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Drama celebrating Portal centennial to be performed Saturday
Portal centennial
Three of the cast members from Portal's Centennial production are shown after performing a scene at Portal Elementary School. The play will be performed again tonight. - photo by Special
    Citizens have one last chance to experience a lively and humorous peek into Portal's past as the folk-life drama, “Between Hopeulikit and Piddleville: Portal Celebrates 100,” paints a picture of the town's colorful history.
    The performance will be held at the Portal Elementary School auditorium tonight from 7-9  p.m., hosted by the Portal Heritage Society.
    Portal students watched the play Feb. 29, and the first public performance March 1 drew about 375 spectators, said Portal Heritage Society member Edith Stanley. The cast received a standing ovation, she said.
   The celebratory play is directed by Mical Whitaker. However, as he is directing two plays concurrently, assistant director Jane Rocker will be directing the  cast of more than 75 actors, singers and musicians, according to information provided by Luree Bowen, Portal Heritage Society spokesperson. 
    Stanley said the play is comprised of several entertaining scenes including the "Peaceful Land" scene, which is a musical portion; the "Civil War" scene that depicts how Gen. William T. Sherman's march through Georgia affected Portal; the "Old Portal" scene illustrating the time when Portal's timber business was booming and the "New Portal" scene, focusing on the train that once traveled through the town.
    Other scenes include topics such as the old Willow Hill school, the "Goat man," (the curious will have to attend the play to find out more about him), the "Spirits of the Pines" scene that details the town's turpentine heritage, and a scene about "Doctors and Midwives," she said.
    Choirs from local churches are involved in the performance and the music director is Anne Krickel, she said.
    Narrators are Robert Meguiar, Caroline Brooks and Angela Deal, Stanley said.
   Admission is $3. Another three bucks will enable those attending the performances to take home a souvenir booklet.
   “We have worked long hours in our attempt to complete the 44-page drama souvenir booklet available with lots of photos at a price of $3 each,” Bowen said.
    The admission is low because the Portal Heritage Society received grants which help defray costs, she said.
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