Voice of Angola

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat

2009-04-19T07:42:00.000-07:00

Director John Curtis with Angola musician, Lynn Syler.

Star Justin Talkington with Karen Homan. (She brought him chocolate!)

The Entire Cast

Begging Pharoah to save Joseph!

The Pharoah in Egypt.

This week end the Angola Mainstage Players are producing Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat! I attended the production last night, and found it a steller production.

This show was made popular as Donny Osmond took to the stage in Chicago bringing theatre back to life in that wonderful city.

It is a difficult high school play with all the music and singing, but the Angola Players brought it life beautifully.

Starring as Joseph was Angola senion, Justin Talkington. This was his last production as he will be heading off to Wright University in the fall, and we will all miss him. It is also the last play produced by director, John Curtis. He has served Angola well bringing such shows as Les Miz, Phantom of the Opera, Jekl and Hyde, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Fiddler on the Roof.

Farewell, John, good luck in the next phase of your life.

There is one more show this afternoon at 2:00, so go to the performance if you haven't been there yet! You might even want to make a nice donation to the company to keep them going.

Please enjoy a few photos from the event!

The Voice of Angola

Making our donation to the Historical Society

2009-04-12T09:59:00.000-07:00

Each year the Spoken Word production company makes a donation to a local group. This year we chose The Steuben County Historical Society to be the recipient.

We had a wonderful turn out for our show and after expenses were paid, and money set back as seed money for next year's show, we were able to present a check for $750.00 to Peg Dilbone to take back to her organization.

Peg and I met at Coachlight for the check presenting and to chat about Angola history. We sat over coffee and tea for a couple of hours talking about all kinds of events in our town.

Thank you to everyone for your support of our show. We are already planning for next year!

Lou Ann for Voice of Angola

Faces of Angola

2009-04-05T07:13:00.000-07:00

On Saturday evening, Trine Univeristy hosted the 41st annual International Night. It was an exploding event of booths, foods, demonstrations and performances. The event was held in the new Student Life building and under the flags of the world, students, faculty and community gathered to share in these events. I, for one, loved the enchiladas and the dessert from Saipan! All tickets were just one dollar and it was something like a carnival! It was a great evening to visit with friends and neighbors while sharing in our global community.

The culminating event was the Dance of the Lion, an ancient Chinese ritual dance which brings good luck. It was beautiful and fascinating and colorful as well.

The faces above are just a few from the evening. Be sure to watch for advertising for next year's International Night!

The Voice of Angola

Stagecoach trail in Steuben County runs cold

2009-03-25T17:23:00.001-07:00

The following is a reprint of a story that appeared in the July 2008 issue of Steuben Times, a short-lived newsletter dedicated to preserving Steuben County history. Since the defunct Times and the Voice of Angola blogsite share similar goals, and since Lou Ann Homan---my friend and neighbor----keeps bugging me to post something, it seems only right that I should share this. Plus, by pulling out something old, I don't have to write something new. Enjoy!

Lee P. Sauer

Stagecoach Trail in Steuben County Runs Cold

Stories about old stagecoach trails running across Steuben County are easy to find. The trails themselves are not.
Nor is documentation of stage lines simple to harness. The problem? The sturdy carriages pulled by horses and so commonly connected with the wild west operated very early in Steuben county’s history – and for a relatively short period of time. The coaches probably began their run within a decade of construction of the first road between Angola and Fremont in late 1836 and pulled to a stop about thirty years later.
Since serious efforts to preserve county history didn’t begin until 1880, only tidbits of stagecoach documentation remain. The county atlas of that year provides thumbnail historical sketches of each township. But no mention of stagecoaches or their way stations appear.
The earliest surviving county newspaper – the Steuben Republican – is dated Jan. 2, 1860. A front page ad for the Eldorado House inn includes the line “Squire & Anderson’s Stage Office at this House.”
But even by this early date, livery stables (which rented horses and carriages by the hour, day or week) and hack lines (lighter, horse-drawn descendants of the stagecoach built for better roads) were assuming the bulk of the county’s transportation needs.
And, most importantly, the arrival of the Fort Wayne, Jackson & Saginaw Railroad was just 10 years around the corner.
Still, in their relatively short reign, stagecoaches cut a deep trail in the county’s folklore consciousness. So deep, in fact, that 130 years have yet to erase it.
* * *
Art Eberhardt of Angola clearly remembers walking and riding along the length of a Steuben County stagecoach trail long ago.
Earlier this year, Eberhardt, compass in hand, tried to retrace his steps. “There was no question it was a trail,” said Eberhardt as he walked through the Charles McClue Reserve (on County Road 400-N). “It was so clear, so easy to see.” At one time a historical marker – now missing – pointed the trail out to McClue visitors, according to Eberhardt.
That was in the mid 1960s. Art and his wife, Marion, had joined a group who decided to make a day of walking along the old trail. Maurice McClue (sometimes spelled McClew), the Angola lawyer who donated his father’s farm to create the nature reserve (see box), had passed down stories he’d heard about the trail. It cut diagonally across the family property, McClue had said, until emerging at an inn near the corner of today’s CR 400-N and 100-E. From there, it continued on to Fremont.
When he first saw the trail, said Eberhardt, it began just north of Angola as a winding, dusty ribbon that cut through fields of long grass.
But even 30 years ago, the trail was fading. “After it entered the McClue property, it wasn’t clear anymore,” Eberhardt said. “We would have guessed to follow it.”
On another occasion, Eberhardt and a few others enamored with the stagecoach legend jumped into a jeep and took up pursuit, this time northeast of the McClue Reserve. They found fragments of the trail, especially in the Marsh Lake area, said Eberhardt.
But the intervening decades have replaced grass fields with trees and new development. This year, after a couple of hours in the McClue Reserve, Eberhardt called off the search for the trail he’d seen so many years ago.
* * *
Sure, said Lloyd Hanson, part of an old stagecoach trail cuts across his property.
“I’ve walked it,” he said.
Hanson has lived on CR 300-N, south of the McClue Reserve, since 1965. He said the trail came straight north out of Angola, parallel but east of State Road 127.
For years, a windmill of the neighboring farm to the west marked the spot just north of CR 300-N where the trail split. One branch headed northeast to Fremont, the other northwest to Orland (see map).
“You could see where the shack (for stagecoach customers) used to stand,” Hanson claimed. The trail itself was so clear, according to Hanson, that wagon wheel ruts could be seen.
He confirmed that, after leaving his property, the Fremont trail cut across the McClue property.
As for the Orland route, it still exists, said Hanson. Today it’s used as a snowmobile trail (which cuts across CR 300-N 4/10 of a mile east of SR 127). Once far enough north, that trail met what was once an Indian trail, but is now known as State Road 120, said Hanson.
In his 33 years on CR 300-N, Hanson has picked up remaining shards of the stagecoach trail legend.
A late neighbor, Conway Garn, lived on a farm that his family had owned since at least 1898 (the property is now Klink Concrete, Inc.). Garn used to tell this story:
Around Civil War time, thieves stole some gold and supposedly buried it along the trail near where Hanson now lives. Folks looked for the gold for years, but never found anything.
Years later, the property which reportedly held the gold came into the possession of a Williams family. People whispered that “old man Williams” had found the gold.
For in the 1930’s, a neighbor sold Williams a piece of equipment. After they shook hands on the deal , Williams walked into the woods.
In five minutes he returned and paid his bill with a handful of gold coins.
Hanson smiles but doesn’t laugh when asked if the story has credit. Somebody believes it, he said. Within the last 10 years, folks armed with metal detectors have tried to find that cold gold trail.
The Air Force veteran and retired Tri-State University electrical engineering teacher admits to being quite an adventurer in his day – as a young man Hanson hiked for five days through rough Central American terrain.
But he now avoids the area where the stagecoach trail crosses his property. It’s guarded by some serious sink holes.
“I once pushed a branch 17 feet into one,” he said.
* * *
Dr. J. Glenn Radcliffe bought his home at the corner of CR 400-N and 100-E, the property just west of today’s McClue Reserve, in 1950.
Recently he walked a few steps to the southwest of his home. This, he said sweeping with his arm, is where the old stagecoach inn used to stand.
The simple rectangular log cabin stood east-west, said Radcliffe, and by the time he met it, it was in extremely poor condition. The previous owner had used the building as a catch-all garbage can and it contained a variety of refuse – everything from tin cans to human feces. Soon after his move, Radcliffe razed the building.
Yes, Radcliffe said, he’d heard the legend of the stagecoaches. But the only information he received came from old neighbors. And many of them were only repeating what their parents had told them.
The stories said that after its stop at the inn, the stagecoach headed northeast through those woods, cut across what was then the Trout Farm (today ‘s Eaton Creek Golf Club) and on to Fremont.
Then Radcliffe asked: Would you like to see what’s left of the trail?
The retired Tri-State University administrator drove four tenths of a mile north of his home and parked along CR 100-E. This area, he said, was part of the farm he bought 48 years ago.
He used the wooded lot for recreation. Sometimes he chopped wood. Other times he visited for inspiration. “Many a time when I was feeling blue, I’d come back here, sit on a stump and talk to the Lord,” said Radcliffe (he currently serves as TSU chaplain).
A few years back, his son took possession of the property. It had just been recently logged, Radcliffe said. Evidence of the loggers littered the area. All trees of size had been reduced to stumps. Their large leafy tops lay scattered about. Deep furrows made by the logging trucks cut into the mud.
The search for the trail seemed to be losing ground. When walking on a fairly steep incline, Radcliffe stopped to catch his breath. But he didn’t apologize. “You should hope you can do this when you’re 92,” he said.
He went on. But the damage wrought by the loggers seemed to have destroyed his grasp of the land. “It should be right around here,” said Radcliffe.
Forty years ago, he said, the trail had cut a precise path through this land. It was bound on both sides by mounds of earth, as if the repeated pounding of the stages had packed the earth into a valley.
Even though the trail laid unused for years, trees had never gotten a foothold between the mounds; Radcliffe took that as a further sign that the trail had been used hard.
Nor were there any stumps in the pathway– a fact Radcliffe attributed to extreme old age.
As he talked, Radcliffe came to a stop.
“This is it,” he said. And he turned north.
At first he seemed to possess an extra sense. The trail didn’t look any different in this area than the other paths gouged out of mud by big truck tires.
But slowly the clues Radcliffe had provided made themselves apparent. There were no tree trunks in this path. And mounds on either side appeared.
At the north end of the woods, the logging trucks’ damage ended. And there it was.
Bounded by round shoulders, the old trail had the faint hint of thin ruts on either edge. Then it disappeared in land now developed into new homes.
Radcliffe said he’d been told this portion of the trail had been especially steep more than a century ago. So, at it’s inn stop, the stagecoach line added an extra team to provide more horsepower for this last leg.
Could something like this be confirmed? No. Just as other parts of the Steuben County stagecoach remain covered in decades of dust.
Radcliffe realized the legend-like quality of the vignette and chuckled.
“It makes a good story anyway,” he said.

Cutline with map: (Due to technical difficulties, the map could not be transferred to the blog. Editor.)
PROJECTED PATHS – According to the few surviving clues, at least three stage routes operated in Steuben County. The main route north-south connected Fort Wayne with Coldwater, Mich., according to DeKalb County historian John Martin Smith Sources quoted in the story say a second route veered northeast to Fremont, and a western route curved around the lakes to Orland. Projected paths of the trails are superimposed above on an 1880 map of the county.

Voice of Angola poster

2009-03-25T17:15:00.000-07:00

This poster promoted the 2009 Voice of Angola stage production. Everyone wonders if the woman appearing in the spotlight is modeled after Lou Ann Homan, the play's director and writer. The short answer is no, but then again, there is a resemblance. Lou Ann has reddish-orangish-yellowish hair, like the woman in the cartoon. And both women's mouths are always open.

Saturday Night at Cocoa Moon

2009-03-08T06:49:00.001-07:00

Rising Young Star, Reuben Yves Ryan

Delicious Treats at the Cocoa Moon!
We shared one piece of cake for the whole table.

Jonathan Watkins doesn't miss a show!

Last night the rain was pelting down as folks streamed into the Cocoa Moon in Angola to listen to Reuben sing his songs. It was the perfect setting in this lovely new cafe in town to share dinner or dessert or coffee or even Sangria and listen to Reuben's songs. Cocoa Moon is trying to have music every Saturday night, so if you play music, give them a call. See you next Saturday night!

The Little Mermaid

2009-03-01T06:23:00.001-08:00

Theatre isn't just for the 1940's! This week The Missoula Children's Theatre came into town to produce a wonderful show with students at Hendry Park Elementary School. Auditions came early in the week and rehearsals were in the evenings. Within a week, a delightful show was produced, The Little Mermaid. This show was written by Jim Caron. Two professional actors brought their work into town in a traveling trailer full of set designs, music scores, costumes and the magical directors wand! The show entertained many at the Steuben County Community Theatre and our own Gerry Farrell donating his time with lights and sound.

I felt the excitement must have been a little like when the circus came to town and invaded everyone's lives. Does anyone out there have any information about the circus coming to Steuben County?

Congratulations to the 58 children (and their parents) who participated in this event. Who knows? One day they might be on the Spoken Word stage?

The Voice of Angola, 2009

Last Show Post!

2009-02-28T04:30:00.001-08:00

I just can't let go of the show! Everywhere I go, there are wonderful comments. I just want to thank again the cast and crew and everyone involved from Peg Dilbone to the Trine Jazz Band.
I will soon be back at the writing of a new script, for as they say...the show goes on!
Keep tuned in to this blog as lots of subjects will be covered from current town events to bits and pieces of history!

The Voice of Angola

Recovery Week

2009-02-26T09:06:00.000-08:00

It is always hard to recover from shows, but this one has been especially hard. Here are a few more photos to keep the memories and show alive for a bit longer. I like knowing it has been the talk of the town for the past couple of weeks. Congratulations to all who worked so hard on this show!

Voice of Angola

Still more show photos!

2009-02-23T18:22:00.001-08:00

With the show over less than 48 hours ago, the pangs of emptiness are still within the company of the cast and crew of The Voice of Angola.

Here are a few more shots.Top right is Gerry
and Katie getting ready for
the show.

Next to this writing is Mark Kays, the music director at Trine University. He put together a great jazz band ensemble and did a wonderful job on songs such as Bye, Bye, Blackbird and I'll Be Seeing You. We thank him and all the students who gave of their time for rehearsals and the show as well!

Bottom right are Erin and
Lou Ann with
celebratory smiles!

The Voice of
Angola, 1945

Candid shots and thoughts on closing night..

2009-02-22T06:50:00.002-08:00

The snow began in the early morning hours. I cautiously watched blowing snow fill my driveway and street, but knew the show would go on...there was no doubt.

By the time the cast and crew arrived at the theatre, the wind was whipping around the buildings at a harsh angle. Everyone blew in with a huff wearing their boots and sneakers.

I knew not to worry about the crowd...folks would come, and that they did. By 6:30 the lobby at Fabiani Theatre was filled with town and country folks. Some came from Columbia City and Michigan. The only member of the cast was the trombone player who did not make it down from Michigan. It did not stop the wonderful Trine Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Mark Kays. They were wonderful and no one knew!

It was a full house again with popcorn and the film at the intermission. There were tears and roses and applause and then the quiet dark theatre.

The cast party went on until the wee hours of the morning as cast members raised champagne glasses to a job well done and let their hair down for an evening of laughter and reflection.

What is next? Hmmm...the blog will continue, more stories added, events covered, and we will continue to hear from the Voice of Angola.

The show goes on!!

2009-02-21T06:22:00.000-08:00

Here are a few snapshots from last night as we prepare for The Voice of Angola, 1945! If you missed the Friday night show, there are a few tickets left for tonight! My best advice is to get their early for tickets and a great seat! We had a full house last night, and I must add, a good time was had by all!

The Voice of Angola, 1945

Dress Rehearsal

2009-02-20T06:47:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few shots from the dress rehearsal! Show tonight 7:00 and tomorrow night as well at Fabiani Theatre, Trine University. Come early to get a good seat...tickets have sold like hotcakes!

Voice of Angola, 1945

The rehearsal...

2009-02-09T18:36:00.000-08:00

Gerry Ferrel reading over the script at rehearsal!

Mary Ramsey giving a quick pose as she pulls away from her script!

Sunday's rehearsal was vibrant and exciting as we put the final touches on the show! It seems that laughter was an easy commodity and that Von broke into song at every opportunity. The script seems to change weekly as other thoughts enter my head or those of the cast.

The rehearsals are held in my house and there wasn't a space to move with folks on chairs, stools, staircase and just on the floor.

The show is lively, fast paced, full of history and facts and we all hope you show up to support this talented group of local folks. Remember, all proceeds go to the Steuben County Historical Society!

Lou Ann for the Voice of Angola, 1945.

The Von Bressler Radio Hour

2009-02-05T17:10:00.000-08:00

On the day of the auditions we were ready to close up shop at Fabiani Theatre when a gentleman came in looking for the auditions. I did not know him, but he said he had been looking all over for the theatre! I told him to relax, get a drink of water, and that, of course, we would wait for him.

Erin White and I looked at each other smiling. There was something contagiously charming about this man.

He asked for the Jazz Band, of which there was none at the time. I asked him what he could do for us and he broke out in song. He stood in the aisles of the theatre singing song after song while doing a soft shoe dance.

He changed voices from his own to Jimmy Durante to Al Jolson and to others I did not know. One voice after another.

He asked if he made it into the show...I was grinning from ear to ear. How could I do the show without him??

Within a few days, I was re-writing the show naming it The Von Bressler Radio Show of 1945.
He has become the gem of the show, and I will be forever spoiled!

Today Amy Oberlin met us at Coachlight Coffee Shop to do an interview and take pictures of Von. He did not disappoint any of us. He sang to her at Rachael's, told his story of how he traveled with Bob Hope for 18 months touring all over Japan and Hawaii and numerous other locations.

Don't forget to get your tickets, I have a feeling that Von's fans will fill the theatre!

Lou Ann for the Voice of Angola, 1945.

The Voice of Angola, 1945

2009-02-01T05:31:00.000-08:00

The show will be here within three weeks so here is the information that you need for tickets and for the evening.

Show dates: February 20 and 21, 7:00
Fabiana Theatre, Student Life Center, Trine University

Tickets: Coachlight, downtown Angola
Finishing Touch Hair Salon
Carnegie Public Library in Angola

Ticket Prices: $7 Adults
$5 Senior Citizens
$3 Children 12 and under

Trine Students, Free

Hope to see you there!

Groceries from Kroger's, 1945

2009-01-29T17:11:00.000-08:00

It is 1945 and the Angola housewife needs groceries. More than likely she does not have a car, but living in town is a handy accommodation. She can walk to what is now Coachlight, what was Bob's Sports Shop, what was then Kroger's.

Here is her list and the prices of her groceries for her family:

Spotlight Coffee 3# bag for 59 cents

Gingerbread Mix 2 pkg. for 35 cents

Kidney Beans 3 18 oz. cans for 27 Cents

Sauer Kraut 2 jars for 35 cents

Navy Beans 1# for 11 cents

Rolled Oats 1 pkg. 11 cents

Potato Chips 1 bag 25 cents

Pack it all up and walk on home.

And that is The Voice of Angola, 1945

What could you buy at Penney's?

2009-01-28T05:02:00.000-08:00

In February of 1945 there were wonderful ads for the local Penney's in the Steuben Republican.

It seems as if they were anxious for spring as well as spring blouses were advertised for women for $2.98. You could also get 'pretty blouses' for girls at $1.98.

Did you need a new blazer or jacket? $8.90.

What about an all-wool coat for a man? Just $12.75.

Penney's was located at 223 W. Maumee St. in Angola, Indiana. It is currently the Then and Now Antique Shop. Next time you go in, keep in mind the clicking of heels on the wooden floors from women shoppers.

And that is The Voice of Angola, 1945.

Maurice McClue

2009-01-23T07:17:00.000-08:00

This past Autumn a wonderful new book has been published by the McClue Nature Reserve Board of Directors.

The book is a historical collection of the journal of Maurice McClue. Marice was born May 5, 1878 and began this journal 40 years later. He continued this journal until his death in 1957.

The book is a treasure trove of nature, stories and history from Steuben County.

His notes were transcribed in a lovingly and patient manner by Terri Gorney.

Here is a snapshot from the journal:

11 January 1925

A most extremely cold and disagreeable day with a raw east wind and with a foot of snow overlaying a crust of ice. The past three weeks has been as bad a time for birds as I have ever know. For two weeks every thing including every week and every seed was covered with a thick layer of ice. Yet today I saw where quail had made tracks in a thicket last night and also in a corn field where they had gone to the shocks.

The diary is full of life and color and is available to the general public. For those of us in Steuben County, see Fred Wooley at the Nature Center at Pokagon. The book sells for $25 and is on my new wish list!

For those of you wishing to visit McClue's Woods, it is located on 400 North, just east of Wing Haven Nature Preserve .

And that is the Voice of Angola, 1925.

Auditions

2009-01-19T17:35:00.000-08:00

We unlocked the doors of Fabiana Theatre, turned on the lights and heat and waited for you to come to the auditions held by the Spoken Word Production. We were not disappointed. You came with bells and whistles, songs and dances and gave us enough material to finish writing up the show.

You know, we have such great ideas for the show. We want your stories and photos and snapshots of life in the 40's of Angola, but we know this is an ongoing process, and we have just begun.

Our hope is that you begin to read the blog, jot down a story or two, give us a call or add a comment yourself.

Stories are the fabric of the lives we lead, and I think we all love the idea of collecting them. It seems as if the task is daunting, but step by step, story by story we will piece together a history to leave behind.

Please mark your calendar for the Voice of Angola, 1945 performance February 20 and 21. Tickets will soon be on sale, check back here on the blog site!

Thank you for the opportunity to share these thoughts.

Voice of Angola

Wanted: stories, photos, character sketches, historical tidbits

2009-01-14T06:49:00.000-08:00

Do you have a good story to share that relates to Steuben County, Indiana? The Voice of Angola project would like to hear it.

Currently, we're especially interested in stories from the 1940s. But in coming years, we hope to focus on other time periods, so show us what you've got!

In addition to stories, we'd like to collect photos with explanatory notes, descriptions of interesting characters who lived in or near Angola, and any and all other tidbits of local history.

We're working in conjunction with the Steuben County Historical Society, so your memories will be treated well.

Part of the Voice of Angola's mission is to present historical material to the community. The project's first stage production will be held February 20 and 21. (See blog below.) We hope to present plays annually and find new and creative ways to keep Steuben County history alive.

To contact us, write a comment on this blog, or email Lou Ann Homan at homegrownstories@aol.com.

Who, what, when and where

2009-01-13T15:44:00.000-08:00

"Voice of Angola 1945" will be presented February 20 and 21, in Trine University's new Student Center theater, in Angola, IN. Set in a radio station, the play takes the audience back to 1945 with news, songs, a game show and talent acts.

Auditions for the talent acts and several acting roles will be held Sunday, Jan. 16, from 4-6 PM in the Trine University Student Center theater. Acts must be appropriate to the 1940's, but otherwise, anyone with talent is encouraged to attend. Actors who can recall the 1940's with style, sound or mannerisms are preferred.

For more information, contact Lou Ann Homan at homegrownstories@aol.com.

Lou Ann Homan is the driving force behind Spoken Word, a local theater group. She hopes to continue the Voice of Angola project annually by focusing on different years. The working mission statement for Voice of Angola is to collect and preserve Steuben County history and present it in creative ways to the community.