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Churchill Readings at the Hoffman Center

Staged reading of Churchill speeches on November 14

The Hoffman Center in Manzanita will present an evening of readings from the speeches of Winston Churchill, Sunday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.

 Most of the addresses were made to the British and American people between 1938 and 1941, when the balance of power in the world was threatened by Nazi Germany. Churchill’s father was British, his mother American, and in his talks he called on both peoples to respond to the threat.

 Readers will be Dave Bell, Lynn Hadley, Stewart Martin, Peter Nunn, Ahna Ortiz, Margaret Page and Richard Speer.

 “Many feel these are the words that saved western civilization. They are surely among the most honored and respected in the history of the English language,” said director Richard Speer. “I hope that all will take from the readings an appreciation of the heroism and courage of the man who made them and the people who first heard and then responded to them.”

 Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, famed politician, statesman and orator, served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1940 to 1945, and from 1951 to 1955. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953. Ten years later, he became the first person named an Honorary Citizen of the United States.

Admission to the event will cost $10 and tickets will be sold at the door.

Support the “Speechies” on January 22

Please join the Hoffman Center and Hoffman Center volunteers in supporting our Neahkahnie High School Speech Team. This hard-working creative team is a consistent contest winner, despite having to work outside classroom hours, after school and on weekends, with minimal budget. In order to keep performing, the team needs to raise money for materials, scripts, subscriptions, camp fees, and hotel costs when they travel to compete.

They have heart and deserve our support. So, here’s the plan:

The Center will host a fundraising public-awareness event to demonstrate the talents of the “Speechies” at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22, 2010. Donations will be requested, with a suggested minimum of $10 per person. Refreshments will be served.

The format, agreed to by Speech Coach Holly Lorincz and the students, is as follows:

∙ Impromptu speech (audience selects the topic)

∙ Dramatic Interpretation speech

∙ Duo Interpretation speech

To top off the evening, a Public Forum Debate will have two team members square off with Nehalem Mayor Shirley Kalkhoven and Wheeler Mayor Walt Trandum on a current international topic. The audience will judge the “winner” of the debate.

The real “winners” will be public awareness and support for the Speechies as they move into college, regional and, hopefully, state competitions.

Please join us for an intellectually stimulating evening, and support our local youth. The success of this event rests with you. Spread the word. January 22, 6:30 p.m. at the Hoffman Center, 594 Laneda Ave., Manzanita.