Chapter 36

Grace had supplied all the committee chairs with the proposal for the script she had worked with Landon. A narrator would read selections from the journal. Each selection would introduce a scene. The story would begin in Scotland, when Fergus discovered his brother had left for America, and would end with a celebration when Washington became a state, in 1889.

“Can we do it in six weeks?”Grace asked the group.

“I think so,” Rachel, the drama teacher opined. “The students are really motivated. I think this project will be perfect for them and the whole community.”

“That’s what I’ve been thinking about,” Principal Livingston said. “It’s important to have a big crowd, and not only residents of Middletown. If we are going to do this, we have to start marketing to towns around us.”

Everyone agreed.

Grace read the group the pages from Fergus’s journal she had selected with Landon. Fergus and Aiyana’s wedding would end the first half of the play. The second half would focus on the Civil War and the fight for statehood.

The Music Teacher agreed to work with the Drama Teacher on the music for the production. Preliminary ideas included a hoedown with the wagon train segment, and a Scottish hymn at the death of Jamie. Someone suggested inviting the Quileute to be part of the celebration. They could do a traditional dance for the segment when Fergus met and wedded Aiyana.

The meeting lasted nearly three hours, but by the end, they had possible scenes, and ideas for the backgrounds. The Art teacher would work with his students and the local contractor to make the scenography and props. Sets would include the shop in Scotland, the wagon train, and the first settlement.

“What about Landon?” Diana asked. “What will he do?”

“Landon already did a lot getting the journals and the permission from Marcus Carter to use them,” Grace said. “He is busy writing about Middletown’s history, and he is doing most of the writing of the script too.”

When the meeting finally came to an end, Grace’s head was spinning. She had a schedule so full she had no idea how she was going to get it all done in such a short time.