Curtain comes down

The first theater review I ever wrote was in 1994, after I took my Auntie Lilly to see "Funny Girl" at The Little Dinner Playhouse at the old Obie's Restaurant, 3904 Ridge Road, in Highland.

I remember driving up from the farm and how impressed Auntie Lilly was with the dinner, and especially the show, which shared the life of Fanny Brice, the famous comedienne she knew from the radio. She had never realized Brice had such an unhappy life and unhappy marriages.

The Little Dinner Playhouse opened in 1989 as the idea of Jim and Rae Little, who wanted to help fill the void left by the closing of The Bridge Vu Theater in Valparaiso. A tiered arrangement of permanently fixed tables in a banked, theater-style layout and a brightly colored bar/lounge completed the building's design and retro atmosphere.

This week, I received a press release explaining the vacant building and land that once housed the restaurant and stage had been purchased. Then the entire structure was torn down this week to make way for a new, expanded McDonald's.

Bob Mazzaro, who owns the neighboring McDonald's and whose family has operated a string of Golden Arches in our region since the 1950s, is building a larger and more modern McDonald's. It will open by July and then his existing McDonald's next door built in 1967 will be torn down.

He said his new McDonald's will be upscale, featuring a 100-seat capacity and a brown exterior with yellow and white awnings. It will also have eight, flat screen televisions, outdoor seating and a double drive-thru open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Mazzaro said the Obie's building had still been in use for catering until last October.

He said it was his aunt and uncle, Henry and Mary Joss, who opened their first location on Indianapolis Boulevard in 1956 after reading an advertisement in The Hammond Times that Ray Kroc was offering opportunities for his new franchise. At one time, he said his aunt and uncle owned and operated eight McDonald's in our region, before his father Lou, opened the existing property, which Bob and his brother Tom then took over, along with two other properties.

Books, flowers, tea

Internationally celebrated mystery writer Kate Collins, who hails from Valparaiso, is hosting a fun and free afternoon tea and book event at noon March 18 at the new Petals and Plants Florist, 404 E. Lincolnway in Valparaiso.

Here's your chance to have tea and appetizers with Collins and learn how to make a spring floral arrangement just like one of the selections from one of her popular "Flower Shop Mysteries" book series. Guests will have the chance to win the finished floral arrangement from the demo. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Reservations are required by March 17, by calling (219) 462-9252. Seating is limited to 30 people.

Irish luck

Want to send a talking Irish gnome to your pals on St. Paddy's Day with a personal message? Verizon Wireless' animated text messaging lets their customers send talking characters with seasonal messages to other Verizon phones or to any person's general computer email. Pick a pre-selected message in an Irish brogue or make up your own ditty about shamrocks, green beer, or the pot of gold at the end of your own special rainbow. Seven seasonal characters will deliver your best wishes for a pint or cheers on the annual feast day recognized as a public holiday in 1903. For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com and select "Messaging" and then "Animated Messaging." Messages can be sent to any Verizon Wireless phone or to any email address.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at ppotempa@nwitimes.com or 219.852.4327.

celebBirthdays

Singer Phil Phillips is 77. Actor Michael Caine and composer-conductor Quincy Jones are 75. Country singer Michael Martin Murphey and sax player Walt Parazaider of Chicago are 63. Actor Steve Kanaly ("Dallas") is 62. Comedian Billy Crystal is 60. Michael Ford (son of President Ford) and DJ Rick Dees are 58. Actor Adrian Zmed and country singer Jann Browne are 54. Monaco's Prince Albert is 50. Actress Tamara Tunie ("Law and Order: SVU") is 49. Actress Penny Johnson Jerald ("24") is 47. Drummer Michael Bland of Soul Asylum is 39. Singer Kristian Bush of Sugarland is 38. Actor Chris Klein is 29. Singer-keyboardist Taylor Hanson of Hanson is 25.