WPBT Nutcracker Trip Recital 2008 Report

Butch Howard

The first thing I did when I got to the casino Friday night was find a group of familiar faces and get the plan for the weekend. I found a gang in the middle of a crowd and headed their way dodging the strange characters and gawking at the madness going on around me. It is amazing how much noise the rattle and clatter of the business makes when added to the voices and laughter and shouts. The lights and sights and sounds and costumes are all a bit overwhelming to someone who does not get out very much.

I was taking in some of the people and servers and players when I noticed one in particular that was wearing a chef's hat and top. "Wow," I thought, "That girl looks just like my daughter Caitlin." After a second look and a long pause I had to say, "Hey that is my daughter! What is she doing here!"

Then I looked around and realized to my horror that this was NOT a casino in Vegas but the backstage of a local high school auditorium. These characters around me were not playing poker. They were all dressed to dance as angels, princesses, flowers, candy canes, mice, and toy soldiers. Not only that, by I was dressed in a period costume and so must be dancing in that show too! What happened? How did I get shanghaied into a small town production of the Nutcracker instead of joining the degenerates in poker mecca?

Actually I was not shanghaied. This is the sixth year I have danced in my childrens' dance recitals as either comic relief with other dads in the spring recitals or as background in the winter production with other couples. The beautiful daughter has been dancing for 9 years and the son has been mixed in a few of those when he felt the urge.

It is always a lot of fun. The kids and the instructors (both groups the real dancers) never make too much fun of how badly we do. At least not while we are within earshot anyway. We all have a pretty good time, get to dance with our children and see how hard they work and how hard it is to do what they make seem easy.

I did take cards and chips in case we had time to get a game going backstage during the break between shows. While Caitlin was all for it, I got the evil eye from the wife and so kept them hidden in my pack instead. Maybe next time I will manage to get table going without getting busted by the moms.

Now if someone will just schedule a blogger event that does not land on top of one of the kids' events maybe Mary and I can use it as an excuse to get away for a few days. Let's see, I think we will have a month free after Nelson turns 18 and that's only six years away...