You know what they say in show business, “The show must go on!” And that was certainly the case yesterday afternoon when the 30-member cast took the stage at the Windsor Theatre in Hampton, Iowa, for the second and final performance of It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.
It’s a Wonderful Life is a classic tale about a Christmas miracle in which the whole town unites to save George Bailey from personal and financial ruin. Interestingly enough, the town of Hampton performed somewhat of a miracle yesterday when community members united to ensure the production would happen.
Behind the scenes, people turned out in their Carhartts® and facemasks to blow snow. Between 5 and 9 inches of snow fell across North Iowa on Saturday with wind gusts reported as high as 60 mph with sustained winds near 40 mph. Overnight, wind chills dropped to 25 below zero. Most businesses were closed on Sunday, and the majority of churches cancelled their morning services.
What a difference a few hours makes! The snowplow cleared our road around noon, and I drove 35 miles per hour (mph) on my 12-mile trip to Hampton. (I have a hard time keeping this speed even when I’m in a 30-mph zone, so the fact I drove this slowly is a true testament to the road conditions.) Road conditions were extremely icy as it rained for hours on Saturday morning before it turned to snow. Nonetheless, people made it to the theatre. Tickets had sold out in advance for the Dec. 12th performance, and all but a few seats were filled when the curtain went up that afternoon.
The play ends as George Bailey, with his friends and family, all remember that life is really a gift to be cherished. As the group sings “Auld Lang Syne” George finds a note from his guardian angel that reads, “Dear George, remember no man is a failure who has friends.”
Thanks, friends, for allowing me to play a small role in this production. Hats off to Leon Kuehner, who did an amazing job of directing and arranging music. And I’d like to give a shout-out to the entire cast and crew, too. It is a wonderful life, right here in Franklin County, Iowa!
Click here to listen to the Latham Seeds radio commercial.
