We drove to Medora on Saturday for Teddy Roosevelt's 150th birthday party. Unfortunately, because of a prior commitment, he was unable to attend, but we all had a good time anyway, even if it was cold and rainy. Much of the activity was planned for the large outdoor amphitheater; however, last minute changes accommodated the large crowd anyway. I believe somewhere in the vicinity of 500 people attended. The gathering space in their community center is a regulation sized basketball court, and the wall to wall chairs covering the floor were filled.
Clay Jenkinson plays Teddy Roosevelt and does it very well. He impersonates other historical figures, too, but Saturday he was TR all the way. The first event portrayed the presidential inauguration of Roosevelt after the assassination of William McKinley. That scene, scheduled all along to be held in a small theater in Medora, filled to overflowing standing room only. Jenkinson's costuming, actions, and voice inflections held the crowd in silent attention for over an hour. After that we drove to the newly remodeled visitors center of the Chateau de Mores for a presentation by the Marquis and his wife Medora. There, too, the rain drove us indoors and the conference room could not hold the crowd wanting to listen, so they scheduled a second performance.
Time came for the main event of the day and the large crowd made its way to the community center. Music, poetry, Teddy, and a tasty buffalo feed finished the festivities, and I'm glad we attended. The next inviting event scheduled in October will be the Dickinson State University symposium titled "Theodore Roosevelt, the Conservationist in the Arena." I plan to attend. The western part of the state has latched onto Teddy's persona and achievements and that's not bad.
