PAGE 2 | MARCH 31 - APRIL 6, 2022
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
‘The Adventures of Mr. Toad’ Is Fun for the Whole Family
BY AMANDA SNEAD
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
Based on the book “The Wind in the Willows” by Kenneth Grahame, Creative Cauldron’s play “The Adventures of Mr. Toad” is an action-packed adventure put on for kids, by kids and perfect for the whole family. Put on by Creative Cauldron’s Learning Theater with help from Gus Knapp as a fellow actor and mentor, this production begins with Mr. Toad telling stories of his youth to a group of young mice whom he asks to help transcribe his life story. Toad’s old friends later join him and help fill in the blanks and bring Toad back down to earth from his exaggerated tales. The play includes an original script by Ellen Selby and P.J. Audenzia as well as incredibly catchy original songs by composer and Musical Director Matt Conner. The Learning Theater ensemble is composed of both newcomers and veterans from previous Creative Cauldron productions. If you need any sign that the Little City loves the arts, this is the place to be.
This was a fast-paced and engaging show that kept both the youngest and oldest audience members entertained. “When we first adapted ‘The Wind in the Willows’ for our Learning Theater Ensemble several years ago we focused more on the pastoral and poetic nature of the work, but this time around we have decided to bring you an action-packed adventure,” noted Creative Cauldron’s founder and Producing Director, Laura Connors Hull in the show’s Playbill. “In Ellen Selby and P.J. Audenzia’s fun and frantic script, we get just that. And we also get the wonderful musical creations of Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith.” As with all Learning Theater productions, the show ended with an audience question and answer segment. Seeing how engaged both the kids in the audience and the actors on stage were was a great thing to see. And maybe we’ll see some of the audience members on stage in future performances! As usual, this was a great play
MR. TOAD is pictured here as he tells stories of his youth to a group of young mice. (P����: W������ G�������� P����������)
by Creative Cauldron filled with so many young and talented actors that are sure to go on and do great things with the skills they have learned at Creative Cauldron. Margie Jervis and her team of volunteers did an amazing job with the costumes, masks and set
designs. The play closes this Sunday so be sure to take your little ones out to see it before it ends! Performances of “The Adventures of Mr. Toad” take place Friday, April 1 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 2 at 2 p.m. and
7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 2 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at creativecauldron. org/toad.html. Tickets are $20 for adults and $18 for students. Creative Cauldron is located at 410 South Maple Avenue #116 in Falls Church.
Falls Church Little League Returns for the Season BY ALEX RUSSELL
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
This past Saturday, Mar. 26, saw the return of the Falls Church Kiwanis Little League (FCKLL) Opening Day parade. In attendance were F.C. Mayor David Tarter and Delegate Marcus Simon — both taking part in the ceremonial first pitch — as well as surprise guests the (Racing) Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt. Bag piper Austin Middleton led the procession, with the festivities culminating in a series of first pitches from local High School seniors — all of whom “graduated” from F.C. Little League. The celebration itself marks the comeback of regularly scheduled, in-person baseball in the Little City. The Opening Day parade is typically an annual endeavor, but as with most things, Covid-19 forced Little League organizers to cancel the event in 2020 and replace the parade with an Opening Day video last year. Little League President Kirsten Fatzinger and Communications & PR Lead Erika Toman explained how Covid “created numerous operational and logistical challenges,”
but following their hiatus in spring of 2020, the League’s been “fully operational.” Fatzinger and Toman underscored that “safety is always the League’s number one priority, with or without a pandemic.” But since pandemic-related conditions have been gradually improving in recent months, this season “players and spectators” will not be “required to wear masks or socially distance,” and “umpires are back in position calling balls and strikes behind the plate.” The 2022 Spring Season will feature 48 teams, totaling almost 600 boys and girls between the ages of 4 — 13, playing games across 10 fields in the Falls Church area — this includes the Challengers, “an adaptive baseball program for individuals with physical or intellectual challenges.” Speaking about its operational logistics, Fatzinger explained that the City’s Little League “is 100 percent volunteer, not-for-profit.” The volunteers “coach, coordinate events, and maintain fields each season. All coaches and volunteers are local and unpaid, and some stay with the League even after their players graduate from the program because of
their love for the game and the community.” She added that “a Board of Directors oversees all activities. Everyone who comes out for Little League makes a team. There are no ‘cuts.’ Falls Church Little League is for everyone who lives or goes to school within the League’s boundary.” Fatzinger touched upon how sponsors are a major source of revenue for the FCKLL, adding that “Little League International permits one fundraiser throughout the year” that relies on participation from the players themselves, and historically this has been the two-day-long Player Hit-A-Thon. (The Hit-AThon returns this year in May, with the Adult Hit-A-Thon and Home Run Derby scheduled for May 14 at Westgate Field at 7500 Magarity Rd, Falls Church.) This year’s Opening Day parade exemplified the ties that the Kiwanis Little League has to its local community. In addition to the Washington Nationals, who are a “multi-year partner” with the FCKLL — the Nats provided team jerseys and hats and have donated prizes to kids who raise the most money or hit the farthest ball during a Hit-A-Thon — the League has numerous sponsors right
LITTLE LEAGUE is back in the Little City. The season will feature almost 50 teams and hundreds of kids, many seen here celebrating Opening Day. (Photo: F��� K���) here in the area, including the Falls Church News-Press. (This season, the Triple-A team, consisting mostly of players ages 9 — 11, is coached by David Izawa and is the official News-Press Little League team.) The Falls Church Kiwanis Little League is the oldest Little League organization in the state, having been founded in 1948. Later, in the ‘50s, “the then-local Kiwanis Club became patrons of the League.” Even after the hardships brought on by the pandemic, the FCKLL is still going strong.
Looking ahead, Toman shared that “a working group is already planning a 75th anniversary celebration” set for 2023, and that “League leaders are looking for photos and stories from ‘the good old days.’” She adds that “anyone with vintage materials or stories to tell is invited” to email her directly at erika@fckll. org and add to the nostalgic collection. To find out more about F.C. Little League, located at 2400 Hurst St, Falls Church, VA, visit fckll.org or email playeragent@fckll.org.
