Iowa City West High Class of 1973
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Hi Dave,
Thanks again for keeping us all connected! I have some more news for our West High web site: Paul Roberts and I met at the Fiddler’s Picnic in Sept. and jammed all afternoon at the 4-H fairgrounds. It was great fun playing with Paul and all his friends! He can really play the banjo! Iowa Public TV was there recording the event, which is put on by the Friends of Old Time Music.
Take care,
Jackie (Dague) Nicholson
Dave,
I attended an Iowa Theatre Artists Company performance of “Pump Boys and Dinettes” and playing the part of Eddie and strumming the guitar and picking the banjo (quite nicely) was classmate Paul Roberts. Thought I’d send a photo for you to post. This was part of the set they used.
David
I also wanted to let you know that there was an article on Paul Roberts in the CR Gazette yesterday. Nice picture and article about his band. So, for a change some nice news.
Here’s the article:
‘It’s About All’ you need in a radio show
Iowa Mennonite School to hold fifth annual ‘broadcast’
By Meredith Hines-Dochterman
It’s lights, no camera and live action for the Iowa Mennonite School’s annual oldfashioned radio show Saturday.”It’s About All!,” a live-action radio show modeled after Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion, gives its fifth annual performance this weekend.
“(The title) is based on a colloquialism in our area spoken by some when something is at the end or is done,” said Mary Forney, the school’s English and drama instructor. “It’s also a play on words for the radio show being about everything and anything at all.”
The performance is part of the school’s fine arts series, which promotes about five fine arts events for the community each year. Past performances have included the Spiritual Project Choir from Denver, Colo., the Maia Quartet and Acoustic Mayhem from the Iowa City area and a Messiah sing with the Southeast Iowa Symphony.
“We try to cover different areas of the fine arts: drama, music, visual arts,” Forney said.
“It’s About All!” is the series’ only annual event.
The show consists of commercials that highlight local businesses, made-up stories about unique characters that are eerily similar to people who live in Kalona, musical performances and group sing-alongs.
This year’s show features some past favorites: TriBorough News Chat and Tales from ERP (English River Pellets). Special guests include Paul Roberts as the show’s host, The Great Bluegrass Herons, The Banjoy Band and fiddler Joy Ward.
“The radio show gives our community a chance to celebrate, lampoon and laugh at our local color, and to laugh at ourselves,” Forney said. “The show may not be universally interesting, but it sure is a fun way to spend a night laughing with friends after a long winter.”
Paul Roberts gets ready to play with his band, the McPunk Brothers, at the Kalona Bluegrass Festival held at the Windmill Ridge Campgrounds on July 13, 2003