Every spring, we wait.

For school to be out.

For the homework to taper off.

And to hear what the Lincoln Trail College Summer Children's Theater Production is going to be.

After the announcement, our girls were on the fence. 

"Shrek Jr." They weren't huge fans of the movie, but what about the musical?

We headed for our favorite resource - YouTube.com - and Lindsey signed up the next day.

A month later, a whopping 80 local youth were signed up.

I often wonder how a director handles this many kids, ranging in age from kindergarten to incoming high school freshmen. I would imagine it's a situation you either embrace or run from...lol

Thankfully, director Tara Gallion embraces it and, in four short weeks, she put together an amazing show full of humor, surprises and beautiful music.

I've never actually seen "Shrek, Jr." the musical or "Shrek" the movie in their entirety, so I photographed it with a completely open mind. I have to admit, I was amazed at the humor as well as the talent by the youth on the stage.

After the rehearsal, I found myself asking our daughter "who sang that part" and "who sang that." Where did these local stars come from? 

It was awesome to see such a vast age range bridged by a common thread - putting together a summer musical.

It's so amusing to watch these rambunctious children prior to hopping on stage. They can be loud and unfocused (my child included). Once the curtain goes up, however, it's all business.

Crawford County is blessed to have such an outlet for its youth and such wonderful people to take on the task.