TUNKHANNOCK — Ron and Kim Whipple, of the Wyoming County Players, who have been working on bringing a new state-of-the-art theater to NEPA since 2011, will soon see their long-time dream come true, thanks in part to a recent donation from Procter and Gamble.
P&G representative Alex Fried presented to the Whipples a check for $12,400 on Tuesday, May 17. The grant will go towards the group’s Starlite Playhouse project. This is the players’ largest donation to date for the project.
The name for the playhouse is in honor of Kim Whipple’s parents, Marvin and Evelyn Sands, who built the first drive-in theater in Northeastern Pennsylvania in 1947 – the Starlite Drive-in. The drive-in was located on what is now Weis Market, near the current Whipple Performing Arts Studio, located at 602 Hunter Hwy., next door to the Skyhaven Airport.
The Whipples plan to combine efforts with other local entertainment and tourism venues in encouraging out of town visitors to “Come for the Day, Stay the Weekend.”
The Whipples have been promoting the arts and educating children in theater since 1979. For more information, go to wyomingcountyplayers.com or visit the Starlite Playhouse and Wyoming County Players Facebook pages.