NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — A few times every year, a group in Jessamine County goes back in time.
“It started out as just a way to get out and perform and I think that’s for all of us,” says Doug Fain.
Denise Cline adds, “This is my happy place. I love being able to give back and just bring a little bit of happiness, and people forget about what’s going on for an hour or two.”
They are two of nearly a dozen dedicated and talented professionals who have staged the KCAL Old Time Radio Show for the past decade.
“We are rolling on ten years later, producing what it would have looked like if you’d have walked into a radio studio in the 1940s and watched them perform,” says Doug. “You know, that was the golden age, back before television was big. That was entertainment. So, it was a hot thing. So it’s really interesting to go back and bring back that nostalgia for people to see and to hear the way it used to be.”
“We don’t just get out there and per se act. We get out there and have a good time. And I hope that shows to the people out in the audience that we really love what we’re doing,’” says Denise.
“If I can put a smile on someone’s face during a comedy or make somebody go ‘ohhh’ during one of our dramas or suspense, I just love it,” says Norman Cline, another key principle in the group.
I told Fain that it appears this is more than just a hobby for him and he agreed. “It is. I was born way too late. Should have been born back in those days. I enjoy the old time radio. So when this opportunity came along, I was anxious to do it.”
It’s dinner and a show that’s unique these days. Something to give back to the community in more ways than one.
Each December, the group puts on a free gospel performance, passing the plate with all proceeds going to help local homeless children.
“That is the biggest part of our heart, right there,” Denise confesses.
“As much fun as it is to put on these shows, I think we’re more proud to be able to do that for our homeless children and that we able to use this venue of performing to help those people and those kids that really need help,” says Doug.