Entertainment, food and games will be featured when Wega Arts presents Las Vegas Night at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19.
The event will serve as a kick-off event for Waupaca’s Arts on the Square and be a benefit to restore the Randy Walter Memorial Balcony in the Gerold Opera House.
Las Vegas Night will be held in the historic opera house at 136 E. Main St.
Admission is $10 and tickets are available online at www.wegaarts.org, at the Coffee Klatsch in Weyauwega and at the Waupaca Area Chamber of Commerce office.
Kathy Fehl, of Wega Arts, said the event will feature Annie Hughes, Dan Davies, Will Keizer and Meaghan Owens.
A Waupaca resident, Hughes is an award-winning singer, actor and director. She was most recently seen in the lead role in the Waupaca Community Theatre production of “Mame.”
Davies, who also has a Waupaca connection, will serve as the master of ceremonies. He will also do comedy and sing.
Keizer, of Appleton, is a composer and musician who will be doing some original things, Fehl said.
Owens is a Midwest native whose sound is described as indie, country and folk. She is currently touring and working with Guitars for Vets.
Fehl said Las Vegas Night, which will include plenty of socializing and fun games, will raise funds for the opera house’s balcony project.
Ever since she and Ian Teal bought the opera house, they had planned to open up the boarded up balcony.
Walter, who passed away about a year ago, worked with Teal at the opera house from the time that Teal and Fehl purchased it.
“He volunteered an incredible number of hours. He took it personally. He put a tremendous amount of time into it. We could not have done it without him,” Fehl said.
She said they always planned to work on the balcony, and one day, he started working on it.
“We want to put a picture of him up there and call it the Randy Walter Memorial Balcony,” Fehl said.
She described Walter, who was from Fremont, as being hardworking and innovative.
“When he decided to fix something, he didn’t like to waste anything,” Fehl said. “He also loved to read. We’re hoping to finish it in the winter. He’s greatly missed.”
In addition to serving as a kick-off event for Arts on the Square (Aug. 20-21 on the city square in Waupaca), Fehl said they will also do a half-hour filmmaking demonstration Friday night in Waupaca.
On Saturday, Aug. 21, the independent film “Nonames” will be shown at the opera house.
“It’s exciting,” Fehl said. “We want to show independents. We’re looking at doing that more.”