On August 7, the Arts Project of Cherry Grove (APCG), the Grove's theatrical community, saluted Harold Seeley, creator of the Community House proscenium and the Cherry Grove Archives, designer of sets for shows and balls, "professional volunteer" and Disney fan par excellence-"Cherry Grove's Mouseketeer"-for his 34 consecutive years of service to the Arts Project. The evening made for a moving and fitting tribute, and raised over $12,600 toward the $20,000 spent, this season, on securing ropes, pipes and rigging in the theater.

After the entrance of Homecoming Queen Beach DeBree and opening remarks by APCG President Michael Coffindaffer, Robin Kradles, in a Cinderella ball gown, escorted the man of the hour, sporting his signature Mickey Mouse ears, to a 'box seat' on the stage, and the audience awarded him a standing ovation and donned mouse ears of our own in his honor.

We saw Bradshaw Smith's videotaped interview with Harold, about the making of the proscenium and the archival materials incorporated into and secreted within it, including Teri Warren's fan, props from shows, and a flyer for a Bella Show at the Ice Palace. Then, on behalf of APCG, Michael presented Harold with a framed copy of his original blueprint for the proscenium and the design for a plaque honoring Harold that will hang in the Community House. Michael also showed off the theater's first ever scenery pipe, with two statues of Harold-as-Mickey hanging from it.

The evening's hosts, Drs. Rick Byrd and Patrick Frattelone, and Sylvia and Shirley Shapiro, all elegantly garbed, were introduced, and the performances for Harold, most with a Disney theme, began.

Embodying Ursula the evil Sea Witch, from "The Little Mermaid," Bella yearned, "I want the good times back," recalled the day Harold was given the key to the Community House, and declared, "Harold, you have become the Community House." Like Bella, Margo impersonated a Disney villainess, and offered the song of Dalmatian nemesis "Cruella DeVil." Linda Dickerman and Barbara Hirsch, as Mickey and Minnie Mouse, offered "United we stand, divided we fall," and gave Harold a white rose. Clips of Harold, as Mickey, in APCG show "Minnie's Girls," and of Ruth and Susan Freedner, as "Two Lost Souls," in the show "French Twist," followed. The twins shared memories of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," their first Arts Project show, as well as Harold's, in 1978, and aired Harold's motto about recycling scenery and props: "Save everything, use it and reuse it, and use it again." Keeping that motto in mind, Dan Daly, singing and playing the piano, dedicated, "Everything Old Is New Again" to Harold, with additional, topical verses.

Dominic DeSantis spoke of Harold's participation in the House Blessings, as Cherry Grove's Bishop, then Archbishop; of suggesting that Harold create the proscenium; of their getting the theater's red curtain, donated by late owner of the Monster, Joe Scialo; and of Harold's performance, in the show "Circus Circus," as the clown Emmett Kelly. Sylvia Shapiro disclosed that Harold gave her a first job in design and that, "after one week, his hair turned snow white," and Shirley Shapiro recalled the King Kong set-the New York City skyline and a huge paw-that Harold built for her scene, as Fay Wray, in the 2003 Doctor's Fund Benefit. Tim Webster spoke of Harold's puppet show for wily rodents in Sal Piro's "Pros and Cons" and of Harold's efforts, preserving Grove history, in the Archives.

Angela Mercy portrayed Barbara Streisand as Snow White, doing an enchanting, "Someday My Prince Will Come." Luisa Verde and Gary Greene recreated a beloved non-Disney number, playing adult dolls come to life, a lusty Barbie and a leather-clad Ken-"I'm a Barbie Girl, in a Barbie World (Come on, Barbie, let's go party"-which they introduced in Sal's "You Go Girl!!" in 1998. Sylvia introduced Philomena, whom Harold had called "the original Cherry Grove beauty queen," who spoke of enlisting Harold to decorate the ballroom for Night of a Thousand Gowns in 1995, when she was Empress-he "filled the stage with jewels and stars and every wish that an Empress drag queen could want"-and, by borrowing and soliciting donations, accomplished the whole thing for about $12.50. Her number here was "When You Wish Upon a Star."

Beside the Freedners, Harold met Thom "Panzi" Hansen in 1978, and Panzi was Mary Poppins here, mixing "A Spoonful of Sugar"-or some snorted white substance-with Lucy Ricardo's Vitameatavegamin, with the potion coming in increasingly larger Dewar's bottles.

With Dan at the piano, the full company sang "The Mickey Mouse Club" theme, substituting H-a-r-o-l-d S-e-e-l-e-y for M-i-c-k-e-y M-o-u-s-e," for the finale, and Harold told us, "The theater has literally been my lover for 30 years," and invited the assembled to give the performers a standing ovation. We were then asked to the stage to sign the back of the one of the Harold-as-Mickey figures being given to Harold, with the other going into the Archives.