This one. Scroll dude!

PALT holds 7th Annual Burns Supper

The Port Arthur Little Theatre held its 7th annual Burns Supper this past Saturday at the Courtyard in Groves. Robert Burns, the famous poet of Scotland who penned hundreds of memorable poems and songs, including the New Years Eve staple here in America, Old Lang Syne, is considered a national treasure in Scotland. Each year the nation celebrates his birthday with an evening of food and drink, along with readings of his poems and singing of his and other traditional Scottish songs. The theatre adopted the celebration as a fund raiser in 2004 and has continued the event every year since.

Eric & I attended this year with our friends Rich & Patrice Kihlken and their son Douglas. Eric also brought along his friend Colton Stone, a friend from both school and sports clubs and who had played in PALT''s production of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer with Eric.

Among several other singers and performers, yours truly performed a couple of songs in a quintet, including Old Lang Syne at the end of the evening. The highlight of the evening, though, had to be the Lone Star Pipe Band. As usual, these guys gave a fabulous performance and really gave the evening its true Scottish flare. Nothing like the sound of a bagpipe to put you in a celebratory mood and make you think your really in Scotland.


Well, that and the single malt scotch.

Jennings fighting Cancer

I've just learned my dear friend and former music teacher John Jennings is fighting pancreatic cancer and cancer of the liver. He his scheduled for surgery January 27th. We lift him up in our prayers for healing and a a full and speedy recovery.

A group of ex-students from Conroe High School created a fan page on Facebook to get the word out and ask for prayers and words of encouragement. JJ himself has posted on the page's "wall" there and is reading the wall posts and comments of others.

Jennings' writings sound promising. He calls is a "little" cancer on his liver and pancreas, of a "low-grade" variety. That's Jennings... always outwardly positive and optimistic. It's one of his many great characteristics. I worry though that he just doesn't want others to worry. That's another of his great characteristics.

Since I don't know how you can have a "little" cancer, probably the best news he reports is the doctor expects to be able to fully remove the cancer by surgery and has a good prognosis for recovery. It's an extensive surgery, though, with an upside-down T-shaped incision from the sternum down the center of the chest and then outward toward the hips on both sides. Our mutual friend Charlie Baughman joked that his bikini days may be over, and Robert Stanton pointed out that scars are "awesome" and will make him look like a bad ass!

Jennings is seen here at an Opera in the Heights concert Susan and I attended a few years ago in Houston. He was great as usual. Our hope is that he'll be singing for all of us again soon!