Yesteryear - Canton Festival Theater Grand Finale

This photo features the grand finale of Canton’s Bicentennial musical, High and Dry, staged in the outdoor theater, between the two wings of Canton School on July 2, 3, 8 and 9, in 1976, fifty years ago. The musical featured Carol Mathieson and Henry Helsabeck in leading roles, with the cast of 50 including a variety of amateur performers from housewives to the college president. The production was directed by Gwen Anderson Sharoff, former drama teacher at Culver-Stockton. The musical was based on the early history of Canton and its once flourishing competitor, the two of Tully, which was located near the site of the Lock and Dam. The production was preened in the tenth year of the Canton Festival Theater, created by the Canton Chamber of Commerce.