A hit despite the sweltering heat
Published: July 29, 2010
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VICKI TERWILLIGER/CITIZEN-STANDARD PHOTO Dan Umholtz, of Valley View, performs on the euphonium at Hegins Park. Umholtz was named the number one euphonium player in Pennsylvania in 2009 after the PMEA All-State Convention.
VICKI TERWILLIGER/CITIZEN-STANDARD PHOTO The gents from Re-Creation offered some Doo-wop songs during the 34th Annual Hegins Community Day at Hegins Park. Here, they take a stroll on stage while singing "Walk like a Man."
HEGINS - The heat may have wilted the size of the expected crowd during the early hours of the Hegins Community Day festivities at Hegins Park on July 24, but for those who attended the event, the entertainment made facing the elements worth their while.
"We'll be here until we melt away," Gary Smeltz, Hegins, said as he sat by Hegins Rotary's hamburger and hot dog stand. "It's a great event."
Smeltz was among a crowd of about 200 in the park to watch the performance of next year's national touring act, the 36th iteration of Re-Creation, a group that performs Broadway hits as part of a ministry for hospitalized veterans.
The current 35th Re-Creation group, who has performed more than 320 shows across the U.S. the past year, took the stage at 7 p.m.
Leon Eshelman, the event organizer, said the group is a mainstay, having performed since the first Hegins Community Day organized by his father 34 years ago.
"They recharge my battery," Eshelman said. "Every time I don't feel up to life, I go see them and feel better."
While Eshelman said attendance for the event was not exactly typical, he understood that many of the older residents may have chosen to stay indoors because of a threat of rain or because the heat could have ill effects on their health.
"If I were able to, I may stay home in the air conditioning," Eshelman said. "But it's worth it."
The performers from the afternoon cast of Re-Creation said they were prepared for the heat.
"We're used to it because we do a lot of outside performances in the summer," Mitchell Rains said as he wiped sweat from his chin, neck and brow. "It actually isn't as bad as we thought it was going to be."
Musicians from the Tri-Valley area, as well as dancers from Pottsville, and other regional acts all added to the appeal of the day in the sun.
Jasmine Morgan-Smulley, a graduate of Tri-Valley High School, sung what she is most famous for, country and western music, as well as arias and Broadway hits in the evening. Morgan-Smulley, originally from Valley View, has performed with major country stars, including Ty Herndon, Trick Pony and Josh Turner.
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