Enterprise The Idaho
Oneida County's News Since 1879 Malad City, Idaho
February 3, 2022 |Vol. 142 No. 05
Mayor Visits Elementary School On Monday, Mayor Joan Hawkins visited with Malad Elementary School’s third grade classes to talk about the concept of cities, state and local government, and civics. The visit was in conjunction with a book created by the League of Idaho Cities, titled Friend City. The book presents a story about the creation of a fictional city, and discusses the various components of its creation and the management necessary to operate it. The book tells the story of a girl named Emma and her friends, who decide to band together in order to create essential services, bring recreation to their area, manage their resources and waste, and provide
for medical care. While the premise potentially seems a bit dry, the book uses practical, child-level examples to demonstrate the interaction of services throughout various levels of tax-payer supported governmental districts. The book addresses needs relevant to the wide range of Idaho cities and counties. Oneida county is one of the smallest counties in Idaho by population, and has the further distinction of having essentially only one city (along with Camas— Fairfield, Clark—Dubois, and Butte—Arco, all of which also have additional towns of under 100 people). As Mayor Hawkins read through the book, she stopped to ask the
students about some of the city services mentioned throughout. “Do any of you like to go the park?” she asked, to a wide round of agreement. “What do you like to do at the park?” she asked. “Play in the splash pad!” was immediately shouted, which undoubtedly sounded good to the mayor’s ears, as the Splash Pad is the most recent high-profile City project, and one specifically devoted to improving the recreational outlets for local kids. The project, funded by local support and regional grants, opened at the end of last summer’s rec season to widespread joy among the youthful set. “What else?” May-
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Mayor Joan Hawkins speaks to Malad Elementary 3rd graders about Cities
or Hawkins prompted. “The library is right by it!” another student shouted. “That’s right,” Hawkins said. “The library is another city and
county service.” Hawkins visited the classrooms of all three third grade classrooms—Mr. Grote’s and Mrs. Lamb’s class, as
well as Mrs. Williams’ former class, now being MAYOR VISITS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL On Page 3
The full cast takes the stage for the curtain call
Alice in Wonderland Enchants the Audience On Saturday, the week-long rehearsal and workshop process for the Missoula Children’s Theatre Production of Alice in Wonderland celebrated the end of its amazing time in town. The Missoula Children’s Theatre is an arts outreach and intensive drama experience for regional children interested in learning about theatre and acting. Over 50 local students from the Oneida County School District were involved in the production, which was a professionally costumed and directed experience that was delightfully well-produced, and actor-focused. The play itself is of course based on the nineteenth century Lewis Carroll novel, though
the stageplay, adapted by David Simmons, modernizes some elements to be more responsive to the child actors, and incorporates more modern song components. Throughout the play, all of the actors involved were able to demonstrate their facility with singing, physical acting, and line memorization. The actors, ranging from kindergarten to fifth grades, had all been through an intense week of rehearsals. Auditions for the over 50 available parts were held at the Malad Elementary School auditorium on Monday after school. The auditions themselves involved acting, dance and singing elements. The students selected for parts in the production spent
Monday through Friday learning their parts and rehearsing for up to four hour a day over the course of the week. On Saturday, the play went live to the public, with full costumes, lights, and sound, at 3:00 and 5:30. The play utilized a number of interesting staging elements to accommodate the large cast. Alice, for instance, was portrayed by three different actors—Madelyn Gonzalez, Rose Butler, and Denette Layton—who took turns as Alice during her numerous size changes. The actor changes were accomplished by means of a sliding stage door and a flash of “lightning”. If on a few occasions the student assistant directors were faster than the actors in
changing out the scene, the actors and the audience took in with good humor, which added to the overall fun of the performance. The Cheshire cat was also portrayed by a variety of actors—Aleah Seamons, Dane Williams, and Tyker Hamilton (who also served as Assistant Directors during the week)—who wthemselves at different positions behind the curtain to replicate the cat’s transient nature. Some of the actors were exuberant and seemed to delight in their time on stage, while others were a bit more reserved, as one might expect, though all did a fantastic job of bringing the play to life. The marquee players— the various Alices, Margaret, the Mad Hatter,
Tweedle Dum (Heber Johnson) confers with Tweedle Dee (Jaylee Johnson)
the King and Queen of Hearts, and the Caterpillar Head—carried the show with a great deal of aplomb, and the multiple troops of actors filling out the group roles kept things moving along well and entertainingly. Throughout the play, director Dorothy Jo Oberfoell took on the role of the White Rabbit, who stood in both as a character within the play’s plotting, as well as an onstage manager for any forgotten lines,
or on the spot directing cues. In a few places, Oberfoell was able to subtly encourage line readings, or ask for a louder read, though generally the actors were on point. The arrangement allowed for a sense of comfort for the actors, many of whom were appearing on stage for their first times. As a result of the week’s worth of reALICE IN WONDERLAND ENCHANTS THE AUDIENCE On Page 2