05-03-2025
Talk About Woodville: Drama club prepares for musical
I had the opportunity last week to watch the Woodmore Drama Club in action, practicing their lines for their upcoming musical, 'Once Upon a Mattress.' Those youths were definitely having a good time.
In this humorous adaptation of 'The Princess and the Pea,' Queen Agravain (Savannah Plantz) has declared a marriage ban in the kingdom, not allowing anyone to marry until the prince does.
Determined to prevent her son, Prince Dauntless (Justin Kigar), from marrying, the queen devises impossible challenges for all potential princesses. When Princess Winnifred the Woebegone (Stella Strong) arrives, by swimming across a moat no less, she must pass the Queen's latest challenge — the 'Sensitivity Test' — where she must feel a single pea hidden under dozens of mattresses and in doing so, prove that she truly is a princess.
'I chose this musical based on the talent that I have,' said Marcia Busdeker, who has been directing the school plays at Woodmore for twelve years. 'I also thought it was time to do something whimsical and silly.'
'It has been a pleasure working with all of the students this year. Woodmore has so much talent and it is fun fostering it,' Busdeker said. As for next year's play, she said, 'The only hint I can give is … it will be something brand new for the community.'
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on March 20, 21 and 22, and at 2 p.m. on March 23 at Woodmore's K-8 building, 708 W. Main St. Tickets are $8 for students and seniors, $10 for adults and $15 for preferred seating. Tickets may be purchased in person at the K-8 building in Woodville on Monday and Thursday evenings from 6-9 p.m. or can be reserved by calling 419-704-7807.
The Woodville Fire Department's last pancake breakfast of the season is 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 9. Breakfast includes scrambled eggs, chunky applesauce, homemade pork sausage and pancakes. Cost is $9 for adults and $8 for seniors and children under 12. Drive-thru and dine-in options are available.
In hopes of making it easier for more people to participate in planning, the Woodville 4th of July Committee has changed its meeting nights to the third Tuesday of the month. The next meeting is at 7 p.m. on March 18 at the Woodville Public Library. New faces are welcome.
With spring approaching, Woodmore SAY Soccer is recruiting referees for the upcoming soccer season. Referees must be at least 14 years old, complete the SAY online referee training course and attend a 2025 Spring ESSL Referee Clinic.
Clinics will be held on March 22 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Oregon Recreation Center, 5330 Seaman Road, Oregon and from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Bellevue High School, 200 Oakland Ave., Bellevue. Each trainee will receive a whistle, flip coin and notepad with cards. The fee to attend is $10.
For more information, contact Frank Sirse, Referee Coordinator at franksirse@
Screening for the 2025-26 kindergarten class is scheduled for April 30 to May 1. Parents are asked to fill out a pre-registration form and call the elementary secretary at 419-862-1060, ext. 2030 to schedule an in-person screening. The form and more information can be found at Children must be age 5 prior to Aug. 1, 2025 to be eligible.
The annual Woodmore PTO Flower Sale with Bench's Greenhouse and Nursery is open online until April 1. Flowers will be available for pickup in time for Mother's Day. More information is available at
Contact Rene Dix at 419-307-0914 or via email at
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Woodmore youth to present 'Once Upon a Mattress'
