Holiday Hilarity & Fun

At Salado Silver Spur Theater, Nov. 28 - Dec. 20

SALADO, TEXAS (Nov. 19, 2008) – The Salado Silver Spur Theater (108 Royal St.) takes audiences back to the "Golden Age of Radio" this Yule season with a    sleigh-full of holiday hilarity in Jingle Bell Broadcast, running Nov. 28 through Dec. 20.

Theatre patrons will be right in "the radio studio audience" for the music, the merriment and the memorable, mirthful staging of an "on-the-air" variety show.

It’s Christmas Eve at the small local broadcast facilities of radio station WSPR, where production crew and maintenance staff are busily preparing for a live holiday broadcast.  Faced with a last-minute cancellation by the scheduled performers, a bad case of faulty electrical wiring and the news that the station faces imminent foreclosure, the crew must step lively to keep the airwaves alive during an emergency fundraising drive.

Hilarity ensues as they try to save the radio station and discover their own hidden talents that will bring holiday cheer for the audience and listeners out in "Radioland."  Song, satire, sentiment, and slapstick are among the gifts from the Spur-radical players’ bag of goodies.  This seasonal scenario was conceived, written, and performed by a cast of veteran performers, continuing the Spur's tradition of homespun, heartfelt, original family entertainment. 

“Jingle Bell Broadcast” runs weekends only from Friday, Nov. 28, through Saturday, Dec. 20, with show times at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Evening shows are $15 for adults; $12 for senior citizens, military personnel and students with ID; and $8 for children aged 12 and under. For matinees, admission is $12, $10 and $8, respectively. Group rates also are available. For reservations, call the Silver Spur box office at 254-947-3456. For more info, visit www.saladosilverspur.com. 

“The situation for “Jingle Bell Broadcast” is similar to last year’s highly successful “Let It Snow, Christmas Show, Radio,” says Grainger Esch, Co-founder of the Spur. “But it’s a completely different show, with different songs, different acts and different hijinks, but with the same goal of good old-fashioned family fun.

 The cast includes Saladoans Esch, Karen Ewton, Mary Bentley and juggler Tom Rolls. Rounding out the entertaining ensemble are the Spur's tuneful troubadour, Tony Blackman; resident goofball Kevin C. Carr of Round Rock, and musical accompanist Nelda Milligan of Harker Heights.  Throughout the run of the show, special guest variety artists will also grace the Spur stage.

"The holidays are typically filled with planning, pandemonium and presents," Esch observed. "Every member of the family should consider taking a break from the decorating, cooking, shopping, wrapping, endless football games and greeting cards and treat themselves to hearty laughter and the enjoyment of live entertainment. It is certainly a present to themselves and another great form of seasonal togetherness."

About the Silver Spur Theater:

The Silver Spur, now in its fourth year, is located at 108 Royal St. in the renovated Guest and Sanford Granary & Feed Co. in historic downtown Salado, blocks from the IH-35 Corridor. Reviving a bygone era of family entertainment, the Silver Spur offers its trademark blend of live vaudeville acts, live music, plays and classic cinema. Weddings, reunions, business conferences, concerts, field trips, dances, even customized private shows are held in the historical venue, with catering available from the Stagecoach Inn and nearby restaurants.