Manager

Decades of community use of this little gem in West Central Minnesota continues-today we are committed to serving our communities by providing theatrical productions and musical concerts-and-most importantly, a place for our people to gather and celebrate goodwill and neighborliness.
In early 2009 we decided to host a Veteran's Day Event to honor the efforts of all our veterans past and present. We presented the PBS film "The Canteen Spirit", a great story of how one Nebraska city brought 10 minutes of love and caring to over 6 million troops in four years. Troop trains came back and forth from East and West many times a day-when they stopped the "Platform Girls" and many citizens met the trains and ushered the troops into the train station. There, the "Canteen Ladies" served coffee, milk, doughnuts, sandwiches, cookies and fruit. They also, for each group that stopped, gave birthday cakes to several soldiers at random, along with hugs and a song. Ultimately 125 communities in Nebraska supported this effort.
We replicated the canteen, complete with ladies in 1940's outfits, food, and birthday cakes. After the movie the ladies served. Everyone stayed and stayed-to share stories, laugh, cry, and meet new friends. Some danced in the aisles to the Big Band music playing in the background.
One of our attendees, it turned out, had been in the North Platte canteen. What a surprise to us, and a source of a good story for the group. Coincidentally he had been chosen to receive a birthday cake!
It is this kind of community building we wish to continue....many more events will be offered at no cost over the next years, coupled with coffee and treats.
The Board of Crow River Players has worked tirelessly to improve this lovely old theatre-but more needs to be done. The basic needs of insulation, new roof and painting the exterior are done. NOW IT IS ON TO THE INSIDE!! New curtains, some alteration of the stage front, perhaps new seating, new lights...the list is long. Please-consider a donation to The Little Theater, Crow River Players, Inc.