Gypsy Road Trip

The 2026 Cambridge Ohio Lions Club Music and Comedy Show is over but the memories of those early shows live on. Several of the members who have been with the show for many years have shared their memories of those early days. The poster is from that first Minstrel Show in 1974.

Dave Wilson

Back in 1974, my life was centered around a group of a couple dozen guys and girls. We attended church together, sang together, played together, and ate a lot of Wally’s Pizza together. I had heard some of them mention something about a Minstrel Show but I had no idea what it was; much less the impact it was going to have on my life.

One thing that I knew for sure was that I had no one to hang around with on a Sunday afternoon because most of my friends were practicing for that “Minstrel thing.” I knew the rehearsals were being held in our church basement, so I thought I’d simply stop by, kill some time until it was over, and enjoy the rest of the day.

Among my friends were Jan and Pam Jonard. Their dad, Bob, was in Lions Club Minstrel Shows in Adena as a young man and loved the shows so much that he brought the idea to the Lions Club in Warsaw, where he was employed by the General Telephone Company.

I knew Bob well (since the Jonard home was a favorite gathering place) and he was like a second dad to me. I saw him as the ultimate “music man” and wasn’t surprised to see him leading the rehearsal. Almost immediately after I took a seat at the back of the room, Bob walked up to me, dropped a stack of music onto my lap and told me to “get up here and sing!”

I told him I was just there to meet up with my friends, but it didn’t matter. Let’s just say Bob was a pretty persuasive man and, suddenly, I was a member of the chorus in the first Cambridge Lions Club Minstrel Show. And little did I know of what my future now held.

I was under the impression that the Minstrel Show was simply a concert. Boy, was I wrong! Sure, there was the opening number; nothing unusual about that. And then, the emcee, referred to as “The Interloctor” (a term I had never heard before!) came forward and introduced the Lions sitting in the front row dressed in loud, kinda’ goofy looking outfits called “End Men” (yet another new term!). Still things seemed to be following what was in the printed program.

Then it happened: out of the blue, a man emerged from hiding in the orchestra pit in front of the Vergari’s State Theater stage. The man climbed onto the stage and actually interrupted the show, playfully threatening the Interloctor! The man, by the way, was Bob Wells and the Interlocutor was Andre Odebrecht, who I had as my high school trigonometry teacher less than two years earlier. And, believe me, at the time, that was weird.

It was at that point, I realized this show was more than just a concert. It was non-stop spontaneity and organized mayhem, a never-before-tasted brew of music (some great, some not-so-great), jokes (some funny, some not-so-funny) and interruptions served up with hysterical laughter.

Minstrel, Variety or Music and Comedy Show; whatever the name, what can I say? I was hooked for life and I’ve been on stage for every show. Thank you, with love, Bob Jonard.

Ron Guthrie

Convincing members of the Lions Club to have that first Minstrel Show was not an easy task. When Bob Jonard presented the idea to the club, there were many who didn’t think the idea would work. Ron was on the committee for that first Minstrel Show as knew they needed a different fund raiser since the light bulb project had reached its limit.

After much discussion, the group decided to try the idea at the State Theater. Ann Jonard got the wives together to make costumes for the members, who often made fools of themselves on stage to the delight of the audience. They arranged with Cambridge Singers to use their risers for the performance.

That first year, profits weren’t as plentiful as expected and soon they enlisted the help of sponsors. That list grew and grew by people who were enjoying the show as well as the purpose of the Lions Club to provide eye care in the form of glasses to many in the area.

Ron recalls Bob Wells wearing long underwear and streaking across the stage when the back flap accidentally came down a little. Another memorable moment was when Charmaine crossed the stage in a grass skirt with Andre Odebrecht chasing her with a lawnmower.

The first solo Ron sang at the Minstrel Show was “I’ll Kiss You on the Back Porch.” After that he often sang Elvis or Willie Nelson songs. When Ray Chorey joined the group, they sang duets at each show. This year they are going to sing, “Some Guys Have All the Luck,” a repeat from a previous show. Ron was also one of the original End Men, sneaking in jokes that sometimes weren’t previously approved.

Ron’s State Farm Insurance office sold tickets for that first show. You can tell Ron enjoys the show as he has been in it for all 50 years along with Dave Wilson. He is pleased that the proceeds are used for eye care. They have recycled 20,000 pairs of glasses and some years in the past have purchased nearly 200 pair of glasses for those in need. At the age of 90, Ron is now retired but enjoys the Lions Club because he remarked, “We do good things.”

Peggy Mehaffey Ringer

Bob Jonard brought the “Minstrel Show” to Cambridge Lions Club from Warsaw. If I remember correctly, Bob asked my dad, Commissioner J. O. Mehaffey, to be involved, don’t know in what capacity but I know he was involved in some of the antics. In that first show, J.O. performed his immortal “Ode to the Outhouse.”

They also got my mother, Frances, involved to help with music & other things, which included makeup and special makeup, outfits, and wigs for different interruptions. She also helped choreograph different dances and she along with some of the chorus girls did the Charleston. I still have her “Charleston” dress.

Mother was in charge of makeup.  I think the first makeup helpers she had were Shirley Bistor and Maxine Henderson.  Later Peggy Creek, Linda Johnson and I did makeup…and are still doing makeup this year. Not sure if there were any makeup people between the first I mentioned and the last three.

I drove my mother, probably with my little boys on some occasions, to Columbus and Wheeling, West Virginia to buy makeup.  She was very particular about the kind and color. At that time, we never heard of online purchases, but she had to personally pick it out.

I would meet Mother after I got off work and help her carry in the makeup and supplies and get the makeup area ready.  At that time, the Scottish theater had 3 stations with great chairs so there was a chair for each person to work.  After the theater was remodeled, they removed one of the chairs, but we still had 3 gals.

Mother also sang in the chorus until she was close to 90 years old. However, she attended the shows until she was 100. I have enjoyed singing in the chorus for nearly 3o years.

John Voorhies

John joined the Lions Club Minstrel Show that first year along with other members of that Faith Methodist Church Choir, which was where Bob Jonard was active with the young people’s group. John played guitar in that first band and recalls singing down front. They wore heavy make up so they didn’t appear washed out on stage.

He said, “We were one big group of happy, Christian, young people. We would gather at Jonards with a tray of Wally’s Pizza and either listen to music or play music.”

John moved from the area after those first years but never lost contact with his friends, many who were in the Lions Club.

Several years later, John was helping a neighbor charge their car battery. Someone make a wrong connection and the battery blew up in John’s face causing him to lose an eye. He was rushed to Guernsey Memorial and then to OSU, where they tried to make his face look more symmetrical by suggesting a prosthetic eye. This was an expensive undertaking for John, and his friends at the Lions Club bought the prosthetic eye for him. Later, he began wearing a patch on that eye. John has a special reason for caring about the Lions Club.

When he returned to the show, he played guitar again and often sang duets with Cheri Harding. John feels a strong dedication to the Lions Club and this year he paid for all the copyrights on the songs they are using, and is their music coordinator.

Cheri Harding

Bob Jonard was the reason Cambridge HAS the show in the first place. The Jonard kids and their friends were invited to help in the beginning. I joined by the 2nd or 3rd show…I was on the road with a band for awhile. Dave Wilson introduced me to Jan Jonard and the Jonards became my surrogate family for a few years…Papa Bob convinced me to join-up.

The Jonard family was all so musical and talented. Mom Ann was a violinist and wonderful singer, Papa Bob was an amazing performer, and all their kids could really sing! Pam and Rob were also very involved with CPAC,

Music has changed over the years from that first group at “The Minstrel Show” where there was a piano, guitar, bass, and drums in the band. When Berk Jones became the musical director, he used the City Band to accompany the show way back when it was at Vergari’s Theater and there was an actual band pit down front of the stage. Chorus’ Kids were a big part of the show back then.

When the show was developing, all the end men were required to perform a solo which was interesting because there were always a few that really didn’t want to sing solo. Bob Bistor and Ed Barborak were two state troopers in real life and always had special skits to throw into the show. Bistor and Barborak were a great team for Interruptions.

Back at my first show, I stood out in front of the main curtain singing “Am I Blue” while the stage scenery was changed behind the curtain. I’ve enjoyed being part of this fun endeavor created by our local Lions Club for many, many years.

Ray Chorey

The Cambridge Lions Club dedicates this 50th anniversary show to the Lions and many community members who have helped us bring a little laughter and love over these five decades. It is with this legacy of dedication, talent, and traditions that we have had the honor to share musical talent, some hoopin’ and hollerin’ that promotes the spirit of our community.

The hospital was building a new tower back in 1974 and the Lions Club had made a substantial pledge to the project. Bob Jonard just moved here from Wooster, where their Lions Club had an annual Minstrel Show. He suggested that the Cambridge Lions Club try that same thing to raise some money for the hospital. Their current project of selling light bulbs just wasn’t enough.

Bob Jonard, “the Father of the Cambridge Minstrel Show,” proposed something bold- local Lions stepping on stage to sing, joke, dance, and entertain. Skepticism was high.

As times changed, so did the show. What began with a Dixieland flair evolved with the audience, becoming the Variety Show in 2005, and the Music & Comedy Show we know today.

Music and Comedy have been headlined by the Endmen and Interruptions. The Endmen are not the end all – though some of the audience may wish so. Crowd reaction to their jokes and off key solos were readily endured. In the end, forgotten lyrics, slightly off-key renditions by ordinary members of our community would lead to memories full of laughter. Who can forget Wilson and his Hum Hum-burger joke? Scott Wilson and Tom Davey with their dry one liners?

None of this has captured the many Lions behind the scene doing ticket sales (Guthrie State Farm and Country Bits), ushering, building the stage (John Harmon and Jim Caldwell shout out!), lights, program and finance.

Thank you for celebrating 50 years of Music & Comedy with us.