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By joe McCullough
Rappahannock News Special Writer
It may not be Broadway but once a year Virginia Tech’s Cassell Auditorium in Blacksburg is the stage for some of the finest talent in the Commonwealth. Every June, Tech holds Virginia’s 4-H Congress, a weeklong gathering of the cream of the 4H crop, and the week's highlight is the Share-the-Fun show.
Share-the-Fun is a chance for young 4-Hers to display their talents in the performing arts. The competition starts at the county level, winners advance to district competition, and the top acts from the district rounds perform at Congress.
This year four junior thespians from Rappahannock earned the show’s top honors. It is the first time a team from Rappahannock has won the state’s top 4-H performance award.
Melissa Pagano, Liz Oliver, Tim Mahoney, and Alex Smith recreated the classic story of an embittered kingdom saved by a brave young peasant, wrho in turn wins the hand of the lady fair. Written by Alex, this tale of chivalry has a fewr twists that set it apart from its more traditional predecessors.
The kingdom is in the midst of a devastating plague and starvation. The fair queen, who suffers from “the thralls of ultimate tummy grumbles,” sends her royal entourage - a knight, a squire, and a lowly page — out one by one for a Big Mac, shake, and large fries. Unfortunately, the only route to fast food heaven is through the domain of Yellowfingers, and this ravenous beast makes hash of the knight and squire.
Before the queen dispatches her final subject, the page, she endows him with a magical “snap.” Unwittingly, he uses the snap at the right moment to kill the beast and save the bacon.
This tale also has a “poignant cutting moral,” the narrator points out at the story’s end. “Let your fingers do the walking through the Yellowfingers. It’s a snap.”
The young Rappahannock troupers were pleasantly surprised when they won the top award because, as Alex said, “there were a lot of very good acts.”
Their skit relied heavily on audience participation. The audience was instructed to respond “Ooh, ah, and
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