Northwest Missouri State University - Tower Yearbook (Maryville, MO)

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Celebration Joins In F-E-S-T-I-V-A-L Madraliers perform at Renaissance Festival using their talent to recreate medieval times and entertain spectators By Lynn Trapp Imagine that it is the year 1590. The sounds of tambourines and harmonicas are floating through the air The court jester, in his splen- did decor, makes fun of some poor commoner. People munch on giant turkey legs and walk around, spout- ing such words as thou and nay. Members of Northwest Celebration became part of a similar scenario when they performed at the annual Kansas City Renaissance Festival on September 30. According to Dr. Rich- ard Weymuth, associate professor of music and director of Celebration, the day ' s activities were both educa- tional and fun. Being at the Renaissance Festival was just totally exciting, Weymuth said. It was really fun to be part of such a big production. I loved to watch the kids perform. It was a real natural high to be in front of so many people. It also helped us to get pre- pared for future performances. The festival was held in Bonner Springs, Kan. It was a recreation of a 16th century village, with enter- tainment and booths featuring hand- made crafts. Among the many attractions were jewelry designers, elephant rides and a dunking booth titled Drench a W6nch. Celebration member Laura Gripp eiyoyed the atmosphere. DAVE SCHIDLER PLAYS fashion show announcer, using the title of the next song to describe Kara Weston ' s dress. Pho- to by Don Carrick It was a great day, Gripp said. ' ' The weather was perfect and every- thing there was so interesting. The costumes the 26 Celebration members and their four accom- panists wore were replicas of royal fashions in 1585. Costume makers sewed the outfits, patterning them after clothing styles of dukes and ladies-in-waiting. The men sported tights and long tunics. The women wore long dresses in rich colors and flowered patterns. Jamey Bartlett felt the costumes added to the ambiance. The costumes definitely helped to get me into the mood of the day, Bartlett said. It was almost like I had stepped back into a whole differ- ent world. Celebration sang in five, 30-minute productions at the festival. Before each song, a short skit involving var- ious students was acted out. The pur- pose of the skits was to introduce the upcoming song. One skit that got a lot of laughs was Darren Parker and Kyle Gordon ' s spoof of the bodybuilding Saturday Night Live characters Hans and Franz. It was a real rush, Gordon said of the enactment. I loved doing it, though it took a lot of concentration. I think the crowd really eryoyed it. As Celebration sang, groups of peo- ple clustered around them. In order to keep the crowd ' s attention with all the distractions that were surround- ing them. Celebration had to put forth extra effort. There was so much going on while we were singing that we had to work harder to keep contact with our au- dience so they wouldn ' t leave to go do something else, ' ' Ed Huenemann said. A favorite saying of Weymuth ' s was Be the best you can be at all times with the talent that you have. Northwest Celebration took that say- ing and made it the core of all they participated in. Celebration 13

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GETTING INTO CHARACTER, Kyle Gordon, Rick Henkel, Jeff Gillahan and Mark Pettit per- form a lively number. The quartet, known as the Chordbusters, sang several times during the fes- tival. Photo by Brandon Russell HOPING JULIE WILMOTH will return his love and affection, Mark Pettit falls to his knees. The pair ' s skit introduced Celebration ' s song, My Heart Doth Beg You Not Forget. Photo by Bran- don Russell ' ' Al :- -,-f V Ir ' ' VI It: mi r ' CJ. ' . ' JJ. ■»i ' W ' i m ii TVl 4

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PEER ADVISER GLENN Wagner looks over Le- mond Warren ' s computer password form. Wagner spent the first day of Orientation helping at North Complex to ease the R. A. ' s responsibilities. Photo by Don Carrick HYPNOTIZED STUDENTS, THINKING they are airplanes, pretend to soar through the air during Dr. Jim Wand ' s show during Orientation. Wand, a campus favorite, gave two performances during the year. Photo by Brandon Russell. ACCOMPANIED BY HIS mother, Mary Jane, Phil Steins talks to an Advantage staff member about what to expect during Orientation week. Mary Jane graduated from Northwest with a degree in Elementary Education the previous spring. Pho- to by Don Carrick 14 Orientation