"Echoes of the Umpqua" Pageant
The cast of “Echoes of the Umpqua” changes with the theme, but the unique local pageant that plays fast and loose with the history of the area continues to keep its audience in stitches. An audience member was overheard saying, “I think the cast has the most fun, but it is always enjoyable to see so many community members in one production.”
In its seventh year, the 2009 pageant will feature the 150 years of Oregon’s statehood as the entire state celebrates the sesquicentennial. In the past, the pageant has been based on taken various phases of area history. One year it was early fort information, once it was a melodrama about the historic maiden voyage of The Swan as it traveled up the Umpqua River, one year it was a musical based on “the sound of logging.” Each year original music and lyrics are composed to keep the pageant fresh and interesting.
The theme song, “Elkton, Emerald of the Umpqua” has become a familiar tune for all community members. In each pageant “the river” introduces the pageant and sets the stage for life along the banks of The Umpqua. Our young pageant director, Cathy Byle, has used her talent and organizational skills to create an Elkton original that is treasured by the community.
Interested in taking part?? Let us know.... Click here to find out how to contact us.
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