McKenna makes the cut

    I was 19 in 1959 when I auditioned for a part in the dance troupe. They had a trailer parked on Main Street in front of the Northern National Bank. I had to do a couple of dance steps and was told to report that night to the Rec Center.     When I got there, the dance instructor was showing some dance steps, which included some jumps which you had to twist in midair and land on one foot heading back the way you came. It was an easy step for me so I got the lead role for a spotlight dance on stage as an Indian. The stage was across from the grandstand and has since been torn down. The other girls were to do an Indian war dance on the racetrack.
    Max Shapiro was chosen to be my partner and he had to practice lifting and carrying me on his shoulder. The first time we tried, we both fell on the floor. In the story, I was shot and he had to lift and carry me off stage. I dyed my hair black for the part and hardly anyone recognized me.
    If I remember right, we did a nightly dance performance for a week, and because I was backstage, I did not get to see much of the other performances.