March 13, 2013

Singing and dancing at Mania

By Jaime Thomas

Many locals got a chance to have their voices heard at Mettawee Mania on Saturday.

Producer and director Rod Hawkins’ son Luke opened the show with a strong vocal performance, and he was followed by many others. Songs ranged from eight-year-old Emily Powers’ version of “Call Me Maybe” to fourth-grader Jade Marantz belting out an impressive “Feelin’ Good.”

Miss Vermont Chelsea Ingram emceed the event and used the opportunity to share what her scholarship organization is all about. She also took to the stage with an operatic cover of “Habanera” from Carmen.

A fully-costumed Kiss cover band, consisting of Granville FFA students and Advisor Terry Wheeler finished the first act with a bang. To start the second half of the show was an old-time country couple, Ray and Kathy Evans, followed by a fleeting ballet number by Emily Marks.

Granville teacher and coach Brent Tuttle accompanied one act on the piano and also performed a solo version of a song he wrote for his wife, with lyrics and full music.

There was also a handful of non-singing acts.

The elementary-aged Super Hoopers did their thing with a routine to the tune of “I Knew You Were Trouble,” and the CowGirl Club entertained with a coordinated dance to “Here for the Party.” Tom Leypoldt, who’s consistently been involved with the event, had the crowd doubling over with a comedy routine focused on his hometown of Danby, Vt.

And in a combination of visual and musical comedy, Rod Hawkins himself was joined by a friend in an imitation of Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye’s White Christmas cross-dressing act. Various other vocal and dance performances took place in rapid succession, with only enough time in between for Ingram to tell jokes and jokingly command everyone to laugh.

A representative from the PTO inevitably thanked Hawkins for his 13 years of putting on Mania, and, visibly moved, he thanked everyone involved in turn. He then led the audience in singing an original tune he wrote for the school.

The packed evening kept delivering for more than two hours until it finished with Amy Orvis’ “Unchained Melody.”