Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
ONTONAGON - It was standing room only at the annual Aspirus Ontonagon Hospital Foundation Christmas Show Friday. The show opened with a new set with sliding doors opening to a Christmas set and Jim Jessup and Mike Urbis in white and black tuxedos singing the show's theme "Winter Wonderland."
The usual comedic banter and songs between Jessup and Urbis alternated with the beautiful voices and Christmas music from Jennifer Weaver and daughters Veronica and Genevieve, Jim Brogan, Dave Kalivoda and Yvonne Blake, who performed both vocally and on the piano. The background band included Blake, Chuck Peterson and James McKenzie.
Appearing for the first time, Genevieve Weaver brought down the house with her vocal "Ave Maria."
One of the stars of the show was Urbis' hat which jumped and moved to the music almost as if choreographed. Urbis, in Santa suit and wig, clowning to the Jennifer Weaver's "Santa Baby" brought roars from the audience.
The set, designed and built by Jessup and Dave Bishop, lent a new look to the theater stage and is expected to be a permanent part of the stage setting at the Ontonagon Theater of the Performing Arts.
The performance raised $2,600 toward the purchase of a AccuVein devise, which digitally displays a map of the vascular-ture on the surface of the skin, allowing medical clinicians to verify veins on patients with hard to see veins.