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6 The 2015 Milford Fair Celebrates Thirty Years of the Marysburgh Mummers Mt. Tabor Church   Becomes a Theatre  By Bruce Dowdell (part two of three)    By the last decade of the 20th Century, the Marysburgh Mummers had become well established. However, they were s(cid:415)ll working under very adverse condi(cid:415)ons: the stage was too high so the actors had to crawl under the balcony to get onto it; the church pews were s(cid:415)ll in use which meant a s(cid:415)ff neck for those si(cid:427)ng in the front rows; the room at the back that was used as a dressing room was cold; but worst of all, there was no indoor plumbing. Granted, the outhouses had been moved clos- er to the building but that didn't help much on a cold winter night. In 1989, Joe O(cid:425)erway built the walkway that joins the two balconies for the produc(cid:415)on of Arsenic and Old Lace. In 1993, Marilyn Hymus, and her cousin by marriage, Mike Hymus, arranged to have theatre seats from an auditorium in O(cid:425)awa donated to Mt. Tabor Play- house. Sco(cid:425) Demille, who was the new owner of Fos- ter's trucking, delivered them to the theatre. Volunteers dismantled the raised por(cid:415)on of the church and replaced it with the stage we have today. The pews were sold and the money used to start a "flush" fund for indoor plumbing. The pews in the balco- ny are original. The ones that were sold downstairs were put in place around 1929. The original downstairs pews were dismantled and used to rake or slope the floor as it is today. Eric Kane, Peter Ritchie, Adam Walker and Bruce Walker were the crew that installed the new seats. The Mummers' first play on the new stage, Where there's  a will…, had to be delayed un(cid:415)l May because of the reno- va(cid:415)ons. Monica Alyea saw the poten(cid:415)al in this new stage and in 1997 started the tradi(cid:415)on of the Mummers' spring musical with the produc(cid:415)on of Anne  of  Green  Gables. Heather Ross provided the piano accompaniment and Nancy Sunnucks looked a(cid:332)er the choral direc(cid:415)on of the cast of 27 ranging in age from seven to seventy years plus. This successful show was followed in 1998 by the popular Sound of Music and Beasts, Babes and Boys of  TheThe South Marysburgh MirrorMirror Broadway, a compila(cid:415)on of hit songs from Broadway Mu- sicals in 1999. The era of the cold make- up and dressing room and the outdoor privy came to an end on Mon- day, June16, 1997 with the demoli(cid:415)on of the room behind the theatre. Alice Mennacher was in charge of the project. With dona(cid:415)ons from The Township South Marysburgh, The Milford Fair Board, The Mum- mers and many ci(cid:415)zens and businesses, the new community hall we now know as Bredin Hall was built. The 20th Century ended with the comple(cid:415)on of renova(cid:415)ons to one of the most sought a(cid:332)er in(cid:415)mate the- atres in the area. This was due to the dedicated and gi(cid:332)- ed people that make up the Marysburgh Mummers and the members of the Community who did their part to bring new life to this historic building.   of (A special thanks to Bev Walker and her ar(cid:415)cles   in The South Marysburgh Mirror for the   background informa(cid:415)on.)  Why be a slave to your lawn? Large & Small Lawns Spring & Fall Clean Up Small Tree Removal Tree Trimming Snow Blowing 613.503.0025 Fully Insured and the home of the Cherry Valley Soap Co. Karol and Stephen