New Show Opens at Ramona Mainstage Theatre

Kristin Menglekoch as Keely and Rancall Dodge as Pete perform in the Ramona Mainstage muscial comedy “Pete ‘n’ Keely.”

By Ruth Lepper

Director Brian Wells returns to Ramona Mainstage Theatre with a musical comedy review, “Pete ‘n’ Keely.” It opens Nov. 5 with previews and runs through Jan. 22.

Wells has cast popular musical comedy actor Randall Dodge in the role of Pete, with Kristin Menglekoch as Keely. Musical director is Don LeMaster, with David Brannen as choreographer.

The story takes place in 1968 in a television studio, where the two characters are reuniting for a special musical show that is being broadcast live across the nation. The formerly married couple hasn’t spoken to each other in five years, not exactly the picture of “America’s Swinging Sweethearts.”

Original songs along with old standards will have the audience reminiscing about favorite old television shows, such as “Captain and Tennille,” Sonny and Cher” and “Steve and Eydie,” among others.

Opening night for “Pete ‘n’ Keely” is Nov. 12. Performances will be at 8 pm. on Saturdays with 2 p.m. matinees on Sundays. Tickets are $32, with discounts for seniors, children and military. The theater is located 626 Main St., Ramona. For more information, call the box office at (760) 789-7008.

Local Volunteers Help with Katrina Disaster By Ruth Lepper

Teresa and Danny Manley returned from Biloxi, Miss., with a feeling of accomplishment for having stepped in where there was a need.

“There’s not enough people to get the job done,” Teresa Manley said of the disaster relief efforts.

The Manleys, their daughter, Brigida Manley, and friend, Margie Regaldo, traveled to the Gulf States following the wreckage caused in late August by hurricane Katrina. They offered to be of assistance to Urban Life Ministries, a Christian organization based in New York City that was working with the Hope Crisis Response Network.

Their first trip was in early September. The couple will be returning in mid-November. It will be Teresa Manley’s fourth trip to Biloxi and Danny Manley’s third trip.

The National Guard and a church group put a tarp on a flood victim’s home, even though it will be leveled, to protect from the rain. photo by Daniel A. Manley

They volunteered at a point-of-distribution center, or POD, that was offering assistance to people who had lost their homes. Each day, the POD served 4,000 hot meals to the displaced persons. Tents — 2,000 in one day — were handed out to families that had nowhere else to stay.

The three women stayed busy at the POD. While Teresa Manley was helping people with insurance claims and forms that needed to be filed with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Regaldo and Brigida Manley made themselves useful by distributing food and supplies. Brigida Manley, a nursing student in San Diego, later went to a nearby medical clinic where she helped nurses attending patients.

Danny Manley wanted to be out where the people were staying, some in tents in parks, others in their ill-fated houses. He drove around in the van they had rented to make the trip, looking for people who needed help.

: A desperate plea to FEMA written on the side of a home. photo by Daniel A. Manley

“People were still living in their homes, homes that would be condemned and demolished,” he said.

He met a man named Jimmy whose wife had left him during the disaster. They had five children and when Jimmy was unable to save their infant daughter from being washed away in the flood waters, his wife left him, taking three of the children with her. The oldest daughter, about 16 or 17, stayed with her father.

“He saved 12 people’s lives, just going up and down the streets listening to the screams and calls for help,” Danny Manley said. “When we first met this guy, he walked around the POD for two hours and all he picked up was two cans of cat food to feed the cats in the neighborhood.”

Manley said he heard of another man who lost his life in the flood waters after rescuing five other people. The man was the apartment manager where they lived.

The Manleys had purchased 92 gift certificates from Walmart, each worth $25, from donations totaling $2,300 collected by Julian Chamber of Commerce. Danny

A man standing outside of his condemned home. The water line is nearly to the roof of his two-story home where they are still living while waiting for assistance. photo by Daniel A. Manley

Manley gave out the gift certificates to people he felt “could use a little joy in their lives.”

A man out front of his new tarp home he shares with 5 other adults and several children. Their homes were destroyed so this is just down the block from where they used to live. photo by Daniel A. Manley