A Charlie Brown themed weekend of fun, fundraising, and fantastic memories! This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Michigan State Thespian Conference in Saginaw, Michigan. Leaving home on a very very early Thursday morning heading to Reagan International to start making my way over to Detroit Airport. In Detroit I met up with the amazing and the incredible Mrs. Julie Cohen-Theobald! We continued on to a 25 minute plane ride from Detroit to Saginaw, where the phenomenal Chapter Director, Mr. Erik Hart was awaiting our arrival!
The three of us went out for a delicious lunch at a hibachi grill where we ate in style and with entertainment! Then we continued on with full bellies to check into our wonderful hotel, we set our luggage down and Mr. Hart and I went on a mission! A mission to go shopping for festival goodies! With a trunk full of gifts, Mr. Hart and I stopped for some milkshakes then headed over with Julie to the venue of the festival, the University of Saginaw!
We got to the University and got to work! Immediately unloading trunks and organizing countless supplies! Soon the STO and SSB (Student State Board,) two phenomenal groups of leaders arrived and we got to know each other while doing festival preparations! We sorted and named ducks, stuffed bags, organized t-shirts all while sharing stories and laughs!
The next morning started bright and early, the first day of the festival! We could hardly wait! After breakfast where I got to talk to some awesome Thespians, we headed over to the Temple Theater in downtown Saginaw and began right away with registration! Working as a well oiled machine, we formed an assembly line keeping our registration moving. From here we ran right on stage for opening ceremonies, after sharing a few words with the delegation of 1,500 I sat down to enjoy the opening show! The remainder of the day sped by with duck sales, IE help, and dance preparation! To celebrate a wonderfully successful first day, some STO and I met up for a lobby pajama party!
Day two and the final day of festival rolled around faster than any of us could have imagined! An early morning start had me helping set up college scholarship rooms, next I moved to one of the many highlights of the festival, teaching my workshops! With around 100 participants in attendance between the two workshops, they were a huge success and a load of fun! I met such wonderful and passionate leaders and was so happy to get to work with them!
Before we knew it, it was time for closing ceremonies. We headed to the Temple Theater and began to prepare for Minute to Give It with the benefits going to an incredible organization called Camp Rainbear which is a program for children affected by HIV and AIDS, over the span of 2 days, Michigan Thespians raised over $5,700 for this incredible cause! Next came by absolute favorite part of the fantastic weekend, college scholarship announcements! Michigan Thespians were offered over 4.8 million dollars in scholarships, how amazing!
We were sad to part as we left for our respective homes and hotels, but for many of us we knew this was not a goodbye, as we were going to reunite in Lincoln this summer! Thank you again to all the wonderful people of Michigan for allowing me to be a part of your festival fun! Happiness is YOU!
Until next time, make sure to stay in touch with you ITO by following us on all of our social media (@internationalthespianofficers on Instagram, @ITOOfficial on Snapchat, The International Thespian Officers on Facebook, @ITOViceChair on Twitter)!
