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The musical is about a matchmaker widow â€" Dolly â€" who is charged with setting up an older gentleman with a younger woman in 1890s New York. Deckert said its opening line sets up the plot: "If your maiden aunt needs a friend or if your daughter‘s looking for a husband, you just call on Dolly." They chose to put on a largeâ€"scale production of Hello Dolly, which runs until Saturday, as their final proâ€" duction in the Lion‘s Hall in Elmira, said Bill Weiler, one of the company‘s many volâ€" unteers. "It‘s just a great musical," Weiler said of the show‘s colour, uplifting nature and musical score. "You‘ll just go away humâ€" ming and singing the tunes." "It‘s checkâ€"yourâ€"brainâ€"at theâ€"door, light entertain ment," she said. fter 25 years of A.:jelighling audiences, he Elmira Theatre Co. is now performing its last production in a theatre it does not own. Deb Deckert, who plays Dolly, couldn‘t agree more. Local actors say Hello Dolly, goodbye playhouse Based on the Thornton By Jennirer Ormston For The Chronicle Decorated whole salmon with PEI mussels and shrimp, omelettes made to order, scrambled eggs, French toast, Watfle Bar with carame! sauce, chocolate sauce, maple syrup & fruit compote, bacon and sausage. specialty breads and sweet buns fresh from the Stone Crock Bakery, our signature salad bar, soups carved beef and ham, roasted Ontario turkey or roasted chicken, mashed potato, gravy seasonal fresh vegetables, ovenâ€"baked pasta, assorted flans, pies, tortes and pastries from Stone Crock Bakery, juice and coffee Sunday May 14, 10 am ~ 3 pm MotRer‘s Da Tnrunck 5 Reservations recommended for Brunch Special prices for children 5â€"12 yrs, children 4 yrs and under FREE Prices do not include pst or gst $16.39 Adult "This is the great passion of my life." To take part in commuâ€" nity theatre, the one thing you must be is dedicated, she said. Every member of the 39â€" person cast and the entire crew of Hello Dolly are volâ€" "You‘ve heard of golf nuts and antique fanatics. I‘m a theatre fanatic," she said. "I‘m just having such a good time because she‘s bigger than life and you can never be more over the top," she said. "Some characters just let you go nuts and this is one of them." Over the past 25 years, Deckert, whose "day job" is as a secretary at a public school, has only missed participating in three perâ€" formances. In the all the rest she has either been onstage or a crew member in the back. Deckert, one of the founding members of the Elmira Theatre Co., is thrilled to have the opporâ€" tunity to play the flamboyâ€" ant character of Dolly. Wilder play The Matchmakâ€" er, the story takes a turn when Dolly decides she wants this older man for herself. From then on, manipuâ€" lation after manipulation ensues, Deckert said. ARTS FOCUS Elmira Theatre Co. members Deb Deckert (left) and Dan Kelly act out a scene from the group‘s current production, Hello Dolly, playing through Saturday. "This is something you can do from the time you‘re two until you drop dead like George Burns with your last performance at age 98. They have been rehearsâ€" ing three times a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 to 9:30 p.m. and on Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m., since January. "At community theatre, we always say we do it because we love it," she said. unteers I don‘t know how many Monday â€" Wed 6:30 a.m. â€" 6 p.m. THURS & FRI 6:30 a.m. â€" 8 p.m. (NEW) Saturday 6:30 a.m. â€" 6 p.m. Sunday 11 a.m. â€" 5:30 p.m. Until June 30, purchase 4 coffees and the 5th COFFEE is always FREE! Simply visit the Bakery and ask for your Detour Discount card or clip the one shown here. It‘s Stone Crock‘s way of thanking you for your patience during highway construction. Stone Crock Bakery OPEN DAILY: Plan for slight delays in order to stop at the Stone Crock Bakery where you‘re always a winner! Commuters taking the roundabout detour through St. Jacobs PLEASE NOTE: IMPORTANT NOTICE! Re: ST. JACOBS DETOUR As well, Kleinknecht did research to ensure the cosâ€" tumes are typical of New York around the turn of the 20th century. 98â€"yearâ€"old hockey players there are." In fact, Laurie Kleinknecht, who is in charge of the costumes, began sewing petticoats last summer at her trailer camp, Deckert said. Volunteers spent more than 1,100 hours sewing period costumes for the show. SUBMITTED PHOTO Deckert â€"remembers, when the company began it had a hard time getting insurance because the insurance companies thought it would fold within a couple of years. "So for us to make that 25, it really is A gala dinner was held in February at the Black Forest Inn in Conestoga to mark the anniversary. At least 150 people attended, including Canadian fiddle champion Frank Leahy and opera singer Sheila Dietrich, to take a trip down memory lane, Weiler said. "They had the same director and 80 per cent of the same cast 25 years later," Weiler said. The show had a 96 per cent attendance rate, which is quite high, he said. The set took more than 800 hours to build, Weiler said, and has a restaurant, a hat shop, a parade and a judge‘s chamber scene. To begin this milestone anniversary season, the Elmira Theatre Co. put on its rendition of Mousetrap â€" the first play it did 25 years earâ€" lier. "She goes on the Net and she has costume books coming out of the wazo0," Deckert said. "(It) is magnificent," he said. Deli Sliced Smoked Turkey Breast or Cooked Turkey Breast .............$6.99 /Ib. Havarti Cheese. Eye of Round Steaks or Roasts.....$2.99 /b. New York Strip Loin Steaks....$7.99 /Ib. Butterfly Pork Loin Chops......$3.69 /Ib. * 4 Honey Hams.............................. THIS WEEEK‘S SPECIALS Benjamin‘s Restaurant & Inn 1430 King Street, ST. JACOBS _ 664â€"3731 other‘s Day _ Special Lunch Menu May 8â€"13 essersessessersesscesccssep@9 ALY. Sunday, May 14 11:30 a.m â€" 4 p.m. For tickets go to www.centreâ€"square.com . Tickets are still available for the Friday and Saturday dinner shows for $42 through the Centre in the Square box office. "Then, for the first time in 25 years, we will have our own theatre." The first show to run there will be The Foursome, a golf comedy. Tonight and tomorrow night‘s shows of Hello Dolly are sold out, but it‘s not too late to see the production before it ends, Weiler said. He hopes the new Elmira Theatre at 76 Howard Ave. â€" which will seat 160 people â€" will be finished this sumâ€" mer. Regardless, the Elmira Theatre Co. has one claim to fame: its dinner shows, she Weiler thinks the future will be bright for the compaâ€" ny. _ She does admit, however, times are tougher than they used to be. The Waterloo region and Z surrounding areas are so 2 rich in the arts now. With a number of theatre compaâ€" nies competing for limited entertainment dollars, it is harder to draw a crowd, she quite a milestone." $3.99 /Ib.