Manfred Harter
Special to The Morning Star
Projects come and go. Businesses start, survive and fail.
In this particular case it’s reasonable to assume that with the involvement of three separate and distinct factions something like the revival of a nearly forgotten variety show on local cable has a reasonable chance of survival.
This week on April 14, which also happens to be the birthday of April’s Flute (one of the regular musicians from the show) we will witness the planned and spontaneous antics of a local guitar-focused character that has been labeled quirky, interesting and endearing to not everyone, but nevertheless to a handful of curious and somehow attached growing number of attendees.
On this particular episode of Manfred’s Guitar, number three, the attention of the Shaw TV cameras and production crew will be on the singing and strumming styles of two young ladies from the hamlet of Vernon and a retired rocker that refuses to quit, from another fiefdom to the south of Vernon.
Whether it is to avoid the law or retired residents in retirement homes he uses several names—Kenny, Kenneth, the Holmberg, the Halo and Rusty Halo—this is how we know him.
A faithful fan of the Manfred’s Guitar show, he has appeared on the second dry run with no camera, then as an audience member with clever quips during a taped show. He was promised a spot and this week he will drag up one of his weapons of pluckery and put Manfred in his place again.
The featured act, the first guest, is a local face and a name that has been quietly and effectively active as a developing singer/songwriter/booking agent for past entertainers at Gallery Vertigo and who also happens to be the president of the board of Gallery Vertigo for the last year.
Meagan Heinloo or Megan May will again gather all her strength to lift and strum a very large fire-engine red guitar for one song, possibly two and then during the next few days will pack her make-up, socks and other necessities prior to boarding a 747 that should, if all things go well, drop her off at Heathrow Airport. From there we don’t know.
A regular at another hot spot, Vernon’s Record City, she was spotted and convinced to spend this Saturday at Vertigo.
The more familiar of the two ladies is also a juggler of identities that seem to fit with the different styles of entertainment demands. Tanya Lipscomb is Lili Star, Kiki the Echo Elf. That’s three aliases, the Lipscomb part could be fictitious as well, we don’t know everything at this time of writing the Manfred’s Guitar press release.
With the association of Vertigo also in it’s first year of new digs and the hangers-on that contribute numerous hours of volunteer time there is great satisfaction and appreciation from all concerned in this project for the work that is contributed by Shaw.
Tickets to the limit of 30 people are available at the door, which opens at around 6:30 p.m. and they close at 7 p.m. when the red light goes on. Tickets are $10.
@VernonNews
newstips@vernonmorningstar.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.