News that's important to You!

Fiddler on the Roof will perform at the Fox Cites Performing Arts Center May 11-16. The North American Tour will continue its tradition of the 1964 Jerome Robbins Tony® Award-winning production.

Robbins won twin Tony awards for his direction and choreography of Broadway’s Fiddler on the Roof. In this national tour, both are faithfully recreated by Director Sammy Dallas Bayes, choreographer of the Broadway revival.

In the midst of a new millennia, in a world entangled with anxiety and fear, the one constant humanity can rely on is the strength of family and of its traditions that will ultimately sustain it through its own trials and tribulations. Forty-five years and a generation later, new audiences can identify and take heart as they experience the tradition in great musical theater that is Fiddler on the Roof.

Theodore Bikel will star as the iconic milkman. Bikel is best known for his role in Fiddler on the Roof, having portrayed the role of Tevye over 2,000 times. One of the world’s best known folk singers, Bikel is also an accomplished opera singer and has created such roles as Baron Von Trapp in the original Broadway production of The Sound of Music.

In addition to the stage, Bikel has been nominated for countless Emmy® Awards for his television appearances, including a win in 1988 for his appearance on public television as the 82-year-old Harris Newmark. Additional television credits include "L.A. Law," "Falcon Crest" and "Law and Order." Bikel is presently appearing in New York off-Broadway in a play that he wrote titled Sholom Aleichem - Laughter Through Tears.

Fiddler on the Roof will be at the Fox Cities PAC for 8 performances May 11-16, 2010. Tickets go on sale Friday, Mar. 19 at 10 a.m. and start at $47. Tickets can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 982-2787 or the Center's ticket office at (920) 730-3760. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center's ticket office or online at foxcitiespac.com. Groups of 15 or more can order now and save by calling (920) 730-3786. Additional fees may apply.

Fiddler on the Roof is locally supported by community partners Menasha Corporation and SECURA Insurance Companies. The performance schedule for Fiddler on the Roof at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center is: May 11-14, 7:30 p.m. and May 15 and 16, 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Come for a journey back in time and explore the North American Landscapes that existed 52 million years ago. On Wednesday, March 31 from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m., Dannette McMurran, Botanical Garden Manager, will walk you through two Epochs in time using photographic references and paleontological samples.

Please register by calling the Gardens at (920) 993-1900 or online at www.gardensfoxcities.org. Cost is $6 for Friends of the Gardens and $14 for General Public. More information, as well as a calendar of events can be found at www.gardensfoxcities.org.

Gardens of the Fox Cities is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public garden with 35 acres located within Appleton Memorial Park. The mission of the Gardens is to promote an appreciation and understanding of plants and gardens in an enriching, inspiring environment.

The Green Bay branch of the American Association of University Women honored Jeanne Agneessens, program manager of Leadership Green Bay with the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, as one of the “Dreamers and Doers” Award nominees at its event at Heritage Hill on Saturday, Mar. 13.

Agneessens was among 6 area women nominated for the 4th Annual Dreamers and Doers Award that recognizes contemporary women in Brown County who have demonstrated achievement, sustained leadership and shared their unique talents to make the community a better living environment. She was nominated for her long-time conservation leadership role with the Izaak Walton League, co-chairing the success All-America City bid in 1999 and for her work on diversity issues in the community.

The award winner was Maria Hinton, Oneida cultural leader and linguist. At age 99, Hinton is completing a Web-based searchable Oneida Dictionary by recording the correct pronunciation of more than 34,000 Oneida words so the language will be preserved.

Learn proper pruning of trees and shrubs in this workshop led by Mike Stanonik, City of Appleton Arboris, on March 27, 2010, from 8:30 – 10:30 am. Mike will teach the “How, When and Why” of pruning to improve the health and aesthetics of the trees and shrubs in your backyard. This is a hands-on demonstration.

Please register by calling the Gardens at (920) 993-1900 or online at www.gardensfoxcities.org. Cost is $6 for Friends of the Gardens; $14 for General Public. Registration ends March 19, 2010. More information, as well as a calendar of events can be found at www.gardensfoxcities.org.

Gardens of the Fox Cities is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public garden with 35 acres located within Appleton Memorial Park. The mission of the Gardens is to promote an appreciation and understanding of plants and gardens in an enriching, inspiring environment.

Jayne Latreille has been appointed president of the board of directors for the Samaritan Counseling Center of the Fox Valley, Inc. During her 2010–11 term, Latreille will focus on raising awareness of the Center, which offers faith-sensitive mental health services in Menasha, New London and Oshkosh regardless of a client’s ability to pay.

Latreille, a Samaritan Center board member since May 2009, got to know the Center as a counselor at Oshkosh West High School, making referrals through Project Open Door. The Samaritan Center program provides mental health services for children and adolescents from low-income families.

Founded in 1970, the Samaritan Counseling Center of the Fox Valley, Inc., is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2010. The Center offers faith-sensitive mental health services throughout the Fox Valley through offices in Menasha, New London and Oshkosh. Samaritan Counseling Center’s mission is to be an expression of God’s love, facilitating emotional healing and growth for women, men and youth regardless of financial status or faith background.