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Annual ‘Hazelnutty Show’ Keeps Hazelwood Seniors Laughing
It’s the ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B’ – These musicians begin “The Hazelnutty Show” on a lively note. Pictured from left to right: Marie Gillen (saxophone); Dorothy Schill (bugle); and Coralee Stuckey (trombone).
Hazelwood seniors practice what doctors have known for years, laughter is strong medicine for the mind and body. Not only does laughter bind people together and increases happiness and intimacy, but it also augments the flow of infection-fighting proteins inside the body that protect the immune system.
Each year, Hazelnuts, an organization for active residents age 55 and over, puts on “The Hazelnutty Show” to entertain members with funny skits.
This year’s event was held recently at one of Hazelwood’s two recreation centers, Civic Center East, in front of a large audience. The Hazelnuts meet at this location on the second Wednesday of every month, starting at 10:30 a.m. Approximately 80 to 120 members attend meetings on a regular basis. On this occasion, they were treated to a lively talent show that brought back memories of yesteryear.
“For this year’s program, I chose a 1940s big band era theme because it reminded me of my brother who recently passed away,” said Mary Griffith, Hazelnuts president. “He was one of the sailors assigned to the USS Lexington aircraft carrier who survived the Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese in World War II.”
She went on to say the music was great back then. “The Andrew Sisters’ song, ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B,’ was a favorite of mine which explains why I decided to make it our first skit. I lived in a small rural town of Bolton, Mississippi, where everyone got behind the war effort. We saved everything and bought things like stamps to help support our troops. We also had contests at school to see which classroom sold the most war bonds.”
Griffith asked a couple of her friends, Coralee Stuckey, Dorothy Schill and Marie Gillen, to lead off the show with her favorite tune. The three ladies selected their own costumes and chose these musical instruments as props: a saxophone; a bugle; and a trombone. Stuckey mentioned she chose the trombone because her son used to play it in high school and she still had it.
Other skits that made the crowd LOL (Laugh Out Loud) and smile included the following: an Abbott and Costello math skit; a lip-sync performance of “I’m My Own Grandpa”; The History of Aprons; a scary but funny “The Viper is Coming” act; and “Presents for the Teacher.” At the end, Stuckey, Schill and Gillen came out again dressed as St. Louis Rams cheerleaders and led the audience in a cheers for the Rams.
