Smoke on the Mountain: Homecoming

Elkhart, The City with a Heart, is showing heartfelt gratitude for the military families and the veterans of the US Armed Forces. Elkhart Civic Theatre and the City of Elkhart announce that they are collaborating with JoiningForces.com, a White House initiative to help the military families of the USA, to give a special performances of Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming to the military families and veterans of all branches of the armed services at the newly renovated Lerner Theatre in Downtown Elkhart. The first show of the ECT 2012-13 season, Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming is the third in the Sanders Family trilogy, a bluegrass/gospel musical written by Connie Ray, conceived by Allan Bailey, with musical arrangements by Mike Carver. Bringing together 25 classic and new gospel songs, the musical has wonderful stories from the lives of the Sanders family in October 1945, as they welcome home son Dennis from WWII, and prepare the family for other major changes. The free showing of this musical for the JoiningForces.com initiative will be at the Lerner Theatre in downtown Elkhart, on Sunday, September 23, 2012 at 6::00 PM. Tickets are available on a first come/first serve basis to the families of the military and veterans of any of the branches of service. They may be ordered over the phone, in person or online at www.thelerner.com. The Access code needed for free tickets is Homecoming. The tickets must be picked up in person at the Lerner Box Office at 410 S. Main Street, Elkhart during regular box office hours (M-F 9 AM to 5 PM, and Sat 9 AM to 1 PM) after August 20, and are limited to 6 per person. Tickets may be sent via the US Mail, but the customer must pay for the mailing service. Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming is filled with wonderful gospel songs, comedic family stories, and lots of witnessing. "This is a great musical for the whole family," says ECT Artistic Director John Shoup, who is also directing the play. "All of us are very excited to present this to the community in collaboration with the City of Elkhart, at the beautiful renovated Lerner Theatre. Our cast and the ECT Board are delighted to give this gift to our military families and the veterans of the US through JoiningForces.com."