Rose Island Playhouse
to cast Everything’s Relative

    Rose Island Playhouse will hold auditions for Nancy Robinson Crist’s hilarious comedy Everything’s Relative on Saturday, December 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Charlestown Arts & Enrichment Center located at 999 Water Street in Charlestown.
    The cast requires three women and three men. Marvel Barrie- in her late 50's, Floyd Barrie- Marvel’s husband, in his late 50's, Christine Dish- daughter of Marvel and Floyd, in her late 20's, Matthew Dish- Christine’s husband, in his late 20's, Janell Dish-Matthew’s mother, in her mid-50's and Ira Dimmitt- handyman, 18 or 20.
    Rehearsals will be announced.
    Crew members are also needed for lighting, props, costumes, make-up, set construction, assistant to directors, stage hands, stage manager, and etc.
    The play will be directed by Rhoda Meier and Krista Storz.
    For more information call 256-5105 or 256-5326.

    Dragon Mania, one of the most exciting high school basketball events to ever occur in Southern Indiana, is only 3 days away and the deadline for purchasing advanced tickets is today, Wednesday, November 21.
    The event will be kicked off on Friday, November 23 with a press conference at 7 p.m. in the Silver Creek High School auditorium for players and coaches from Silver Creek and Charlestown High Schools. The press conference will be open to the public as long as they have a Dragon Mania ticket.
    Then on Saturday, November 24, the Dragons will host the Pirates and the boys and girls junior varsity and varsity teams will play games at Silver Creek High School gymnasium. This will be a great opportunity for both communities to demonstrate appreciation and support their teams. Tickets can be purchased at Silver Creek Elementary, Middle and High Schools, Jackson Physical Therapy & Associates, Inc., Kentuckiana Insurance Centre in Sellersburg or at Charlestown High School while they last. Tickets are $4 in advance and $5 at the door. Only, 2,700 tickets will be sold due to Indiana State Fire Marshal regulations. Seating will be on a first come basis no matter where tickets are purchased. Specially designed Dragon Mania t-shirts are available at Jackson Physical Therapy & Associates, Inc. for $5 and the Pirate Pride Booster Club is selling "We’ll Rattle Your Bones" t-shirts.
    Weather permitting the day will begin in the parking lot at 11 a.m. in the Silver Creek High School parking lot with a tailgate party for both communities. Once again a Dragon Mania ticket is required. Other activities will include appearances by 2007 Salem Speedway Champion Will Kimmel, Indianapolis Colts Caravan, Indianapolis 500 simulator and race car and two live bands.
    Doors will open at 1:30 p.m. and the girls junior varsity game will begin at 3 p.m., followed by the girls varsity, boys junior varsity and varsity games. The day will be filled with constant activities including Indiana Pacers mascots Boomer and Bowser performing their famous slam-dunk show, a game played by area mascots including the Chik-Fil-A’s Cow, Louisville Bats’ Buddy the Bat and Texas Roadhouse’s Andy the Armadillo. Other attractions will include 2007 Miss Indiana USA, Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders, Louisville Fire Cheerleaders, Twist and Turn Mini Dance Squad and Silver Creek graduate and Nashville recording artist Sue Powell and family. Also, chicken dinners will be sold throughout the day for $5.
    For additional information and listing of the days events please go to www.uniontownshipinfo.com and click on link to Silver Creek Dragon Mania. If you have questions please feel free to contact David or Donna Jackson at 246-8975 or Greg Alexander at 812-786-5617.

    Members of the Kentuckiana MADD group have been kept busy for the past several weeks maybe even months in preparation of this year’s candlelight vigil.
    This is the 18^th annual state candlelight vigil. The event will be held at the Executive Inn located at 978 Phillips Lane in Louisville on Monday evening, December 3 at 7 p.m.
    "This is a time for all the people to come together to honor our loved ones that have been killed due to alcohol," stated Penny Clark of Kentuckiana MADD.
    Clark’s sister, Patricia McCollum agreed.
    "This is time for all to come together, rich and poor, no matter the background, we all come together for a common goal," McCollum said.
    The vigil is open to all of Kentuckiana and will be just a little different than in years past.
    "This is for our community, it doesn’t matter which side of the river you live on. It’s time for everyone to come together as one big community in this area," Clark stated.
    "You don’t have to have lost someone to attend. If you just want to come and let them know you care and it’s not just restricted to victims," McCollum added.
    This year the candlelight vigil will honor law enforcement officers for the first time. McCollum is very excited about the new addition. She is very proud of the work the duo have accomplished with officers, both locally, and across the Ohio River.
    "We will honor law enforcement as part of the program. We will honor those we have lost also. We ordered glass candles that state, ‘We Remember You, -MADD’. This will allow them to know that we truly are grateful for their dedication to keep our roadways safe," Clark stated.
    McCollum stated, "We wanted to be able to honor that fact and to show we appreciate what they do, all their hard work. MADD and police officers often work together for the drunk driving mission."
    Clark pointed out that it is not uncommon for police officers to lose family members due to drunk driving accidents.
    McCollum continued, "They (police officers) put their life on the line everyday to help protect their community. There is never a guarantee that they will come home safely to spend another night with their families. We are just trying to give something back to them for all they give to us. All of the officers we worked with this year, we owe a debt of gratitude."
    This year’s program is entitled "Celebration of Life." Speakers, who have already agreed to contribute to the program, are: Amy Stewart, Victim Advocate Coordinator; Sgt. Doug Sweeney of Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD); Sgt. Todd Shaw of the Traffic Unit of LMPD, Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo and David Abbott, President of the Clark County Council.
    "I am grateful to Pat and Penny for the opportunity to speak at the vigil. You always seem to see a tragedy on our roadways this time of year. Hopefully with this annual candlelight vigil we can make people more aware of what can happen when bad decisions are made," Abbott stated. "I am just glad to be a part of it."
    According to McCollum, the entertainment of the evening will be music from Judy Veasey, the music director at New Beginnings Community Church in New Albany.
    "Judy will be singing our National Anthem to begin," McCollum said. "Then other songs she will perform are Alabama’s classic Angels Among Us, Wind Beneath My Wings and Tears From Heaven."
    The invocation and benediction will be from James Bougher, Senior Pastor at New Beginnings Community Church.
    McCollum and Clark have several police officers who have agreed to volunteer during the candlelight vigil. Those officers include: Deputy Chief Donald Ross Jr. of the Sellersburg Police Department, Joe Waters of the Clark County Sheriff’s Department, Jason Jackson and Chris Martin of the Jeffersonville Police Department and Floyd County Sheriff Darrell Mills.
    The program will last approximately one hour to an hour and a half. A reception will immediately follow for a chance for the participants to meet and greet one another.
    "We encourage everyone to stick around and mingle with each other," stated McCollum.
    The duo were also quick to thank everyone who has already agreed to participate.
    "We want to thank the Executive Inn, the speakers, Color Guard and police officers who have agreed to work that night," McCollum said. "We also want to thank everyone for their donations. We know some donations have come in and we truly appreciate those and know more are coming in each day."
    During the program the Kentuckiana MADD Victim’s Board will be on display.
    "If you are not sure if your loved ones’ picture is on the Board, feel free to bring it to be sure," Clark stated. "We can add it to the program that night and they can just sign a release form right then."
    She continued, "If someone knows of someone or has lost someone, please let us know. We will be reading names of everyone who signs in that night. They can just bring pictures with them."
    McCollum concluded, "It is important to remember going into the holiday season, it’s a deadly time of year and they need to be more aware on roadways."
    Clark concluded, "Please don’t hesitate to call the police if you see what you believe may be someone under the influence driving on the roadways and don’t be afraid to take away the keys of friends and loved ones. That will guarantee they will be here the next day to thank you for that."
    If you would like to attend the candlelight vigil or would like more information please call 1-800-944-6233.

    Tomorrow many will gather around their dinner tables with family and friends all waiting for the delicious Thanksgiving turkey with all the trimmings. After the last plate is cleaned and all have stuffed themselves with the traditional Thanksgiving meal many will then gather around the ads to find the bargains during the traditional kick-off to the Christmas shopping season.
   Shoppers will be bombarded with the early bird specials as they make out their Christmas Shopping Lists. Flipping through the ads and toy wish books kids always can find many things that Santa just must bring them. The yearly must have present will surely end up on many of the local children’s wish lists.
   The Sellersburg Police Department will again be making Christmas a little brighter for local children in need. As locals head to the store with the best bargains, members of the SPD family will be hosting a roadblock.
   The roadblock will be held on Friday, November 23 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
   "We will have the roadblock at the same place, 31, 31 and 311, near Dairy Queen, Swifty and Carmerica," stated Mike Stricker, who is the Coordinator of the Shop-with-a-Cop program. Stricker began the program in 1987.
   This year’s roadblock will have a very special guest as Santa will be visiting the roadblock.
   "I have been in contact with the North Pole and I have been told that Santa himself will be here," Stricker stated. "He will be here handing out candy canes to the children."
   According to Stricker another special guest will make an appearance during the roadblock. McGruff will also be on hand from approximately 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
   All donations received during the roadblock go directly to this year’s Shop-with-a-Cop.
   This year’s program is being dedicated to William "Bill" Huber III, a Sergeant with the police department who retired after 28 years of service. Huber passed away recently from complications of a heart attack. He was 54 years old.
   "Bill absolutely loved Shop-with-a-Cop. He would be up all night on third (shift) then he would hang around in order to take a kid shopping," Stricker recalled of his longtime friend. "That was one of his most favorite things to do. We want to make this year’s program bigger, brighter and better in honor of him."
   Donations may be made to the Sellersburg Police Department’s Shop-with-a-Cop, in honor of Bill Huber, by mailing a donation or dropping a donation off at the department.
   This year the children will again head to Walmart in Clarksville to fill their shopping carts with warm winter coats, clothes, shoes and even some fun toys that will make their Christmas brighter. The shopping day will be held on Friday, December 14.
   Children will meet at the Sellersburg Moose Lodge located on Highway 31 at 8 a.m. After a fun time of shopping everyone will travel back to the Moose Lodge for a delicious meal. After filling up the distribution of items purchased will be held. Along with the distribution of the toys and clothes, a food basket including everything needed for a scrumptious Christmas dinner will be given to each family.
   "I have already been in contact with Jay C Food Store and they have agreed to donate those items. They have been very good to the program. They have participated every year since I began this thing," Stricker added.
   Currently Stricker is in the process of selecting those children who will participate in the program.
   "We want to help as many as we can. We are selecting the kids now but if someone’s name is turned in late, we always try to help them also," Stricker explained.
   Last year SPD helped 28-30 local children through their Shop-with-a-Cop program.
   The program will help children in the West Clark Community Schools district. The Shop-with-a-Cop program is for all ages. Stricker receives names of elementary school-age children. He then makes contact and usually finds brothers and sisters in the household.
   "I invite them to participate in the shopping but some of the older kids sometimes do not feel comfortable around the little ones," Stricker said. "We also will have preschool age children and infants at the homes. Then we will make arrangements with Walmart and allot the money so that Mom can take the kids shopping for the necessities. It is made sure that the money is spent on the kids and their needs."
   "We will also help the kids in the Henryville and Memphis area if needed. There are other agencies in the area, like the Clark County Sheriff’s Department, who help those areas, but if they can’t help or don’t have enough donations to help, we will try to pick up those area kids. They are still in the West Clark School District," he added.
   Stricker has already sent out a letter regarding the program to area businesses and individuals who have helped with donations in recent years.
   "Local businesses and individuals have already started to make donations. We also receive a lot of personal checks," Stricker said. "Businesses may be receiving a letter asking for a donation. Every penny goes to help the needy at Christmas time. Every donation, no matter how small or large, is greatly appreciated."
   He continued, "I want to thank all those who make donations, businesses and individuals, from the bottom of my heart."
   Stricker was also quick to send an apology to local motorcycle enthusiasts. The annual SPD Shop-with-a-Cop Poker Run was not held this year.
   "I want to apologize to all the motorcycle riders and those who have in the past supported the ride. I was unable to put the ride together due to personal issues around that time," Stricker explained. "Next year, hopefully, we will make it bigger and better and again I do apologize to those individuals."
   The program is designed, according to Stricker, for children whose parents are unable to work due to circumstances out of their control.
   "It’s designed for Mom or Dad, who has been injured or the place of business closes and they lost their job, it’s beyond their control. Unfortunately, we get people sometimes, who want to get in the program and they work and they just think they can get Christmas for their kids," Stricker stated. "As long as a person tries to help themselves, we don’t have a problem with someone who is trying to help themselves."
   Stricker added, "I want to personally thank all the businesses and individuals who contribute year end and year out to this program. I thank them for making this program so successful for so many years. Also, I would like to thank the officers and their family’s who help make this program so successful. They help man the roadblock and take the kids shopping. Everyone enjoys this so much, I just want to thank all of them because without them, it would not be successful. I can’t do it alone."
   He concluded with a tribute to Huber, "I also want to dedicate this year’s Shop-with-a-Cop to Bill Huber. He will be greatly missed by all who loved him."
   This year marks the 20^th anniversary for Sellersburg’s Shop-with-a-Cop program. If you know of a child who is in need or would like more information about the program please contact Sgt. Mike Stricker at 246-4491.
   Donations may be made to Sellersburg Shop-with-a-Cop by mailing a donation to the department or dropping one off. The department is located at 101 S. New Albany Street, Sellersburg, IN 47172. All checks should be made payable to: Sellersburg Shop-with-a-Cop.