Back to the stage

A local group is looking to provide some harmonious, and sometimes hilarious, entertainment for Mother’s Day weekend.

Harmony Players will host a Mother’s Day Festival at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Hudson Family Park.

The group, led by Linda Rodden of rural Portland, was looking to host an event to raise some money after more than a year away from the stage. (They will be used to help fund its planned fall production of “Young Frankenstein.”)

Its last scheduled show — “Charley’s Aunt” — was scheduled for three live performances at Arts Place last March, but was cut back to a single live-streamed show as the coronavirus pandemic took hold in Indiana.

“What’s the earliest date that would be safe to bet on for outside? Because I didn’t want to do anything inside because of the pandemic,” said Rodden of her thought process when beginning to plan the show in January. “So, I thought, Mother’s Day is probably kind of iffy …”

As it turns out, she was right. Rain is in the forecast for Sunday. So, the show that was originally planned for Mother’s Day was moved up a day. (Harmony Players will reprise the show June 27 at Canan Commons as in association with DWNTWN Muncie.)

The show will feature a variety of local performers, including Rodden and her children.

Tristan, Seth and Lucas Rodden will play guitar and sing, featuring some pieces they used to perform as part of the Fair Winds ensemble as well as others from their Bearcreek Farms days. Emma Rodden will perform several numbers, including Olivia Rodrigo’s “Driver’s License” and some Disney tunes. And Linda Rodden plans to sing Bette Midler’s “P.S. I Love You” from the movie “For the Boys.”

Ali McGraw will team up with Emma Rodden to perform “Alone in the Universe” from “Seussical the Musical” and Greg Ashley plans to sing some old standards. The event will also feature story telling with former Jay County High School drama teacher Carol Gebert and will kick off with a sing-along. Ron Freeman will direct traffic as the emcee.

In addition to the entertainment side of things, the event will also feature vendors. Food will be available along with homemade candles, soaps, bird houses and crafts, fresh flowers Mary Kay products and jewelry.

Rather than a traditional “sit-down” concert, Rodden said she intends for attendees to be able to wander and enjoy performances while also checking out the various vendor offerings.

“It is just so exciting,” said Rodden of the impending return to the stage. “It’s just been so hard and sad. When you go from one show to the next and that’s really kind of your social life, to have that go away … It’s been an awful year for us, like it’s been awful for everyone. It’s just so much more exciting than it would be. And it already is. We just love doing this. To do this after so long is just crazy exciting.”