October 2, 2024

What is Halloween, if not a form of theater? Donning costumes, from simple accessories to great elaborate outfits, even taking on traits of our favorite characters. The streets & porches of our neighborhoods become the stage upon which the children play, adults gathering in their own personified costumes at house parties and local hotspots. And what is the Spirit of Halloweentown festival—if not a time to celebrate the cinematic theater of the movie, the actors who brought the story to life, its legacy, and our town’s role in the film? A celebration in which we can share the very roots of a playful community which still grows here in St. Helens. It is this very playful spirit of theatrics which beats at the heart of Columbia County’s local volunteer theater troupe—ShoeString Community Players.

This non-profit, volunteer-driven organization is threaded through decades of St. Helens’ & Columbia County’s history. With shows and workshops during other seasons, ShoeString Community Players is especially active this time of year putting on productions with a spooky flare. Founded in 1982, their presence as a local theatrical arts sponsor has long been a part of the Halloween hijinx. Even before there was the Spirit of Halloweentown festival, this all-volunteer theater group could be found performing at the very heart of downtown activity with the ever-popular Haunted Tours production. As the festival slowly grew in the early years, and then exploded in recent ones, the SSCPlayers were a source of eerie entertainment for visitors and other show performers as well. Sometimes downtown, or at other darkened locations around St. Helens. All the different events stitched together with an overarching spirit of showmanship—singing, screams, music, dancing, scary stories, ghouls & haunted houses—a spirit which continues to branch out, and is shared with an audience now grown to national & even global scale.

Based here in St. Helens, ShoeString Community Players serves the broader Columbia County community through acting & make-up classes, offering workshops & camps, tutelage in performance and stage crew skills, and of course the chance to perform in front of a live audience. Especially during the month of October, this can include the chance to scare & surprise your live audience! Every Halloween season you can find members of SSCP participating in original productions, or volunteering their theatrical personalities for other events – always contributing laughs & spooks, entertaining shows & history, and creating countless memories for attendees. 

This Halloween season SSCP has two recurring events for your entertainment, inviting local residents and visitors alike:

Scarecrows Tales in the Dark, hosted in the beautiful McCormick Park. A lovely city attraction which transforms into terrifying haunted paths after the sun goes down. In its fourth year of production, this story has been rewritten and audiences will take a new path through the darkened trees. Show dates – October 18 & 19, 25 & 26.

Old Town Ghost Walk by D.B.K. Investigations. ShoeString Community Players is sponsoring this event in its second year. The Ghost Walk begins near the downtown plaza of St. Helens, and takes guests along city streets highlighting the most notoriously haunted spots in our City’s center. Show dates – September 27, 28, October 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26.

Please visit our website www.sscptheater.org, or find us on Facebook under ShoeString Community Players for more information and tickets.

Other SSCP productions from years past have included the aforementioned Haunted Tours downtown, the exceptional Frankenstein stage production, War of the Worlds radio show, and the Shrieking Stables hosted at our very own Columbia County Fairgrounds! Volunteer performers are filled with enthusiasm to put on a show for you, and their excitement is contagious. Here’s Tom Prevish during the Shrieking Stables, on what he particularly enjoyed about putting on the show, “I think probably the scaring is fun, too. But when somebody starts looking at you, and you’re out of lines, and basically ad libbing in character. And they’re really starting to actually believe it, that this guy really IS a deranged farmhand!” Tom is right. The truest art of performance calls the audience into the story, and you will WANT to suspend your disbelief. There aren’t really possessed scarecrows haunting McCormick Park… are there? You are invited to join fellow guests this October, and the ShoeString Players who are well-rehearsed, and ready to bring you into these dark and haunted places.

SSCP is also very forward thinking in its productions and community work. This theater troupe is always open & inviting to volunteers for future productions – such as this Summer’s blockbuster “Fiddler on the Roof”. Yes, you read that right! Fiddler is coming to Columbia County in 2025, with Tom Weaver as Director. See our website for more details, and contact info to get involved. 

Volunteer actors and performers are of course always sought for roles in the shows. But often overlooked opportunities are also open for people with many other talents as well. Members of the community from all walks of life are invited to get involved, at all levels of production. It takes a team of many, with a variety of skill sets, from novice to the experienced, to put on a show! Merle Pence, a much-loved member of our community and everyone’s favorite Santa, has this invitation to extend to the curious, “It’s a situation where we try to be as welcoming as possible. We have kids and adults of all abilities. So you know, if you don’t want to be up on the stage we have positions for that. If you want to be behind the scenes… if you want to build, I mean we have a fantastic group of people who do stagecraft. And you can come in and learn how to do really good construction.” And for the nervous or inexperienced, “The thing about it is, you can come here and you can fail, and you’ll be alright. You know, it’s not a big deal. Because we all fail at something, and it’s just a matter of being OK. We tried it that way. Let’s try it this other way.“

In addition to the different productions throughout the year, ShoeString Community Players also serves the community through other capacities. For youth, options include classes for acting, stage make-up, workshops such as “Woolly and Hopper”. They also work closely with the St. Helens Park and Recreation Program. SSCP’s mission is to provide an opportunity and education for community members of all ages to participate in theater arts. To produce a broad range of theatrical presentations of the highest possible quality and to celebrate the achievements of our volunteers.
Want other ways to get involved? ShoeString is actively seeking Board Members for the upcoming production year. Contact Taylor-Jane, Producer, at [email protected] . Please note that these are volunteer positions. For the years of support, being part of the shows, helping with fundraising and donations, attending productions, applauding your talented neighbors & friends, SSCP would like to give a deeply heartfelt “Thanks!” to the residents & broader business community. It is through the collective support, and dedication of board members & the Players, that this group continues to bring the theatrical arts to St. Helens and Columbia County. 40+ years, and counting!

By Ben Tiscareno

OCTOBER 2022 – Shrieking Stables

Columbia County has it’s little treasures everywhere you look. Only a short little drive out of town takes you into forestland, or quaint country roads with iconic American farms dotting the landscape.

But what really goes on at some of our deep-country farms? Sure, many provide food, livestock, textiles, shower & bath products, etc. But what about those quiet ones, where neither human nor animal activity can be seen during daylight hours? You’ve heard some of the rumors, but surely those dark whispers exist in every rural county, and cannot possibly be true. Not out here in quiet Columbia County… could they?

Then why do some of those places seem to have stables, but no animals are ever seen in the yards? Why do a few of them receive truck deliveries, but no product ever leaves the farm? Why are people going missing but not being investigated? In this county where everyone knows everyone else’s secrets, surely nothing sinister could be going on without the locals finding out.

If you simply cannot stand the curiosity anymore, and just NEED to find out what’s going on out there, come attend the “Shrieking Stables” production this weekend. Presented by ShoeString Community Players, this series of shows will walk you through the Fairground stables. Visit this unique presentation of a haunting tale taking place on one of our deep-country farms, where your curiosity will be satisfied. But it will come at a price…

Shows run Friday and Saturday night, beginning at 7pm. Right when the Sun is going down, and regular people settle into their homes. Are you going to the Festival at the Columbia County Fairgrounds? End your night with us, October 21 and 22.

by Ben Tiscareno

Dear Supporter of SSCP (2022)

I hope this letter finds you well. We are starting back up again after a long break during these difficult times. First, we would like to extend out our appreciation for supporting us in the past and hope you can continue to do so. We have had some changes in the laws referring to membership and our non-profit status. We are no longer asking for membership dues to be a part of this amazing organization but of course any money contributions are greatly appreciated. So, with that said we are asking if you want to continue to be on our email list and registered as a member. We do not sell our information. This is merely so you can stay informed of events in SSCP.

We have some events in the planning and would love to see you there or volunteer at any of our upcoming projects.

June 18                 Community Parade in St. Helens Theme is “Coming Back Together” We are asking any current and previous SSCP participants to walk in the parade and if possible, wear a past production t-shirt. We will have some shirts available from out storage but not sure on sizes and quantities. Or, just come and enjoy the company and walk with us. You must be able to walk the full mile from uptown to downtown as we will not have the larger trailer to ride on.

June 13-25           Woolly and Hopper Children’s Theater Workshop. We are coordinating with St. Helens Park and Rec to produce a children’s workshop. Registration is through their website. We are having two performances for the community to see their hard work on June 24 and 25 at St. Helens Middle School stage at 7pm. More information will be out shortly, so save the dates.

August/September – Auditions for October and November events if the scheduling goes as planned.

January – Will be the beginning of the production team meeting for the summer musical. To Be Announced. I promise you will like it.

Radio Show– Anyone interested in doing a radio show please let Shannon Vaerewyck know. You can email her at [email protected]. We are beginning to collaborate with Columbia Theater in Longview and would love to put together a Radio Show to go on their Winter show schedule.

Thank you

Shannon Vaerewyck – President

Stefani Weber – Secretary

Kathleen Grant – Treasurer

Beth Hoffee – Membership

Taylor-Jane Vaerewyck – Producer

Paul Terhune – Maintenance

Finch Vaerewyck – Youth Coordinator