By Ed Murphy • Everybody knows the story, so I won’t repeat it. Prince Christopher gets Cinderella, a very well-choreographed musical wedding scene ends the play and the theatergoers live happily ever-after. Along the way we get to enjoy some very good musical comedy performances by the evil step sisters played by Kate Jansen and Laura Ouellette Tack . They got the maximum mileage out of their comic roles and were audience favorites. Their mother, played by Lorraine Little, is no walk in the park either, and some physical supplementation adds to her comic persona. Young kids (they looked to range from 4 to teenage) played dancing mice. The all deserved a big round of cheese. Well done!

STORY & PHOTOS BY LAURA BAIRD • Downtown Castle Rock has quite a bit to offer shoppers, and though I hate to overuse the word "quaint," it really is appropriate. One shop I had the pleasure of visiting is Focus Art & Frame, near Hattie’s restaurant.

By Perry Piper • Movies have been a favorite activity among all generations for many decades now and will continue into the future; the only change that will occur is in the way we watch them. Blu-ray Disc has become essentially mainstream, meaning that movies can be picked up new at some stores for $20 or less and that many older films are being re-released on the new format. If you haven’t yet seen the reason to upgrade, Blu-ray has become very affordable now and most people can finally use their HDTVs to their fullest extent.

BY GARY MEYERS • Our Fourth Annual Haiku Contest ended on January 20. The judges have spoken, the results have been tabulated, and the winners are announced. It’s now time for the revelry, the horn-blowing, fireworks, and parades (all the responsibility of the winners and their fans).

By Sara Freeman, PhD * The Columbia’s approach to “Cinderella” is both quirky and inventive, Morelli said. He expects that will be the primary mode for the Columbia’s homegrown productions. “I hope we get a reputation for doing very clever productions,” he said, — ones that delight more because of ingenious theatricality than big-budget spectacle. “Cinderella” features a chorus of “shadows” who will create visual magic throughout the show. This type of invisible-yet-in-plain-sight spectacle is common in lots of traditional theatre forms, especially Japanese Noh and Kabuki. It carries the pleasure of double vision: You get to enjoy stage effects but you also get to appreciate the elegance of how they are created.

By Chere Weiss • Mardi Gras is coming. The day before Ash Wednesday in the Lenten calendar is known as "Fat Tuesday." This special day is a way of having one last celebration before the beginning of Lent when believers sacrifice over indulgences in spiritual preparation for the Easter season. "Fat Tuesday" means you can eat rich foods, drink and be merry, traditionally often incognito wearing a mask so you can be naughty and no one will know who is behind that disguise.

By Lynn Taylor • The Winter Classical Concert by the Southwest Washington Symphony, under the direction of Ryan Heller, opened with the brass fanfare of the “Festival Overture” by Dmitri Shostokovich, a very energizing start setting the pace for the rest of the concert. . . At the conclusion of the piece (The Rach III), the packed house erupted as the audience rose in robust applause. Sue Lane, the Symphony Auxialry's representative, presented Dr. Hulbert with a floral bouquet and a box of See's chocolates as a token of appreciation for the magnificent performance.

Story and Photos by Laura Baird • The library is a treasure, where everyone is sure to find what they want, from new releases, to older books, newspapers and magazines; a wonderful children’s section, and now eBooks. There are areas to sit back and relax and, once the weather turns favorable, sitting outside near the rose garden is a delight.

I do not know how important football was to Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and all the other computer pioneers in 1967. But today’s Super Bowl fan can’t help but appreciate the communication abilities we take for granted 45 years later and the footprint they helped create.Vince Lombardi, the man who the National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl’s trophy is named after, winning coach of the first and second events, probably would have been astonished by the effect this game — of just determining which American football team was the best — would impact the globe today. He probably would find it hard to believe how important this game has become to so many people, football fans or not.