Rocky Mountain College is thrilled to be the newest member of the historic Virginia City community, and we want all of our friends to come by and meet our new neighbors. We have a lot of exciting events planned this summer. Be sure to drop by and join in the fun!

July 17 -19, 2009: Rocky Mountain College Alumni & Friends 2009 Virginia City Family Vacation Weekend

Please join the Rocky family as we celebrate our exciting new partnership with the Virginia City Opera House. In the midst of Virginia City’s celebrated Micro-Brew Festival, we are inviting friends and alumni to join in the festivities!

The weekend’s entertainment will include four different shows at the Virginia City Opera House, under the gifted direction of our own Gerry Roe, featuring Rocky students as the Illustrious Virginia City Players. Here are some of the events we’ve planned:

Friday, July 17

• 1:00 p.m. See Movie Magic at the Opera House:
Enjoy the rare opportunity to watch a silent film accompanied by one of the only two existing Cremonas in the world.
• 5:30 p.m. RMC event: meet up no-host cocktails to vist with old friends and meet some new ones at the Bale of Hay Saloon on main street.
• 7:00 p.m. Watch Rustle Your Bustle, a musical comedy by Rocky student Jimmy Moore.
(The show will be reprised on Sunday at 2 p.m.) Tickets reduced for alumni & friends to $10.
• Later, you can attend the Dog and Grog Micro-Brew Festival featuring $2 pints starting at 7:00, with live music by Comstock Lode at 9 p.m.

Saturday, July 18

• High noon until 7 p.m. Beer flows and Big Tweed plays California Honky-Tonk and
country music under the big tent next to the Bale of Hay Saloon.
• 2:00 p.m. See Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the Opera House. Cost $10 through RMC.
• 6:00 p.m. RMC event: back to the Bale of Hay Saloon for beverages & more reminiscing.
• 7:30 p.m. Enjoy Aggie the Mail Order Bride, or A Damsel in di' West, a hilarious farce penned by Rocky’s Gerry Roe.
Cost $10 through RMC.

To make reservations, or learn more about the Rocky/Virginia City Family Vacation Weekend, go to VACATION.ROCKY.EDU or phone Vicki Davison at 406-657-1005.

July 24 - 26, 2009: A Sixtieth Celebration Weekend (featuring former Virginia City Players)

We would like to honor the Players who made historical theatre what it was and still is today, and we also want to pay tribute to the Opera house itself. To that end, we have planned a variagated weekend of vivacious celebration!

If you are a former player (or a current fan), please bring your families and friends! Players are admitted to the Opera House FREE of charge, and friends and families are invited to make a donation in lieu of admission costs.

Former players, send us your bios and photos, and if you'd like to join us for this event-packed weekend, please make your reservations today by calling 1-800-829-2969 or emailing us at celebrations@virginiacityplayers.com. You can also reach us by snail mail at Virginia City Players 60th, P.O. Box 81, Virginia City, MT 59755.

We will be taking reservations for this celebratory weekend until July 4th. Please pass it on!
Here is what we have in store for you:

Friday, July 24

• 7:00 p.m. Join us at the Virginia City Opera house to take in Aggie, the Mail Order Bride (or A Damsel in di'West) an adaptation of Moliere's School for Wives, penned by our own Gerry Roe. Follow the performance with libations and lively conversation at the Bale O'Hay, right next door.

Saturday, July 25

• 10:00 a.m. Assemble at the Opera House to join a parade through the streets of Virginia City. (We're thinking this should take from 7 to 10 minutes!)

• 2:00 p.m. Return to the Opera House to see Jimmy Moore's Rustle Your Bustle, a new musical farce featuring vintage music.

• 5:00 p.m. Join us for a mouth-watering barbeque in the park.

• 7:00 p.m. Return to the Virginia City Opera House for the ultimate showing of a "Varied Vagary of Vivacious Variety Acts, featuring the Return of the Players, A Celebration Performance (or We're Baaaack!) To celebrate our former players, we're inviting everyone to bring an Olio to perform on the Opera House Stage. Or, if we have no takers, we might just have to treat you to a performance of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street by George Dibdin Pit. (Yes, we are presenting this timeless play in honor of the first season of the Opera House, where the demon barber was featured 60 years ago!)

After the show, we will gather on the lawn next to the Bale for an old-fashioned VC Campfire Night. It's open-mic night for anyone who can complete this sentence: "Remember when we did _____________(name of show) when _____________(fill in silly or fun occurrence). Oh, and since families are invited, let's try to keep it "G" rated!

Sunday, July 26

• 10:00 a.m. Former players and their families are invited to join us for a Cowboy Breakfast at the Bale.

• 2:00 p.m. See a reprise of Rustle or Your Bustle, or see Sweeney Todd (if we didn't get around to it on Saturday night!)
_________________________________________________________________________________________
What else is there to do in the area? Why not visit the historic Nevada City one mile away via the “old 12” train, tour the Virginia City/Ennis area, or try your hand at panning for gold? Virginia City and surrounding areas offer the perfect inexpensive vacation, and you can help us celebrate Rocky’s new friendship with Virginia City.

P.S. This year's educational theme is "Making History with the Virginia City Players." We are inviting children from around Montana to participate through our summer activity guide and our study guide. For more information contact our education coordinator, Lynn-DeBree-Al.