Coquille

One of things we love about the Port Orford RV Village is the sense of community that its owners, Tim and Cindy, work hard to create among their guests. We were the beneficiaries of their efforts this afternoon as we joined a group from the park who ventured an hour or so north to the charming town of Coquille for a matinee performance at the Sawdust Theatre.

The entertainment began before we even entered the theatre. A dapper group of gents and can can girls escorted us across the street and into the lobby. The entertainment continued as we took our seats: ragtime piano and banjo music and an popcorn-munching audience sing-a-long created a great warm-up act. We had a quick orientation on the art of audience participation; learning how to ohh and ahh over the heroine and boo and hiss the nasty villain in the melodrama we were about to become a part of.

With that the curtain went up on "The Pride of the Sawdust League or Three Strikes and Your Out", the current production of the Sawduster Theatre's 43rd annual season. There were the heroine, the villain, ball players, cheerleaders, dancing girls in everything from glitter to hula dress, and guys in straw hats and bee costumes.

Yes, grown men dancing in bee costumes!  Somehow it did all make sense. Toss in some local humor and a healthy dose of audience participation (Tim and Cindy even managed to get in on the act!), and it made for a very fun production.

After the final curtain, our group walked next door to enjoy a post-melodrama Chinese food extravaganza. With to-go boxes in tow, we piled our stuffed selves into Gordon and Juanita's truck and topped off the beautiful evening with a scenic coastal tour along 101 on the way back to Port Orford. 

We look forward to seeing more sights in and around Port Orford tomorrow.