Central Christian School’s Performing Arts Center (PAC) in Kidron was filled with folks and lit up with laughter on Saturday, Feb. 13, as people poured in to experience the first Frohliche Dorf Show, written and produced by Central Christian’s choir director, Tim Shue, who said the idea has been brewing in his mind since 2005.

The show, hosted by Paul Gingerich, drew people from several counties.

It was a new type of fundraising effort for Central Christian’s concert choir, who will be traveling to the annual Mennonite School Council’s rotating festival being held at Academia Menonita in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Tickets sold out a week before the show’s performance, with a long waiting list filled with the names of those who hoped they’d get lucky at the last minute and score some seats.

“It’s been a number of years since the PAC has been filled like that,” shared Shue. “My favorite part was dreaming about things to highlight in a skit or a song. Discussing the idea around a supper table with church friends was extremely energizing as we shared possibilities and excitement.”

Frohliche Dorf, or “happy village” in German, was written in the style of an old-time radio program similar to Garrison Keillor’s National Public Radio program, the Prairie Home Companion, complete with advertising jingles, a panel of actors performing skits and sound effects, local authors and personalities, and special musical performances, a total cast of about 45.

“I loved seeing how great actors and volunteers can take things further than I had the talent, energy, or time to do,” said Shue.

Columnist and author Karrie Karpinski McAllister talked about the inception of her book, Small Town Soup, a collection of columns and stories about McAllister’s midwestern life.

“It was an honor to stand up in front of such a warm crowd,” said McAllister “The community spirit came through as bounding laughter.”

Kristine Nussbaum and her fellow actors kept the crowd in stitches with their hilarious characterizations.

“Working with the cast of Frohliche Dorf is the most fun I’ve ever had putting a production together. The low-pressure, no-memorization format of the old-time radio show meant we could concentrate on making Tim’s script as funny as possible. Tim did a great job of making the skits and ads really fun while still being affectionately respectful of the people and businesses of Kidron.”

Also featured were the men’s group Sonnenberg Station, house band Honeytown, and the Dusendorf Polka Band, all brain-children of Shue, who said that polka sheet music is pretty difficult to find.

“Two of the polkas came from an old collection called The Whoopee John Band Book,” said Shue. “The waltz came from a polka collection I tracked down from some guy in Medina, Texas who got it from Germany. All of the instructions were in German.”

Nussbaum particularly enjoyed the music.

“It was an honor to share the stage with such talented musicians,” she said. “Honeytown and Sonnenberg Station are amazing. Just to be part of the act with them was a real privilege.”

Hal Walker, a folk singer-songwriter from Kent, wowed the crowd with his unique instruments and rich baritone. Walker, who said that Kidron didn’t even show up on his Mapquest, said it was a real treat to play for a listening, appreciative audience.

“What a pleasant surprise to arrive at such a comfortable and classy concert hall,” said Walker. “Right from the start, I was blown away. I’d like to bring Tim and everyone else up to Kent to show us how to do it.”

Kathy Hart, of Millersburg, attended the show with her husband and parents. She said the community is fortunate to have such amazing talent.

“Frohliche Dorf was a wonderful evening filled with music and laughter that highlighted the abundant musicianship and creativity in our area,” shared Hart. “We are truly blessed.”

The most meaningful part to Hart was the time of prayer for a Central Christian faculty member, Don Nussbaum, who was scheduled to perform but suffered a massive heart attack the evening before.

“Taking the time out to lift up a brother in need and soak in the warmth and oneness of singing ‘O Seek that Beautiful Stream’ truly demonstrated what makes our little part of Ohio special,” said Hart.

According to Kristine Nussbaum, there were many behind-the-scenes folks who helped everything run smoothly.

“Brenda Troyer did a fabulous job getting everything coordinated and taking care of the thousand details that no one notices, but make the production so much better,” said Nussbaum. Troyer also co-wrote one of the skits, The Thrift Shop Road Show. Nussbaum noted that there were people who stepped in to save the day when others were unavailable.

“Our sound and light man called in sick on Saturday afternoon, before anything was set up. I’m so grateful to Dennis Landis for dropping all of his plans for the day and coming to the rescue.”

The cooperative effort was a success, bringing in about $6,000 for the choir.

“It was so gratifying to hear the uncontrollable laughter from the audience and see their faces as they reacted to the onstage shenanigans,” said Nussbaum. “It really made the time it took worthwhile.”

Shue said he would love to put together a similar show in the future.

Actor and Sonnenberg Station member Chris Chamberlain, who traveled from Wadsworth to participate, agreed.

“I can imagine the radio hour becoming a yearly tradition at Central Christian High School,” Chamberlain said. “From my seat on stage, the audience was a sea of smiles throughout the entire show. Tim Shue is a man of many talents, and now he can add comedy writer to his resume.”