HomeNewsTraverse City Rotary Show Celebrates 75 Years – PHOTOS
Traverse City Rotary Show 2017: Emcee Ben Whiting is flanked by Old Mission Peninsula residents Marsha Minervini (left) and Cindy Ruzak (right) | Jane Boursaw Photo
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The Traverse City Rotary Club celebrated 75 years this past weekend with a show that covered all things northern Michigan, including 8th Street, tall buildings, elementary school sales, and everything in between.
Emcee’d by local magician Ben Whiting, the event included performances by Miriam Pico, Ramona Pleva, John and Sandie Stout, Connor Miller, the Rotary Chorus and more.
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Stone Petoskey (Chris Wendel) and Maria Benzonia (Sherry Taylor-Galbraith) presented “The News at 9ish,” while Vern Gauthier, Art Hoffman and Al Zelinski performed as “The Flying Walnettos.”
The show also included the premiere of the brand new reality show “A Date With Fest-iny,” in which local festival organizers Deb Lake, Sam Porter, Christal Frost and others made the case for their festivals.
If you haven’t experienced the Traverse City Rotary Show, be sure to check it out next year. It’s part musical revue, part local political satire, and part just grownups acting silly.
And it’s a really worthy cause, raising money for “Good Works” in the Traverse City community. Grants go towards local organizations doing important things in arts and culture, basic human needs, education, the environment, health and safety, and recreation.
Learn more about Rotary of Traverse City on their website.
Check out some photos, and sound off in the comments section below!
Traverse City Rotary Show 2017: Don Fraser kicks off the show | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017: Emcee Ben Whiting is flanked by Old Mission Peninsula residents Marsha Minervini (left) and Cindy Ruzak (right) | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017: The Rotary Show Chorus | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017: Emcee Ben Whiting | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017: Connor Miller performs “The Man” | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017: A brass band gets the crowd fired up | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017: Vern Gauthier, Art Hoffmann and Al Zelinski are “The Flying Walnettos” | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017: Gregg Smith and Alexis Bremmer perform “Early Morning Rain” | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017: John and Sandie Stout perform with the Rotary Chorus | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017: Miriam Pico performs | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017: An old-time radio show blends Traverse City issues (and was hilarious) | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017: Show Director Phil Murphy in the State Theatre balcony | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017: Ramona Pleva sings “100 Ways to Lose a Man” | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017: Allison Beers heads up the “Rotary Girl” group, including Heidi Grubb, Amandra Igra, Katy McCain, Emma Moyer, Kay Paye, Ramona Pleva, Lisa Pointe, Julie Ann Rivers-Cochran, Autumn Soltysiak and Carla Weaver | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017: President Donald Trump live-tweeted the show | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017: Stone Petoskey (Chris Wendel) and Maria Benzonia (Sherry Taylor-Galbraith) give “The News at 9ish” (including the Park Place’s answer to the tall buildings issue) | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017: Traverse City festivals battle it out on the reality show “A Date With Fest-iny” | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017: Sam Porter makes his case for Paella in the Park, Microbrew & Music and other Porterhouse Presents festivals on the reality show “A Date With Fest-iny” | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017: Deb Lake makes her case for the Traverse City Film Festival on the reality show “A Date With Fest-iny” | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017: Christal Frost makes her case for the CherryT Ball Drop on the reality show “A Date With Fest-iny” | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017: Festival organizers battle it out on the reality show “A Date With Fest-iny” | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017: Eighth Street Issues made the news | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017: The Pit Band, including Mike Hunter, Jerry Cameron, Matt Hunter, Don Metcalf, Kevin Smith, Steve Stargardt and Phil Tarcson | Jane Boursaw PhotoTraverse City Rotary Show 2017 | Jane Boursaw Photo
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Went a few times. A little too right-wing white man for me. Glad it was a successful event for them.