lot of Branchcomb died July She was born May in the third of five She married Estes Winner Branch comb in April and the cou ple traveled around small towns throughout Arkansas and Oklahoma before settling down in In 1944 Branchcomb and her husband bought a 4 prop erty on 94th Street in There the couple built their house by Branchcomb lived in the house until June when she went to live with Nevils and her Armetta and their Nevils had known Branchcomb since she was a when Branch comb was friends with Nevils grand But it wasnt until this past Nevils she really got to see and experience everything Branch comb had to She knew current events and could go back and tell you about older Nevils She could go through the time of horse and buggy days to right where we are It was Branchcomb See page 3A Magazine features Bonner choir directors achievements NICOLE KELLEY Hes only five years out of and Brian White is dealing with attention that he never expected at his The Bonner Springs High School choir teacher is featured on the cover of Choral Director magazine this month for bringing a little magic to room I started five years ago with about 85 said a 2002 graduate of Kansas State the program this past has 250 which is about 30 per cent of the student Not only has the program grown by leaps and but both the students and White have been bringing in top honors and show ing that smalltown Bonner Springs is play ing with the big White In addition to being featured on the cover of the magazine and in a spread on the White was recently named a final ist for Outstanding Young Choral Director for the state of Its just kind of he It is never really something I ever Its a testament to the work the students and I have invested into what we White was contacted by Choral Director magazine in early White said he never expected to be put on the cover but thought the idea of an article was considering the accolades the choir had been He never asked how the magazine heard about his but said the magazine repre wanted to pick his brain on how he turned around the choir program so Whites answer Preach the importance of forming an extended family Yes it is just a but for us to be we have to be very he He said the students shared success er and shared failures together and had See page 3A SPECIAL TO THE CHIEFTAIN BRIAN Bonner Springs High School choir was featured on the cover of Choral Director Magazine this In his five years with White has expanded the schools choir program from 85 student participants to 250 student CALL US 913 4224048 FAX 913 4224233 EMAIL
