Annual holiday parade features sneak peak of upcoming theatre production

WASILLA — The annual Wasilla Independence Day parade featured a sneak peak of an upcoming production at the Glenn Massay. Theater.

Young boys and girls donned in knit caps and vests handed out Frontiersman newspapers to the parade viewers. The kids yelled out, “Newsies on strike!” They danced on the road, doing handstands and kicking their feet to the classic, Disney soundtrack. Several times, people from the crowd would get giddy and say, “Oh hey, it’s the Newsies!” with audible nostalgia in their voices.

Emily Bradford is the artistic director for the Wasilla Dancer’s Workshop’s Youth Company and the choreographer for the upcoming “Newsies” production. She donned a knit cap and vest, jumping around with her kids down the parade route, grinning ear to ear. She said that she’s known these kids for many years, most of them since they were 5 years old and is very close with all of them.

“I have the best students in the world and they work really hard! It makes me really proud watching them grow up, especially when I get to perform with them,” Bradford said.

She recalled a memory from her childhood. Every morning, her mom would give her a quarter to grab a Frontiersman newspaper and bring it in the restaurant so everyone could have a read. The second she saw her kids on the front of an edition of the Frontiersman, she got teary eyed and said she was going to frame that paper, preserving the memory.

“They did great. It seemed like they were having fun,” “Newsies” director AJ Seims said.

Seims anticipates their presence in the parade will undoubtedly provoke interest and help pull in people to audition for the play.

“We’re excited to see people audition and we’re excited to see the talent come in,” Seims said.

Nearing the end of the parade route, one of the speakers fell out of the truck, rendering, the remainder of the walk without music. The kids were not deterred and kept the show going, darting around and handing out Frontiersman newspapers.

“It was daunting at first because you don’t know how they will react but it was mostly positive. The speaker was the only downside, but the crowd made up for it. They were super energetic,” “Newsies” actor Gianna Josten said.

Brian Mead, Boy Scout leader and Colony High School English teacher said that for years, his troop 300 has led the parade, walking upfront with their banner. Each year, the boys serve free root beer floats after the parade, at the Mayor’s Picnic. Each year is different, but the past two years, they’ve completely sold out, serving over 1,000 cups, Mead said.

“This is about out scouts giving back to the community,” Mead said. “It’s part of these boys growing into leadership roles. That’s what we’re celebrating on Fourth of July — learning.”

Troop 300 is the largest troop in the Mat-Su Valley and possibly in the state, Mead said.

Hunter Eckard has been to several parades in the past, but this year was his first parade as a boy scout. His favorite part of marching in any parade is the interactions, particularly with the younger kids he hands candy to. He of course runs into familiar faces on his routes each time.

“There’s so many people, you’re bound to see at least one person you know,” Eckard said.

Those interested in performing in “Newsies” can audition Sept. 21 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Wasilla High School. Performances will be January 25-27, Jan. 31, and Feb. 1-2.

Contact Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at Jacob.mann@frontiersman.com.