Tablerock Festival of Salado, Salado, Texas

Tablerock is a non-profit organization run by a working board of directors. Each director takes on certain responsibilities to keep the theatre running on a day-to-day basis, and many of them are also responsible for directing individual events.

Mr. Sweet now serves as a Tablerock Director. Harry lives in Belton, TX and is a former Professor of Ethics at UMHB. He has served on the Temple Civic Theater Board and has played many roles on the Temple stage. He created his one man show, “Henry the VIII, His Wives and Times,” and toured with that show many years. Harry adapted Dicken’s story A Christmas Carol to the stage and has directed the play at Tablerock since 1997. He kept Dicken’s play as Dickens wrote it. “There is no way you can improve upon Dicken’s work,” said Harry. In his spare time, Harry is Chairman of the Historical Awareness and Preservation Committee of the Bell County Historical Commission. He also chairs the 1874 Church Restoration Committee in Belton, with the goal of saving the Old Saint Luke’s. You will hear Harry’s distinctive voice in Salado Legends as he tells the Legend of Sirena via CD. He is known as “Old One Take Harry,” since he made the moving CD without effort and on the first try!

Jackie lives in Salado and served as an Alderman for the Village of Salado for 7 years. She was named A Central Texas Woman of Distinction, named an Outstanding Community Volunteer, awarded the Mary Steele Service Award, named the 2005 Salado Citizen of the Year and honored by the Barklay Arts Council with a Young Writer’s Scholarship given in her name. She was honored in Washington D.C when Salado Legends, an outdoor-musical-drama she wrote, was placed in the Library of Congress. Jackie was the Salado Art Fair Chairman for two years, is the Past President of the Salado Library Board of Directors, is a published poet, and an award-winning artist. She was honored last year by her family, who contracted with Troy Kelley to complete his Sirena sculpture with the addition of the Magical Catfish in Salado Creek. She continues to write new scenes and songs for Salado Legends and sells her children’s book, Sirena of Salado, to finance scholarships for the college-age actors in Salado Legends. Jackie and her husband Denver have 2 married daughters 6 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.

Donnie is the Leadership Academy Coordinator at C.E. Ellison High School in Killeen, Texas. His interest in acting began while at Belton High School playing various roles and writing the charter for the high school’s Thespian Club. Several of Donnie’s Belton High School friends who were in plays or in the Marching 100 with Donnie are now in Salado Legends. Donnie retired from the military after an illustrious Air Force career that includes being in the AFOSI (the AF ‘s FBI), an ICBM combat crew commander, serving as the USAF’s benchmarking manager where he caught the eye of Al Gore’s office of the National Performance Review and he was invited to the White House to help champion the benchmarking movement. Donnie, as well as his wife, Bridget, and his daughter, Candice, have been acting in Tablerock productions for 12 years, and for the past 4 years Donnie been the Director of Salado Legends. Donnie and Bridget live in Salado and have 2 daughters and 3 grandchildren. Donnie was honored to be Session Moderator at the 2009 Institute of Outdoor Drama Conference held in North Carolina.

Howard is a retired professor of Management at the University of Mary Hardin Baylor in Belton, Texas. Howard is married with children and grandchildren. He and his wife live in Bartlett. Howard could not sit still after retirement and is now teaching at Salado’s Thomas Arnold Elementary School. He has played Marley in A Christmas Carol for the past thirteen years. He also plays Marley for Tablerock’s Fright Trail each October. Fright Trail is a collection of Classic Tales, where the guide relates information about the authors of the scenes acted out at the stations along the one-half mile Tablerock Trail. The attendees of Fright Trail come out of the exit wide-eyed and talking about MARLEY! Howard also has played Sam Houston in Salado Legends for the past 13 years. He also is the voice you hear from backstage announcing guests, giving information, and welcoming the attendees before the Salado Legends performance begins. Howard’s dedication to his roles are an inspiration to all of the Tablerock actors.

Darlene is retired from The Texas Counseling Association as Assistant to the Executive Director and Conference Meeting planner. She is married to David and has one daughter, a son-in-law and two granddaughters. She also works part-time with Farmers Insurance in Salado as a bookkeeper. Darlene says she has no experience as an actor, but she takes tickets, counts the gate and keeps Tablerock straight in the money department. She also compiles reports to the Tablerock board of directors and submits bookkeeping forms to City, County, State and Federal agencies. Darlene and David live in Bartlett with their pets and are very involved with the First Baptist Church of Bartlett. David is a church deacon and Darlene helps buy groceries and cooks for the Wednesday Night Worships. The Stevens, along with their family, also help with the Youth Program at their church.

Denver, a Civil Engineer, owns and operates Denver Mills Engineering and Construction Co. He is retired from the Corps of Engineers and since has designed and managed the construction of numerous projects at Fort Hood and throughout Central Texas. He has had a successful career in Real Estate, ending as President of the Temple-Belton Board of Realtors. He also served as Chief Engineer at Scott & White Hospital for several years. Denver served 2 terms as President of the Salado Chamber of Commerce, achieving his goal in renovating the Old Red School House. Denver and his wife Jackie lived in North Richland Hills for 24 years where he served two terms on the P&Z board and two terms on the NRH City Council. He enjoys supporting both of his alma maters, UT Austin, and Stanford University where he earned his Masters Degree. For the past 20 years Denver has been in charge of building Tablerock sets, barns, costume shops, and of keeping Tablerock’s private roads and ½ mile walking trail in good repair. The Mills have two married daughters, six grandchildren, seven great grandchildren and one yellow cat that some one left at Tablerock.

Miss Askins received her M.F.A. from Trinity University at the Dallas Theater Center. She also received an M.A. in Theatre and a B.F.A in Studio Art from Stephen F. Austin University. She has designed costumes for Dallas Children’s Theater, Dallas Black Dance Theaters, Stage One, Theatre Three, Callier Theatre for the Deaf and Shreveport Little Theatre, The Arts Magnet High School, Flagstaff Festival for the Arts, and was honored when asked to travel to Russia to design costumes for the Russian Ballet. Miss Askins has taught at the following Universities: Arizona University, Texas Tech University, and at Trinity University’s graduate school at the Dallas Theater Center. Sally lives in Waco, Texas and is currently the Costume Director at Baylor University. She is deeply involved in Church of Christ in Waco. Sally plays the guitar, the piano and sings beautifully. She has been a member of the Tablerock Board of Directors since 2000.

Mike graduated from Texas A&M in 1977 and has been with Edward Jones since 1985. He is a Limited Partner, and on the Hiring Team for Edward Jones. Mike’s son, Matthew, followed his Dad’s lead in joining Edward Jones in 2007. Mike has served on many boards of directors in Bell County. The list includes Bell County Tax and Appraisal Review Board, Salado School Board, Belton Chamber of Commerce, Belton Lions Club as President, United Way and the Belton Christian Youth Center. Mike has been advising Tablerock in financial matters for the past 15 years and has served on the Board of Directors since 2000. Recently, Mike was elected as an Elder Sheppard at the Salado Church of Christ. In addition to spending a wonderful career with Edward Jones, he has also been in the land and cattle business, has built sub-divisions, dabbled in the oil and gas business and bought and flew his own airplane. He is married to Nancy and has 4 children, Michael, Matt, Mark and Marissa. His children performed in Salado Legends for several years.

Bob owns and operates TEXAS TOYS in Temple, TX. It is every boy’s dream to own an expensive foreign car or a rare American-made car. Bob owns lots of them, but he keeps selling them off and having to purchase more. He is proud to say that his hobby turned into a career. Bob and his wife Marilyn live in Temple. Marilyn is the Artist in Residence, teaches pottery classes, is Visual Arts Coordinator and Art Curator for the Cultural Activities Center. She also is the make-up artist for actors in A Christmas Carol and is the artist who applies the extensive make-up that the actors wear in Fright Trail each October. Bob has acted on the Temple Civic Theater stage for many years. Both Bob and Marilyn sing with Temple choirs. They spend summers in Colorado and ride motorcycles for fun. Bob has played Mr. Fizziwig in Tablerock’s A Christmas Carol for 13 years.

Michael’s law office is in downtown Salado. He and his wife, T9E, moved to Salado from Dallas to retire from the big city and big law offices. Michael loves the small Village of Salado and has donated his time and services tirelessly. Michael was elected as an Alderman in 2000 and served as Mayor Pro Tem for the last 6 years of his terms. He decided against running for Alderman in 2009, leaving the Village much better than it was when he was first elected. Mike grew up in Wnslow, Arizona, and received his Law Degree from The University of Texas in Austin. He was one of the original “Cowboys” at UT and married his college sweetheart who was a UT Cheerleader. Mike has a Vestryman in the Episcopal Church and serves on the 1874 Church Restoration Committee in Belton. Mike and T9E have 3 grown children and are proud grandparents. Mike played Mr. McGregor in Salado Legends for several years.

Shannon grew up in Waco, but has a motherly love for Salado. Her husband, Rick, was an Alderman for the Village of Salado for several years and served as Mayor of the Village for 2 terms. Shannon, was the faithful companion, mother to some, sister to a few and loved by all for nine years while her husband held a full-time job as a policeman for the City of Temple as well as fulfilling his duties as Alderman and Mayor of Salado. Shannon was the proprietor of a bed & breakfast in Salado for 5 years and is now the Travel Coordinator for McLane and Company. She and Rick get to chaperon many trips to exotic places. The Ash’s daughter, Addie, brought her mon and dad to Tablerock for events. Eleven year-old Addie, along with her mom, have acted in A Christmas Carol and in Fright Trail, while Rick has filled in as Sound Tech for Tablerock events.