Directed by and featuring Ryan Bowie, along with Heather Anderson, Josh Bernaski and Ashley Laverty, this celebration of the mating game explores the journey from dating and waiting to love and marriage, and reveals the agonies and triumphs of in-laws and newborns, trips in the family car and pick-up techniques of the geriatric set.

"I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" opens Friday, February 10th at the Roxy Regional Theatre.

The performance on Saturday, February 11th, is part of our “Martinis at the Roxy” evening. Beginning at 6:30pm, patrons will enjoy drinks complemented by a menu featuring antipasto, smoked salmon, shrimp cocktail, blackberry chipotle chutney served over cream cheese, fruit skewers, and an array of desserts including raspberry tiramisu bites, sparkly cheesecake-stuffed strawberries, brownie turtle bites, red velvet cake balls, and bite-size chocolate chip cookies. The performance of “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” will follow at 8:00pm. Tickets for this event are $50.00.

The cast of "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change", (L to R) Ryan Bowie, Heather Anderson, Ashley Laverty and Josh Bernaski.

“I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” runs February 10th through March 3rd, playing Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:00pm and Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm, with a 2:00pm matinee on Saturday, February 18th.

Tickets are $20.00 (adults) and $15.00 (ages 13 and under) and may be purchased online at www.roxyregionaltheatre.org, by phone at 931.645.7699, or at the theatre during regular box office hours (9:00am to 2:00pm, Monday through Friday). Friday, February 10th, is our regular pay-what-you-can night; all tickets not pre-sold at the regular ticket price go on sale at 7:30pm for whatever price you wish to pay.

Meat will be smoked on Saturday, April 7th and ready for pick up that same day from 2:00pm-5:00pm. Pick up point is located off I-24, Exit 11 in the parking lot at the corner of Highway 76 and Hornbuckle Road (beside the Shell Station).

April 7th is the Saturday before Easter, so it’s a great way to support your local Boy Scouts, and have something delicious to serve for Sunday Dinner.

Money raised will go towards the purchase of a larger trailer for Troop 503 to be used for outings and activities.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Alicia at 931.358.3606.

Some of the events are National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, Second Annual 5K Breast Cancer Awareness Fun/Walk, “Who Will Lead the Next Social Movement” lecture and several others. Make sure to mark your calendars and come out to these wonderful events.

The Events Include

February 7th – National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. From 11:00am to 4:30pm, the cultural center, in conjunction with Nashville CARES, will provide free HIV/AIDS testing to all APSU students. Free food and giveaways will be available to those who get tested.

February 9th – The Sankofa African American Museum on Wheels. From 8:00am to 4:30pm, the museum will present writings, artwork and other artifacts of African American history in the Morgan University Center lobby. The traveling museum is co-sponsored by the APSU Office of Student Life and Leadership.

February 16th – Peay Soup Neo-Soul Edition in conjunction with Soul Lounge USA. The evening, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, will feature live soul music from R&B artists Jonathan Winstead and Reecy. The event will also feature an open-mic session, giving students the opportunity to express themselves through words, sounds and rhythm in the Clement Auditorium. Free to all current APSU students, faculty and staff with an APSU I.D. $5.00 to general public.

February 18th – Second Annual 5K Breast Cancer Awareness Fun/Walk. Working in conjunction with the Foy Fitness and Recreation Center, the cultural center is co-hosting this event to raise awareness about breast cancer in the community. The entry fee is $10.00 for students and $12.00 for non-students, with all proceeds going to the Kay Yow Fund. Registration is at 9:00am at the Foy. The race begins at 10:00am at the Dunn Center parking lot. For more information, contact Lauren Wilkinson at 931.221.7564 or .

February 22nd – Hot Topic with the African American Studies Department: Hip-Hop, Is It Still Relevant? This discussion, from 4:00pm to 6:00pm at the center, will feature APSU assistant professor of African American studies Johnny Jones discussing the significance of hip-hop music and culture and why it should or should not remain relevant in society.

February 28th – “Who Will Lead the Next Social Movement” lecture. From 4:30pm to 5:30pm, Student Publications will host a meet and greet with Jeff Johnson, an award-winning investigative journalist, social activist and political commentator, at The All State office (Morgan University Center room 111). Johnson will deliver a free lecture from 6:00pm to 8:00pm in the Clement Auditorium. He will draw from his celebrated conversations with marquee world figures in politics, business and entertainment, his grassroots work to inspire the next generation of leaders, his BET specials and his weekly commentaries on the nationally syndicated “Tom Joyner Morning Show,” in his discussion. The event is sponsored by Student Publications, Student Affairs Services and the African American Cultural Center. A book signing to follow from 7:00pm-8:30pm at the cultural center.

For more information on these events, contact the center at 931.221.7120, or www.apsu.edu/aacc/calendar-events-0.

Cunningham, TN

Conatser, a 2011 graduate of Montgomery Central, was paralyzed on December 27th when he became light headed and fell hitting his head on a truck bumper and then again on a bolt that was part of the car lift. He damaged his c-4 vertebrae, breaking his neck. He is currently in Atlanta, GA at the Shepherd Center a world renowned rehabilitation center that specializes in spinal cord injuries in young people.

Around 300 people came to the Fundraiser Auction held at the Montgomery Central High School’s Thomas-Young Gym for Brady Conaster Saturday night.

In order to bid, you had register and get a bidders number. 120 people registered to bid.

Clarksville Online and Discover Clarksville streamed live video of the event over the Internet so Brady could watch it from a laptop in his room. “Brady was so excited to be able to watch the auction.” commented Vicki Self, Brady Conatser’s mother. “He could not believe the number of people that showed up for the event.”

There was a full concession stand that was stocked with hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage, chips, candy bars and sodas. All of the food, drinks and ice were donated by local businesses. “I want to personally thank all of the businesses that donated items to the concession stand.” stated Perry. “I would especially like to thank Blackwell Construction for donating all of the food.”

Auctioneer Neal Trice takes bids on a gift certificate for a dinner for two to the Golden Coral.

Other parts of the fundraiser included a 50/50 raffle. Tickets were $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00. The money raised from ticket sales would be split evenly between the winner and the fundraiser.

T-Shirts were sold that had “Prayers Hope & Faith for Brady” on the front over the heart and “The Task ahead of you is never as great as the Strength within you” printed on the back. T-Shirts were $20.00 each.

There was also a donation jug.

The auctioneer was Neal Trice, who donated his services for the evening.

Some of the baked goods that were available at the auction.

There was well over a hundred items in the auction, which were donated by individuals and businesses throughout the community. A row of tables started at one end of the basketball court and ended at the other. Each table was overflowing with items. There was a second row of larger items that would not fit on a table.

Some of the items in the auction were a $400.00 Gift Certificate for a Dual Exhaust, leather jacket, hand paintings, computer system, charcoal grill, Dale Earnhart Jr. Hood, baked items, and up to $600.00 towards a set of tires just to name a few.

There were so many items that it was nearly 11:00pm before everything was auctioned off. “I can not say enough about the community we live in. Once word got out that we needed items, individuals and businesses alike started sending in items for the auction.” stated Tiffany Perry. “I want to thank everyone that donated to the auction and everyone that came out tonight.”

Joe Self, winner of the 50/50 raffle.

As the night came to a close, there was one last thing to be done. Draw the winning ticket for the 50/50 raffle. The total in the raffle was $560.00. The winner of the raffle was Joe Self, Conatser’s step grandfather. He immediately donated his winnings to the fundraiser. “Brady needs the money.” Self said.

$13,000 was raised Saturday night. The auction brought in $10,688. Right at $1000.00 was raised with the concession stand. The raffle raised $560.00 and the rest came from donations and t-shirt sales.

“This event was a huge success. It turned out better than any of us could imagine.” stated Perry. “I want to take this time to thank everyone again for coming out tonight. I want to thank all of our volunteers for the evening and I want to thank Montgomery Central High School and Will Ferrell for allowing us to use the gym.”

“Brady Conatser is a former student of ours and we are glad we could help out.” stated Will Ferrell, Montgomery Central High School Assistant Principal. “Central takes pride in being a community school and tonight was a chance to show it.”

On Saturday, January 28th there will be another fund-raising event at the Pinnacle Family Entertainment Center. Dr. Mac Edington has donated the Pinnacle from 9:00am to 11:00am for free bowling that includes shoe rental. A donation of $7.00 will be collected at the door. The Pinnacle Family Entertainment Center is located at 430 Warfield boulevard in Clarksville, TN.

On March 10th, there will be a fundraiser at Cheap Shotz Sports Bar & Grill located at 688 Chesterfield Circle Clarksville, TN.

Clarksville Online will keep you informed of all upcoming fund-raisers for Brady Conatser.

To keep up with Brady’s progress visit his website at www.bradysjourneytorecovery.com.

For more this story, see: Family to hold Fundraiser Auction for Teen Paralyzed in Fall

To see more photos, goto the Discover Clarksville Photo Gallery.

One of the things that makes this show unique is in most plays the program follows a fixed set of scenes always in the same exact order; but in Happily Ever After the children set the course of the show.

Click here to view the embedded video.

At various points throughout the performance members of the cast would head out into the audience to let one of the young people pick a slip of paper out of a container identifying which scene would occur next. Cries of “Me! Pick Me!” could be heard from throughout the audience as boys and girls lifted their hands high in the air as they tried to get the actors attention so they could be the lucky one to choose. For this performance the tales were told in the following order: “The Elves and The Shoemaker,” “The Hare and The Hedgehog,” “Snow White,” “Hansel and Gretel,” and “The Bremen Town Musicians.”

The cast was absolutely stupendous. They brought a sense of excitement and fun to their roles. My favorite parts included the giggling elves in the tale of the Elves and the Shoemaker, and wily Mr. and Mrs. Hedgehog in the story of “The Hare and The Hedgehog.” Their performances kept the kids in a state of rapture as they enjoyed the action on stage. The Actors and Actresses were able to take a show aimed at kids and make it fun and entertaining for the adults as well. This production features Brandon Meeks, Josh Bernaski, Travis Kendrick, Ashley Laverty, and Heather Anderson.

The Cast of Happily Ever After

The sets were deceptively simple; hanging strips of cloth to symbolize a forest, a table some stools and a wide cloth banner, a couple of cut out homes, and dwarfs. The intricacy of the costuming more than made up for the simplicity of the sets.

The show continues each Saturday at 2:00pm through February 11th. Tickets are $15.00 (adults) and $10.00 (ages 13 and under) and may be purchased online at www.roxyregionaltheatre.org, by phone at 931.645.7699, or at the theatre during regular box office hours (9:00am to 2:00pm, Monday through Friday).

Take the kids and get out to see this wonderful show!

Photo Gallery

To view more photos from the Roxy Regional Theatre’s production of Happily Ever After, Visit our Photo Gallery.

The Cast

The Bremen Town Musicians

Donkey …………………………………………………… Brandon Meeks
Hound-Dog …………………………………………… Josh Bernaski
Cat …………………………………………………………… Travis Kendrick
Rooster ………………………………………………… Heather Anderson
Robber …………………………………………………… Ashley Laverty

The Elves And The Shoemaker

Narrator …………………………………………… Josh Bernaski
Shoemaker ………………………………………… Travis Kendrick
Wife ……………………………………………………… Heather Anderson
Elves …………………………………………………… Brandon Meeks, Ashley Laverty
Customer …………………………………………… Josh Bernaski

Hansel And Gretel

Woodcutter ……………………………………… Brandon Meeks
Woodcutter’s Wife …………………… Ashley Laverty
Hansel ………………………………………………… Travis Kendrick
Gretel ………………………………………………… Heather Anderson
Witch …………………………………………………… Josh Bernaski

The Hare And The Hedgehog

Narrator …………………………………………… Josh Bernaski
Hedgehog …………………………………………… Travis Kendrick
Hedgehog’s Wife ………………………… Heather Anderson
Hare ……………………………………………………… Brandon Meeks

Snow White

Narrator …………………………………………… Josh Bernaski
Queen …………………………………………………… Ashley Laverty
Snow White ……………………………………… Heather Anderson
Huntsman …………………………………………… Josh Bernaski
Dwarves ……………………………………………… Travis Kendrick
Mirror ………………………………………………… Josh Bernaski
Prince ………………………………………………… Brandon Meeks

This production is presented without an intermission…

About the Company

Heather Anderson

Heather Anderson is thrilled to be returning to the Roxy stage after playing Janis Joplin and others in Beehive: The 60′s Musical and Sister Margaretta in The Sound of Music. A graduate of Belmont University, past credits include Maureen (RENT), Holly (The Wedding Singer), Fanny Brice (Funny Girl) Shelby (Steel Magnolias). Many thanks to John, Tom, Ryan and this fantastically fun cast! All love and gratitude to my insanely supportive family and friends. heatherandersononline.com

Josh Bernaski

Josh Bernaski is excited to return to the Roxy stage as a member of this season’s company. Josh made his Roxy debut as Sparky in Forever Plaid and later appeared as The Wolf in Into the Woods. Other past performance credits include Troy Bolton in Disney’s High School Musical and Napthali in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with New Candlelight Theatre, and Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors and Jamie in My Fair Lady with City of Maples Repertory Theatre.

Travis Kendrick

Travis Kendrick was last seen on the Roxy stage as Fezziwig and others in A Christmas Carol. Previous Roxy credits include: A T ale of Two Cities, Joseph . Dreamcoat (Joseph), Beautiful In The Extreme, The Civil War, Hamlet (Guildenstern, Osric), Once Upon A Time (Wolf, Rumpelstiltskin, Flounder, et al), Around the World in 80 Days (Passepartout) and Dracula: The Musical (Arthur Holmwood). New York City credits include: Flappers and Filosofers (Clark, choreographer; Rag ‘N Bone Theatre Company) and Dotty Dot: A New Children’s Musical (director, choreographer, co-writer; Rising Sun Performance Company). Some other professional credits include: Peter Pan (Nibs, Gretna Theatre), High School Musical (Zeke Baylor, Maples Repertory Theatre), Big River (Ben Rogers, Loessin Summer Theatre), Anything Goes (Steward, Barksdale Theatre) and Ragtime (Harry Houdini, Pittsburgh Playhouse). Travis received his training at Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts with a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre. www.traviskendrick.com

Ashley Laverty

Ashley Laverty is thrilled to pieces to be in Happily Ever After with so many of her favorite fairy tale characters! She has previously had the chance to tour the country and share the stage with Curious George and Nikki Neutron, a superhero who saves electricity! Many thanks to John, Tom and Adam! For more information, visit www.ashleylaverty.com!

Brandon Meeks

Brandon Meeks is thrilled to be back in Clarksville performing at Roxy Regional Theatre, following his Roxy debut last season as Horatio in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and subsequent appearances in the regional premiere of Bea(u)tiful in the Extreme and, most recently, as Fred in A Christmas Carol. Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Brandon currently lives and works in New York City. Past productions include Romeo and Juliet

The children will have a say in choosing the order of the classic Brothers Grimm stories of “Snow White,” “The Bremen Town Musicians,” “The Hare and The Hedgehog,” “The Elves and The Shoemaker” and “Hansel and Gretel,” adapted for the stage by John McDonald and performed by Heather Anderson, Josh Bernaski, Travis Kendrick, Ashley Laverty and Brandon Meeks.

“Happily Ever After” plays Saturdays at 2:00pm, January 14th through February 11th. Tickets are $15.00 (adults) and $10.00 (ages 13 and under) and may be purchased online at www.roxyregionaltheatre.org, by phone at 931.645.7699, or at the theatre during regular box office hours (9:00am to 2:00pm, Monday through Friday).

Heather Anderson, Ashley Laverty and Adriane Wiley-Hatfield are joined by Jill Eichhorn, professor of women’s studies at Austin Peay State University; Paige King, proprietor of home boutique Hodgepodge; and Melissa Schaffner, marketing director of Fort Campbell’s MWR program; in readings of these monologues.

Eve Ensler conducted with 200 women about their views on sex, relationships, and violence against women and drafted these monologues from those interviews.

“The Vagina Monologues” is presented in theotherspace, the 50-seat black-box theatre located upstairs at the Roxy, and runs January 6th through February 4th, playing Thursdays at 7:00pm and Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm.

Tickets are $10.00 and may be purchased online at www.roxyregionaltheatre.org, by phone at 931.645.7699, or at the theatre during regular box office hours (9:00am to 2:00pm, Monday through Friday).

Three young ladies celebrating New Years at the Gilroy on University Avenue

Live music was popular on New Years Eve. Mother Pandora rocked at the Warehouse; Tim Lynch was featured at The Gilroy; Tina Brown crooned at the new Jazz establishment Singletons; The Coup’s musical extravanganza saw performances by Vash the Stampede, The Chronic, Meth Dad, Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt, CNDYPNTS, and TEE-AYE SEE-OHH;and Mike Robinson performed The Lodge.

Other Venus featured DJ’s including Kickers in Oak Grove with the styling of DJ Butterfly, McKenzie’s Lounge at the Riverview Inn showcased the talents of DJ Jason, The Black Horse Pub and Brewery played host to DJ Attitude, while the Sidelines Sports Bar & Grill grooved with DJ Budda Fly.

Becky McLaughlin and Krystal Roberts from Studio 931 were on hand taking new years portraits at the Hilton Garden Inn.

In addition to the great music, you could find Beer Pong at the Gilroy, Karaoke at Kelly’s On Franklin Street, and McKenzie’s Lounge; a limbo contest and palm reading at the Coup; and portraits at the Hilton Garden Inn. The Pinnacle was packed with people spending New Years Eve bowling.

In Historic Downtown Clarksville the turn out for New Years Eve out was down, and according to one business owner has been going down for several years. This could be a direct result of the popularity of venues in other parts of the city.

At the Indoor Aquatic Center 15-20 young people gathered for a New Years Eve pool party. The brand new event will likely become more and more popular as the word spreads about this as a kid friendly New Years Eve destination.

However, project Contractor TMS Construction is claiming traffic in the area has increased to the point that it is interfering with the project.

TMS Contracting has notified the City that the areas under construction have continued to see an increase in use. The City has worked with the contractor to keep the boat ramp open to the public. However, TMS is claiming traffic in the park has reached a point where the damage to the grounds is becoming significant.

Numerous press releases have been issued in the past few months notifying the public that the park was closed while limited access to the boat ramp would be allowed. Signs were also posted at the park’s entrance to this effect but they continue to be ignored.

“We have decided to close park access to avoid damages and delaying further work on the project,” said Mayor Kim McMillan. “Our goal is to complete the project as soon as possible so that everyone can use the park and marina to the full extent possible and we are determined to do everything within our means to bring this project to fruition.”

All public access to the park will remain closed until further notification. Police patrols will ticket trespassers.

In a promotion that included WJZM radio, and Clarksville Online, Lasaters offered a chance to win the one thousand dollars, along with other prizes including an ipad, roku box, and more. The contest received over eight thousand entries.

Sango Lasaters manager Megan Ryle presents Lasaters Christmas Giveaway winner Michael Clark with the prize of $1000 in the form of a check Friday, December 23rd.

Clark has lived in Clarksville all his life, having graduated from Clarksville High School, attended Trevecca, and graduating from Austin Peay State University in 1997. Clark works for the Department of Childrens Services, and has been married to Dana Clark for 12 years. Clark has four children ages 4-10.

Michael Clark, winner of the Lasaters Christmas Giveaway, and his mother, Jeane Clark, just after receiving the $1000 giveaway.

“I am happy. Very thrilled. Shocked really” said Clark. “I’ve never really won anything of significance. This is a wonderful gift to help with Christmas. It’s awesome.”

“I also want to say thank you to WJZM for all of their work in the community, and Clarksville Online for being a great source of community information. God is just amazing. When you aren’t even looking, he just comes and blesses you. I feel very blessed” Clark said.

Lasaters Coffee and Tea is Clarksville’s only locally owned franchise of specialty coffee and tea stores with franchises in Clarksville, and Cleveland Tennessee. Matt Lasater is the founder and owner, who lives and works in Clarksville. Lasaters has location on Wilma Rudolph Boulevard, Riverside Drive, Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard and a kiosk at Gateway Medical Center. Lasaters has just opened a new franchise in Cleveland, Tennessee.