A summer of fun is coming to the stage as Kaleidoscope Theatre stages the musical murder mystery Curtains.
    Kaleidoscope celebrated 40 years last season and for more than 20 it has produced a summer musical.  While often these productions are familiar to the audience and crew, the production of Curtains is something new.
    Director Becky Neuman admits she loved how the sound of murder musical mystery rolls off the tongue.
    “It sounded fun,” she said, adding it is also a challenge.
    Curtains takes the audience to Boston in the late 1950s where a detective tries to crack the case of the murder of the leading lady. She was murdered during her opening night curtain call at the Colonial Theatre. It turns out that the ol’ gumshoe is also a big theatre fan.
    “They are doing the production and someone is murdered. The detective comes in to solve the mystery,” explains Neuman. “The detective loves theatre and has been in amateur theatre, and he starts to bring his own ideas.”
    Along the way, there is intrigue, romance, mystery and music.
    Like many musicals that Kaleidoscope has staged, it has a great cast, with many familiar faces, as well as some new ones. This year a number of younger actors are signed up and learning their parts.
    “We have people from their early 60s, and the youngest is in Grade 9,” said Neuman.
    Already they have put in over 100 hours of rehearsal, and she says they are doing great.
    And they will keep working hard until the curtain call.
    Curtains runs June 21, 22, 24 and 26 to 29  at 7:30 p.m., with a special matinee on  June 23  at 2 p.m. Tickets are available by going to  www.drumhellertheatre.org

Demolition of the old Midland Rink is wrapping up and the area is beginning to look much different.
Since ground broke on the project in the spring on the new fully accessible NHL size outdoor rink, many local community members and businesses have come out to help volunteers and assist the Midlandvale Community Hall Association (MHCA) with the demolition. The foundation and old rink boards have been removed, along with some trees that were in the way of the new construction.
As demolition is nearing completion, the MCHA is waiting for the Town of Drumheller to issue the building permits needed in order to take the next steps. Cindy Sereda, a volunteer with the MCHA and who has been overseeing the project, tells the Mail what those next steps are.
“Reward Construction will be coming in to build the concrete foundation of the new rink and set up the new boards and basketball nets. We are hoping this will be a four to six week timeline once they get started,” says Sereda. “Amongst the rink construction, we will be having local volunteers and local licensed tradesmen working on the new skate shack, washrooms and storage garage.”
The MCHA is still about $125,000 from their fundraising goal. They have a raffle coming up thanks to West Jet and their Gift of Flight donation. More information will be posted on the MCHA website and Facebook page when it becomes available.
“We can’t wait to have this project ready for the entire community to enjoy!” exclaims Sereda.