NIBLEY – In celebration of America’s upcoming 250th anniversary, nearly 180 youngsters performed in the Nibley Childrens Theatre’s debut production of the Stars and Stripes Forever: The Story of Old Glory on the evening of Thursday, June 18.
That event took place at Andher Park in Nibley, as part of the city’s traditional Heritage Days and will be repeated at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 19.
The show’s original script is filled with Revolutionary War heroes and patriotic music, according to Emily Rigby, the production manager and director of the Nibley Childrens Theatre.
“In this extraordinary musical production,” Rigby explains, “the year is 1876 and the nation is buzzing with Centennial pride. During that celebration, Grandma Pratt and Grandma Wells take to the stage to share the family secret that their grandmother was Betsy Ross who helped to shape American History.”
In the show that follows, the local audience will discover through song and story the meaning of the flag’s symbols and the enduring hope of the Revolution.
Rigby is urging residents to bring lawn chairs and blankets to turn out for the final performance of the summer spectacular on June 19.
Stars and Stripes Forever: The Story of Old Glory is the 43rd annual production of the Nibley Childrens Theatre, the longest running city-sponsored children’s theatre in Utah.
The show features local children ranging in age from kindergarten through seventh grade, performing as members of the Continental Navy, Grandma Pratt’s offspring, the Crimson Band, the Continental Army, the Ivory Ribbons, the Glittering Stars, the marchers in of the 1876 Parade and Martha Washington’s Sewing Circle.
The arts organization was founded by resident Jessie Datwyler in 1983, according to Rigby, and is run entirely by volunteers.
Traditional sponsors of the youth theatre events have included Nibley City; the Cache County Restaurant, Arts, Parks and Zoos Tax; the Rocky Mountain Power Foundation; and the Utah Division of Arts and Museums.
Stars and Stripes Forever: The Story of Old Glory will be presented at the pavilion in Andher Park at 294 West, 3200 South in Nibley.