North Lake Tahoe Bonanza: There are less than 10 days until Star Follies opening night. As April 7 approaches, parents, teachers, students and community members rush to more and more frequent rehearsals on weekday evenings. Follies performers will tell you it's a grueling schedule that takes time and energy - which is why there is ample admiration for Jim Nakada, the oldest Star Follies performer. He'll be turning 90 this year.

"They've always asked me to be in it," said Nakada, who is practicing to take the stage for three performance numbers.

Star Follies is an annual lip syncing variety show that raises money for Incline public schools.

Nakada admitted that he decided to drop his fourth act after a day of dancing and standing for four and a half hours. Since the follies began six years ago, Nakada has been in the show every year except the last.

"I missed last year because I was in Antarctica," he said.

Antarctica was the last continent Nakada needed to visit to be able to truthfully proclaim that he had set foot on all of them

"(The Star Follies) helps the community. It gives children extra funds and unites community members," Nakada said, explaining his interest in the performance.

During the all cast numbers of the play, Nakada will be sharing the stage with a contingent of fifth grade students - most a full 79 years younger than he. Among those students are Katie Orlady and Jordan Jones, the youngest members of the star follies cast. The two girls share the same birthday, Sept. 12.

Kathie Goldberg, who organizes the Star Follies cast, said students must wait until they are in fifth grade to be in the cast because of some of the late night rehearsals and because of the moderated behavior required of performers.

"The bottom line is that participation in the follies is a privilege reserved for the older kids at each school," Goldberg said.

Jones and Orlady didn't express surprise that a man 79 years older than they would be dancing alongside the two on stage.

"Well, there is no business like show business," Orlady said, quoting the name of an act from the performance.

Patricia Hickson
Bonanza Staff writer

North Lake Tahoe Bonanza: Shimmying is a lot harder than I imagined - especially when I try to shake it in front of 15 fellow cast members ... not to mention the hundreds in the audience I'll have to face at next week's performances. I try just to shimmy my shoulders, but my hips on down seem to follow suit.

Yes, it's Star Follies season once again, and as we 105 cast members diligently practice our kicks, turns, dips and, well, shimmies, I hope you Incline Villagers are buying your tickets to the show. Tickets between $25 and $50, $10 for students, are on sale now at the Potlatch for four Cal-Neva performances. Performances are at 6 and 8:30 p.m. April 7 and 8.

If for nothing else, come watch your community newspaper managing editor, news editor and reporter make fools of ourselves, I mean, have a blast.

Also taking center stage will be a longtime Incline resident about to celebrate his 90th birthday, your three public school principals, four town doctors, a candidate for judge, runner up in the Mrs. Nevada contest and numerous 10-year-olds who know the words and dance moves of every single song in the performance better than the adults in them.

Yes, it's Star Follies - and each year the show gets better.

"Every year we always say 'this one was the best', but every year we improve on what we did last year - so this one will really be the best," Star Follies board president and event coordinator Ron Stichter said, laughing.

Star Follies is about togetherness, being a part of a community, Stichter said.

"Star Follies transcends a lot of things," he said. "It makes the community come together and makes us realize what our community is. It brings people together in the audience and on stage - brings people together who would never be together. It's a conscience level of togetherness to help a cause - in our terms it's for education. Star Follies is the ultimate selfless act of giving and being concerned and being a part of something."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

My first time in this seventh annual event has been quite the experience. I don't know where Kathy Goldberg gets all her energy, Alan LeBard gets all his moves or where Justin Broglio is going to find size 14 women's shoes.

This event only comes around once a year and it's not worth missing. So come on out, have a good time and show your support for our children and our community.

Erin Roth
Bonanza Editor

North Lake Tahoe Bonanza: Being seated with Ted and Joan Fuller added an enormous measure of charm to an evening filled with pleasant surprises. Having missed a couple of years, I was astounded at the level of excellence, and when comparing it to the Follies of 22 years ago at the Biltmore, where Joe Bourdeau and I bounced off a few other reprobates, well, there is no comparison. Be thankful for lip-sync.

The first pleasant surprise to catch my attention was the appearance of Hispanics on stage. The mixing of Latin blood into the production was a warm and welcome addition to what used to be the whitest show in show business, and with 50% of our kindergarteners now Latino, it's important that their families be involved and contribute to the Follies.

My next surprise, which leads me to believe I need to get out more, was that I recognized only about half of the adult cast, and one of those, the one wearing the size 14 high heels, I would not admit to knowing.

Some glaring truths came home to me right away: Tom Canino can't dance, but is one hell of an English teacher. Cathi Colvin can dance AND handle real estate with graceful ease. John Clark can look like Jack Nicholson behind a desk, but Gene Kelly on stage. Joy Michiel always looks good; that girl could call Monday Night Football and make Al Michaels look sick. We knew Erin Roth could write, we knew Erin Roth could edit, but how many of us knew Erin Roth could shimmy like Bette Midler? And Vince D'Ascoli has come a long way since selling newspapers on the corner of 28 and Country Club as a kid. The Follies might have been full of crooked-thoothed kids were it not for Vince. Alan LeBard and Aliya Agins made some moves that were jaw-dropping, and Wayne Cameron carries himself like Fred Astaire searching for Ginger Rogers. Of course, Danny Bell will shed light on any occasion, but the actor who stole my heart and stomped it flat this year was Jim Nakada. I don't know how old Jim is, but I know he's older than Smokey the Bear, and to get up there and hoof it with the kids, well, Jim, you got my respect.

I did experience one embarrassing moment during the break when I ran into my physician, Dr. Koch, who barely recognized me, and asked where I had been. I told her I had been feeling really good for the past ten years, and did not really need a physical. Her eyebrows arched, but she mercifully refrained from giving me a public scolding. If my memory serves me, the last time I saw the good doctor on a professional level the conversation went something like this:

• "Try to relax."
• "That's an oxymoron."
• "You are not here, Mr. Tahoe, to give me an English lecture."

But getting back to the Follies, the grand finale was the best part of the whole night. Harry Hasser, one of my many heroes in this village, led the entire cast in a stirring rendition of God Bless the USA, and if that didn't bring you to your feet and give you chicken skin, then you had better check yourself into the Evening-Shades Rest Home.

Thank you Dave Colarchik, Chris & Patti Plastiras, Ron Stichter, Don Hertel, the Cal-Neva, and the selfless others who gave so freely of their time and talent. It was a really good show for a really, really good cause.

McAvoy Layne lives in Incline Village and visits schools throughout Nevada as the ghost of Mark Twain.

North Lake Tahoe Bonanza: When I ask Star Follies board president Ron Stichter to describe this year's show in three words, he does it in two: Best Ever.

"And you know what?," he asks. "That's what I've heard all over town."

We'll I've heard that too, and a lot more.

"Hey Erin, where'd you learn to shake it like that?"

"Erin, those were some nice moves."

"Erin, you looked good on stage, but don't quit your day job."

Don't worry, I won't.

My favorite story comes from Project MANA's George LeBard. The day after dress rehearsal in a long line at Raley's, George ran into his newfound friend Dana Berger who shimmy shimmy shook it for her lead in "You Can't Stop the Beat."

"Hey Dana, you were great last night," George blurted without thinking.

Everyone in line looked up at poor George and Dana and snickered.

"Well I didn't mean it like THAT," George said.

As one of the about 20 cast members new to the production this year, I have to say I had more fun than I ever imagined in the lip-synch show that raised almost $100,000 for Incline's schools. Yes, rehearsals were long, dance moves were tiring and finding lace bloomers to wear under my can-can dress was difficult, but overall, I think everyone from cast to crew to audience members had a good time for a good cause.

"This isn't just a Star Follies show, this is Star Follies season," Wayne Cameron and Bruce Soli liked to jokingly remind me when I started to fade around 11 p.m. on a weeknight at the Cal-Neva. "We go into training for this - you have to keep up."

Star Follies is more than just a fundraiser. It is a community event that brings together people who may never meet otherwise. Doctors, lawyers, beauty queens, cheerleaders, journalists, parents, teachers, principals, and, of course, our kids all come together for education.

What I thought was just going to be a fun show where I could dress up and dance around, Star Follies proved to me to be about community togetherness.

Besides, as our kids watch the adults in their community act as silly and they do, they watch us give back and hopefully realize the value of community service.

I felt honored to be a part of such a special and important event, and I can't wait until next year. Thanks for the memories!

Erin Roth
Bonanza Editor