“Ocian in View! O! The joy!”  is the exact quote from the journal of William Clark.  As the journals of both Meriwether Lewis and William Clark exhibit, spelling was not of major concern.  But the spirit is certainly there.  “Ocean in view; oh, the joy!” were the words that came to William Clark at his first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean after a 13 month journey across land from St. Louis.

It might have been a while since you learned of our history’s Great Exploration of the Corps of Discovery, but it is a story that bears some revisiting.

Paulette Friday’s new production is named after Clark’s famous exclamation “O! The Joy! – Stories & Songs of the Lewis & Clark Expedition.”

“The story of the Corps of Discovery is a big story!  Too big for one production; so I’ve chosen some pieces of the story that you might not have learned in your history lesson” says Friday. Along with the historical pieces Friday has written to tell the story, she has researched the music of the era and selected pieces that were, at least to some extent, likely to have been played often on this journey.

Stories and songs played a key and critical role in the Great Expedition, and Friday’s new production will demonstrate this through her written pieces and selection of historical music.

Those who have seen Friday’s other historical productions – Civil War, Great Depression, 19^th Century Immigration, Prairie Pioneering, and Women’s Suffrage won’t be disappointed in this new offering.  It promises a range of emotion in story form and toe-tapping as well as familiar sentimental music.

Performing are: David Bengtson, Greg Donahue, Paulette Friday, Chuck Grussing, Patty Kakac, Terry Kennedy, Todd Nelson, Anne O’Flynn, Sara Robinson, and Leah Zenner.

Performances will be held at the Alexandria Area High School Performing Arts Center on Saturday, September 9, at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, September 10, at 2:00 p.m.; and at Roosevelt Hall in Barrett on Sunday, September 24, at 5:30 p.m.  Tickets for all performances are $20 at the door.

This activity is made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Lake Region Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriate from the Arts and Cultural Heritage fund.