Rodeo Queens and Fruit Flies

Day 1 of the 2009 school tour took John and I to Myrtle Point High School, home of the bobcats.

The rainy day began with a hearty breakfast at the Cozy Kitchen, a block away from the Myrtle Trees Motel where we are staying. The amount of hash browns on my $4.98 breakfast plate was surprising at first but after realizing that this is a logging town it made sense. The number of broad-red-plaid-printed shirts matched with suspenders in this town is both charming and disturbing.

We pulled up to Myrtle HS in our OSF-magnet clad vehicle at about 8:40 am and were escorted to the Fair Building (Where the 4H does their cooking demos). The long, inverted-arc shaped building lined with photos of past Rodeo Queens (see image above) had a nice hardwood floor and at the far end a small demonstration area. We clearly should have prepared some kitchen sink drama since our stage was already set with more appliances than my apartment. Two large fridges, a full range and oven, sink and a dishwasher. Its really a shame we didn't prepare some Curse of the Starving Class.

A nice young man with a green Mohawk was quick to approach us and offer any help we may need. He was also excited to show me his cherished ticket from last seasons A Midsummer Night's Dream at OSF. "The best thing I've ever seen." he said. I felt the urge to apologize, but thought twice.

While the young Drama students set up the folding chairs, half of which were falling apart in their hands, John and I rehearsed our fight in the demo kitchen we had for a stage. We made adjustments so as to avoid striking any expensive appliances.

Then... Showtime.

No make-up

No set

No microphones

No lights

Seriously... the only lighting in the building was a series of fluorescent lights over the audience. The demo kitchen was actually quite dim.

The kids (grades 7-9) filed in and fought for the limited number of folding chairs, no one was willing to take the floor.

I would say there was around 75-100 students in attendance. An admirable showing for this small school. They did not compare however to the number of fruit flies that decided to attend.

Usually I would take swatting in the audience as a gesture for us to get off the demo kitchen stage, but in this case it was clearly self defense. They were everywhere and it wasn't until after our first performance that the principal spotted the guilty party, a neglected trash can in the corner.

We did two combination shows back to back to two very attentive audiences, the second group was grades 9-12. Then lunch and a nap back at the Myrtle Trees.

Overall the day was a success. With a few minor slip ups and a bit of rewriting of Shakespeare we made it through. The afternoon was spent trudging around the Elk's Golf course. John played 9 holes and i played caddy while drinking a Hamms and taking a few swings at the small white ball. Golf, what a game.

Tomorrow we perform for the elementary school in town. I hope the fruit flies don't follow us.