Jawonio Summer Education Program Puts On Annual Summer Show

While many mourned the 34th anniversary of his death Tuesday, on Wednesday Elvis was in New City.

Wearing a signature white onesie and a red scarf tied around his neck, he sashayed out with a guitar and led an energetic performance of “Hound Dog” backed by 160-plus people. Elvis was feeling the music so much he even dropped to his knees a few times while never missing a beat on his guitar.

Okay, so it wasn’t actually Elvis, but just Adam Weber pretending to be Elvis. Weber is one of roughly 100 kids between ages five and 20 enrolled in the Jawonio Summer Education Program. On Wednesday morning, the kids, along with 60-plus staff members, performed the program’s yearly show.

“It comes at the end of the summer, and we get to sing in front of a lot of people,” said show veteran Anthony Todaro, 20, who was participating in his 10th show with the program. “[Wednesday’s show] was fantastic.”

The show, a musical about dogs based on a book called “Arf,” was the program’s 30th show, and was one of the more music-heavy performances in the program’s 30-year history. In total, the group performed 11 songs.

“Eleven songs is a lot to learn in six weeks,” said Joanne Bower, the musical and drama director of the program for the past 26 years. “And people say that 11 songs might be too many, but if the children are given a challenge, they will meet that challenge.”

Bower comes up with the ideas for the plays and what songs will be performed. This year, “Arf” centered around a group of dogs in Doggie Town, who put on a show because people from the Wurstchester Dog Show are coming to town to seek out new talent. The show runs through a few different themes, including kindness, courage and accepting others even if they’re different.

Todaro was front and center for much of the play, partly as one of the show within the show’s judges, and also because he was seated in the front row toward the center of his row. He wore a top hat his art teacher made for him and a sweater, even in the sunny morning heat. While the group of performers was large, so was the crowd, with easily 100-plus in attendance to watch the show.

“I wasn’t nervous,” Todaro said. “I practice a lot in my room.”

Jordan Fox, 16, however, was a bit nervous. She was participating in her third show at the Summer Program, and was actually the first person to speak in the show, as one of the announcers.

“I was a little nervous,” Fox said. “Once I was saying my lines, I felt a little better, and once the show was over I felt a lot better.”

But don’t let nerves fool you into thinking Fox didn’t enjoy performing, because she did. And she liked “Hound Dog” the most of all in the show.

“It was entertaining,” she said. “We even had Elvis come out.”

Both Todaro and Fox said they enjoy all of the activities at the summer program. Fox said she likes art, specifically painting, and gym, especially when they play with the parachute. Todaro, who is entering his senior year at Clarkstown High School South in the fall, said he likes math and helping out with cooking.

Many of the songs had a soloist, or a few, and some dancers. Bower said she watches the kids while they rehearse and gets a feel for who might make for a good soloist. The songs performed were: “This Is Our Night To Howl,” “What Does It Mean To Be A Dog (Part 1),” “What Does It Mean To Be A Dog (Part 2),” “Connect The Dots,” “Fight Fair,” and “I May Be Small” from the musical; “Hound Dog” by Elvis; You’ll Be In My Heart by Phil Collins; “Love Survives” from “All Dogs Go To Heaven;” “Firework” by Katy Perry and; “Friends Forever” by Carol Conners and Billy Goldberg.

Bower said the productions have always been big, even if they haven’t all included performances of 11 songs. The program, however, has grown, she said. There used to be only five groups, now there are 10, with about 100 kids enrolled in the program.

“We have academics in the morning, music, art, gym and a pool,” she said. “When they get here, they’re relaxed, they can be themselves.”

Bower said she knows that because old campers come back all the time and tell her how relaxed they feel at the camp, and felt there while students.

“They come back and tell me once they’re on this campus, they’re just so at ease,” she said. “That’s the kind of environment we try to give the kids here.”