Food and theater prove good combo at West Barre Church

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 February 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers
WEST BARRE – The rural church in West Barre was packed on Friday night for the church’s annual dinner theater. A cast of eight put on “Big Bucks” and many church members prepared and served dinner and dessert.

In the top photo, George McKenna plays Myron Fever and tries to beat his grandmother, Jann Davis, in arm wrestling. Myron lost every match with Gramma Fever.

The event was a sell-out with about 100 people coming for the dinner theater. Dinner was served in the fellowship hall, with the lights muted, before the play.

Tonight is also a sell-out. There is one more show on Sunday at 6 p.m., but that event doesn’t include dinner.

A team of servers load up trays with salads.

The event is a fund-raiser for the church, and also a chance to serve and entertain the community, especially in the grip of winter.

Jim Peglow plays the role of “Big Buck Fever,” the family patriarch of an estate in Mississippi. Buck wrestles with back taxes and the threat of the government taking the property for a new freeway.

“I don’t mind progress as long as they don’t change nothing,” Buck said.

The event has been going on for about 25 years. The West Barre Players initially performed out of the Grange Hall but moved the show to the church at 5337 Eagle Harbor Rd.

David Snyder plays IRS agent Marvin Kreshler who likes Buck’s daughter Nancy Fever, played by Iva McKenna.

Buck tricks the IRS agent to put on swim clothes as a form of blackmail. Alice Mathes, in back, plays Hillary Keith, who works as a representative of the freeway. Buck also duped her into going swimming, trying get photographs of her and the IRS agent slacking on the job.