CRESTVIEW — If it hadn't been for Cliff Herron, dean of the Northwest Florida State College Humanities, Fine and Performing Arts Division, Crestview High School alumnus Montavius Diamond would never have helped catch his supper from a small boat bobbing in the Atlantic Ocean.

Nor would he have been treated like a touring rock star.

However, for Diamond and hundreds of other Northwest Florida State College show choir students over the past 25 years, such experiences are part of the vocal music program Herron oversees.

Herron, sometimes known simply as "Doc" among his students, will retire in August, but not before leading 31 more students and six adults — his ninth group — to Crestview's sister city, Noirmoutier, France, for a performance tour.

Twanging emotions

This year, the trip begins with a visit to Normandy and a performance at the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer.

"I think this generation needs to know what that generation did," Herron said. "To stand there in the American Cemetery and see all those crosses and stars of David is very emotional and humbling. The soldiers that died there were 18 or 19, the same age as the kids we're taking over there."

"It is so overwhelming," Crestview High alumna Hannah Kania said. "I'm a wuss. I know I'll cry."

Twanging the emotions is part of Herron's work, whether through art shows, concerts and theatrical performances or the touring Broadway shows that perform at the Mattie Kelly Performing Arts Center.

This summer he will produce his last major summer musical, the stirring "Les Misérables," at the center, which was constructed on the Niceville campus during his tenure.

"Oh my goodness, it seems like just yesterday," Herron said. "The college was a little sleepy college that provided a wonderful resource to the community and all of a sudden, boom, it's a major outreach beyond the counties. It's all just rock solid."

Personal interest

Taking a personal interest in his students endears Herron to the kids.

"He would poke his head in our show choir class and observe and see how we were doing," Diamond said. "He would listen in when we did our voice lessons. I learned a lot about how to balance music with other studies and a lot of it had to do with Doc."

For most of the show choir members, the trip to France isn't just their first travel outside of the country.

"For some it's their first trip away from Florida," Herron said.

When the Soundsations show choir and Madrigals chorus arrive in Noirmoutier, they're treated like visiting celebrities, said Diamond and Kania.

More important, however, are the educational and cultural experiences Herron's trips provided, they said.

"It was very interesting going over with him," Diamond said. "Doc would often stop someplace and tell us about it. It was like having a tour guide with us all time."

Living with host families

As one of three experienced student members of the touring choirs, Kania has been a valuable resource for the novices.

"Everybody's been asking for tips. We tell them be respectful and how to have your wits about you, and how to handle your money," Kania said.

The experience of staying with hosts on the island makes the visits personally and culturally enriching, Kania said.

"My experience having a host family was amazing, so when the opportunity to be a host came up, I couldn't wait," Kania said.

She and her husband, Kenneth, are reciprocating by hosting Mathias Leroy, one of two visiting French business interns in Crestview.

Diamond found himself in his host's fishing boat hauling in the evening's dinner. His experience was so positive that he has saved money to return to Noirmoutier in June with the Crestview Sister City program. One of the first things he hopes to do is to reunite with his host family.

Big shoes to fill

Herron will be succeeded by Jeremy Ribando, the division’s current chair, who will oversee the department's academic component, while current Mattie Kelly Center associate director Jeanette Shires will oversee the arts side.

Apart from traveling and visiting friends, Herron was non-committal about his post-retirement plans, but said his friends in Noirmoutier have not seen the last of him.

"The people in Noirmoutier are just incredible," he said. "It's open arms and loving and giving. It's an absolutely wonderful experience."

"I am very thankful for the experiences I had under Doc," Diamond said. "He kept us in line the whole time we were over there. It was a very unique experience. I would not have been able to do the things I did there if I had gone (to college) anywhere else."

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Herron, NWFSC arts department head, retiring in August

CRESTVIEW — An exhibition of American Indian masks and artifacts at the Crestview Public Library is a glimpse into the regional indigenous people’s creativity and artistry.

The display features historic pottery and contemporary reproductions by Crestview resident Romaneth Blackwood, a Blackfoot Indian and retired archeologist who rescued many of the pieces from development sites.

"I made it a point to rescue as much as possible before it was destroyed," he said, noting that pieces were collected with property owners’ permission.

Blackwood recreated the centerpiece warrior masks, some of which featured more than 300 pieces. The self-taught artist dug and refined the clay before working and firing the artworks.

The public will never see some of Blackwood's most striking works because the delicate firing process destroyed them, he said.

"You have to get it near the fire and dry it out or it will explode in your face," he said. "I had many, many beautiful pieces just blow up."

Several masks on display are reproductions that Blackwell created.

"All the masks are copies of individuals who were dog warriors," Blackwood said. "They were the warriors who would stay behind and fight to their death while the rest of the tribe got away."

Some of the artifacts, including sitting or squatting effigies, represent Creek Indian history. Blackwood's extensive collection traces all eras of the nation, beginning around 300 A.D.

The library exhibit marks only the third time in 20 years that Blackwood has displayed pieces from his collection, which contains more than 100,000 original and recreated artifacts.

Want to go?

Romaneth Blackwood’s American Indian pottery, arrowheads and masks are on exhibit until April 30 at the Crestview Public Library.

Contact News Bulletin Arts & Entertainment Editor Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Indian warrior masks, artifacts on display at Crestview library

CRESTVIEW — Four Crestview students are in Rocky Bayou Christian School’s production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Cinderella, the Enchanted Edition.” The show is 7 p.m.tonight and tomorrow at the Fort Walton Beach Civic Auditorium.

Tickets, $15, are available at the school, or at the door one hour before show time. The auditorium is at 107 Miracle Strip Parkway S.E.

Call 678-7358, or e-mail Jana Obrigewitch, obrigewitchj@rbcs.org, for details.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview students participate in RCBS's 'Cinderella' tonight

The community embraced British farce last weekend as doors slammed, clergymen chased one another, and a Russian spy, and prim and proper Miss Skillon took a fist in the mug and sought solace in the cooking sherry.

On the surface, "See How They Run" is silly. But in the tradition of British gems such as "Noises Off" and "Blithe Spirit," the masterful wordplay and larger-than-life characters elevates it to a sophisticated production, which, done well, bowls the audience along as happily as the performers.

View from the Stage, Crestview's new community theatre troupe, did it well.

You needn’t be an apostle of "Monty Python's Flying Circus," "Fawlty Towers" or "Absolutely Fabulous" to appreciate the local production’s brilliance. A passing knowledge of those classic Britcoms, though, was helpful in recognizing their homage to the cleverness of shows such as Friday night’s play.

Performing Philip King's war-era hoot requires split-second timing, in dialogue delivery and stage movement, and under Sandra Peters' deft direction, the nine-member cast excelled at both.

"It was such a fun play to produce," Berit Faust, the company's executive director, said. "I was quite pleased with our actors and their performance."

I was tickled to see the local cast conquer the perennial bane of producing British farce — which is doing it with a decent British accent.

I can only imagine how throughout weeks of rehearsals, the actors — all of whom turned in superb performances — probably drove their families bonkers by speaking Brit from sunrise to sunset.

Space precludes listing each player’s attributes, but I would be remiss not to salute 35-year stage veteran Nancy Black’s thoroughly enjoyable personification of the blustery Miss Skillon.

Even when hilariously locked in the closet or out cold from a concussion or bottle, Miss Skillon was a major stage presence with whom the rest of the cast had to reckon — or at least step over.

Kudos also go to Meghan Erlacher as the vicar's wife, Penelope Toop, who, like Miss Skillon, was onstage for virtually the entire show and with whom she shared deliciously catty banter.

Life imitating art, Erlacher frequently shared the stage with real-life husband Ray Erlacher, playing likeable Corp. Clive Winton, who poses as her stage husband, the vicar — played wonderfully stuffily by a real-life vicar, the Rev. Sean Peters — to sneak out for an evening of  — wait for it — British farce.

Though the production drew a nearly full house opening night, attendance declined over the next two performances. That means a couple hundred people deprived themselves of a fabulously funny couple of hours.

Fortunately, View from the Stage promises there's more to come, and welcomes participation from residents, whether on stage, backstage or as a sponsor.

"I had several attendees inquire about our plans for future productions," Faust said. "That, of course, was very encouraging."

Contact News Bulletin Arts & Entertainment Editor Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: REVIEW: British farce expertly performed, well received