This weekend brings a three-day festival to Circleville, just south of Columbus, honoring its favorite son and an all-time great entertainer. Circleville native Ted “Is Everybody Happy?” Lewis was a bandleader, singer, and clarinetist who gained great renown before and after World War II and fronted a stage show that combined jazz, comedy, and nostalgia. The Ted Lewis Museum 40th Anniversary Festival runs Friday, June 9th, through Sunday, June 11th, with various concerts and activities for the whole family. The main event is The Ted Lewis Orchestra Revue of 1952, held Saturday, June 10th at 7pm at Circleville High School. This concert, inspired by Lewis’ 1952 homecoming performance, will feature Joseph Rubin and the Ted Lewis Orchestra honoring the Ted Lewis Revue of the 1950s. Cathy Basic Van (pictured with Lewis), who was a featured vocalist with Lewis from 1955 to 1960, will return to Circleville to recreate her great performances of 60 years ago. Tickets are available here. The full festival schedule is available here – be sure to make time to experience the newly renovated Ted Lewis Museum. Keep reading for more details from the Museum, along with videos:
The Ted Lewis Museum is excited to announce a three-day festival paying tribute to Circleville’s favorite son and one of the greatest entertainers of all time, Ted Lewis!
The Ted Lewis Orchestra Revue of 1952 – Saturday, June 10 at 7 PM
As the highlight of the weekend, the museum will present The Ted Lewis Orchestra Revue of 1952 on Saturday, June 10 at 7 PM at Circleville High School, 380 Clark Drive, Circleville, Ohio. Tickets are $10 General Admission in advance and at the door. Children and Students will be admitted free. To purchase tickets and for more information visit www.tedlewismuseum.org or call 740-477-3630.
Taking inspiration from Ted’s 1952 homecoming and performance at the Circleville Coliseum, Joseph Rubin and the Ted Lewis Orchestra will pay tribute to the Ted Lewis Revue of the 1950s. Special guest star Cathy Basic Van, featured singer with Ted Lewis from 1955-1960, will sing the songs she performed with Lewis more than 60 years ago.
Mr. Rubin, curator of the Ted Lewis Museum and director of the Ted Lewis Orchestra says “we are thrilled to have Cathy Basic Van, the sole surviving performer with Ted Lewis, coming back to perform in the Circleville after an absence of 10 years.” For those who attended the Ted Lewis Orchestra revues at the Lincoln Theatre in Columbus, Mr. Rubin wants audiences to “rest assured this will be a brand new show with all new acts and music from the Ted Lewis Museum archives, as well as all the old favorites. As Ted’s advertisements used to say ‘everything is new except the old high hat!’” This is a show that will be long remembered in the annals of Circleville history.
The Ted Lewis Museum’s 40th Anniversary Festival is funded in part by the Ohio Arts Council and American Electric Power. The festival is presented in collaboration with the Pickaway County District Public Library.
The Ted Lewis Museum is dedicated to celebrating the life and preserving the legacy of Circleville’s own Ted Lewis by making everybody happy through education and entertainment. Founded in 1977 byLewis’ widow, Adah Becker Lewis, the museum pays tribute to one of Ohio’s greatest citizens and one of the greatest entertainers of all time. The Ted Lewis museum holds and displays Ted Lewis’ archives and music library in Lewis’ home town, “The Capital of the World,” Circleville, Ohio. Admission to the museum is free and it is open every Friday and Saturday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information visit www.tedlewismuseum.org.