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"Goldville Opry" this weekend

By Michael Butler

'Thar's gold in them thar hills!' Yosemite Sam uttered the statement - or something like it - to Bugs Bunny. Mark Twain referenced it in his novel, "The American Claimant." The Friends of Tuckabatchee are now ready to stake their claim.

"Goldville Opry" is the latest production of FOT and it will take to the stage this weekend at the Red Hill Community Center.

There was gold in the hills of nearby parts of Tallapoosa and Elmore Counties near Goldmine Road. The accounts of the gold rush era will bring a historical element to the play written by Adrian Bush, who is no stranger to FOT productions.

Kervin

"She has so much talent," FOT's Bob Reed said of Bush's scriptwriting. "This is about the eighth play that we've done."

More than 25 locals will be in the cast and behind the scenes.

"Jeanna Kervin is directing the play for us. She has directed several of the plays for us," FOT president Cyndi Townley added. " Goldville was an actual town. We took that idea and did some research. It was fun."

"Captain Simon Suggs was a real man," Reed pointed out. "There's a gunfight that is historically accurate. We've stuck to the facts as close as possible."

Don Bryant in 2019's "...and One Fire Still Burns." Bryant will be performing again in this year's program.

Friends of Tuckabatchee was in the planning stages for another production after its most recent show in 2019, but Covid halted the performance.

"It was a kick in the butt," Reed noted. "We had one in the mix then. We just had to wait. We've been talking about this play for a long time wanting to do it but just couldn't."

The first Friends of Tuckabatchee productions date back to the early 2000s. The last one was at the Mount Vernon Theatre.

"The idea was to have it at the theater," said Townley, "but we had a challenge with that. We looked around for an appropriate venue. Red Hill Community Center just popped up on the radar."

Two shows will take place. The first will be on Saturday, June 25 at 7 p.m. The second will be a matinee on Sunday, June 26 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 each and will be available at the door.