More entertaining than a movie for about the same price

This weekend Aaron and I had the pleasure of attending a show at the Topeka Civic Theatre.  Neither of us had been there before (shame on us).  Topeka Civic Theatre was founded in 1936 and is the oldest continuously running community dinner theatre in the country. In July of 1999, it moved to its current location on 8th street inside the former Gage Elementary School.

We went to the show called Laughing Matters.  This show is a “fast-paced improvisational comedy” that reminded me of the TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway starring Drew Carey.  The host of the show leads the sketches (sometimes participating).  The audience assigns roles to some of the actors which results in a very hilarious show.  From the Newlywed Game, where the audience assigned roles to the men and the women had to guess what roles their “spouse” was playing to the game Hitchhiker, where the audience assigned roles to 5 actors and the driver had to guess what role their “hitchhiker” was playing, the troupe keeps the audiences attention and keeps them laughing.  My favorite was the game of gibberish telephone that was played.  The audience had to assign a situation (similar to the game of Clue): who was killed, where they were killed, and how they were killed.  Only 1 actor was aware of what the audience had assigned.  He had to communicate it to the next actor in 1 minute with charades and gibberish.  The 2nd actor had to communicate what the first actor communicated to him/her to the next actor in 45 seconds.  The 3rd actor communicates it to the 4th actor in 30 seconds, and the 4th actor communicates to the 5th actor in 15 seconds.  At the end of it, the message was very messed up and the results had the audience laughing.  I laughed throughout the entire show and hadn’t laughed this hard since watching the movie, The Hangover.

The show lasts approximately two hours.  The cost of each ticket is $10 (movies are around $9) and then you pay for your drinks, dessert, and tip.  It was a very entertaining evening and we will definitely be returning.

Christmas Bureau Update

We wanted to take a minute and provide an update on what we are doing for the 3 families we adopted from the Christmas Bureau.  We raised $605, and it is because of that generosity that we have been able to do so much for these 3 families (total of 16 lives we are touching).  We spent $122.35 at Toys R Us on toys for 9 of the 11 kids.  We spent $337.71 on clothes for each of the 11 kids, gift cards for 2 of the 11 kids, and gifts for the 5 adults.  We spent $82.99 at Hyvee to buy holiday meals for each family: 1/2 a Ham, potatoes, veggies, rolls, and pie.  We area also giving each family a $20 gift card to Dillons to meet any other needs they might have (e.g., food, diapers, soap, paper goods, etc).  Who knew $605 could do so much?

We will be making deliveries on Tuesday and Wednesday to the families.  I only wish we could do more for not only these families, but for all those in need this holiday season.  Thank you to everyone who donated money to help us help more in our community.

Topeka.org: Applications being taken for Law Enforcement Partnership Panel

The City of Topeka and the Topeka Branch-NAACP announces that applications are now being accepted for the Law Enforcement Partnership Panel (LEPP).

 The application is available to all citizens of Topeka and Shawnee County at the NAACP office, 501 Southeast Jefferson, the HRC office, 620 Southeast Madison, second floor, the Law Enforcement Center, 320 South Kansas. They are also available on-line at the City of Topeka’s website, www.topeka.org. To have one mailed, please call the HRC at 785-368-3606. For Kansas Relay Assistance, dial 7-1-1.

 “I encourage any citizen of Topeka and Shawnee County who is concerned about crime in the community to consider applying for this panel,” Topeka Police Chief Ron Miller said. “This is a great opportunity for the community to work together.” Read the rest of this entry »

Kanza Bowl

So often I hear, as I stroll about Topeka, that there is nothing to do in this city.  I am disappointed when I hear this, because there are so many organizations working very hard to bring events and activities to Topeka.  The hard work of one of these organizations has paid off in 2009. 

On December 5, 2009 Topeka, KS will host a bowl game.  It is a Division 2 bowl game, but a bowl game nonetheless.  At 1pm, the first annual Kanza Bowl kicks off with Nebraska at Omaha playing West Texas A&M University at Hummer Sports Park, 501 Sports Park Drive, Topeka, KS. 

Not only do visitors and locals get to watch a great football game on Saturday afternoon, but they can also purchase tickets to attend a banquet on Friday December 4 at the Ramada Inn in downtown Topeka.  Read the rest of this entry »

What are your Thanksgiving plans?

Last year was my first Thanksgiving back in Topeka (we moved back the weekend after Thanksgiving in 2007).  I was listening to the radio a few weeks before Thanksgiving and heard of the need for volunteers for the Community Thanksgiving Dinner.  I wondered what this event was and how I could help.  I called the number, offered to volunteer, and reported for duty on Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving.  We were a group charged with setting up the dining hall.  First a couple of kids and I filled the sugar/sweeter boxes and set one on each table.  Then some Girl Scouts and I set out place-mats and centerpieces.  I was only there for a few hours, but it felt good to be part of something so huge. 

In 2008, the Community Thanksgiving Dinner served 975 meals eaten inside Ag Hall, 430 meals were served to-go,  and delivered 1,320 meals (according to CJOnline).  This year’s dinner is on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, Nov. 26th) from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Agricultural Hall (Kansas Expocentre).  Every community member is welcome (no income requirement) to join the community for a traditional Thanksgiving meal.  Read the rest of this entry »

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