Spotlight Acting School Announces Charlie and the Chocolate Factory JR Auditions for Teens 🎭
A young performer brings Willy Wonka to life in our 2024 production of Willy Wonka at The Spotlight Playhouse in Berea. We are returning to the world of Roald Dahl with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory JR, featuring performers ages 14 to 18. There is something special about watching teenagers take on a story that…
Halloween Weekend in Berea Brings Family Fun, Fall Crafts, and Two Final Sunday Shows at The Spotlight Playhouse 🎃
Halloween weekend is here, and we have plenty happening around Berea. From trick-or-treating and outdoor adventures to glass blowing, arts and crafts, and live theater, there are several ways to spend the weekend without leaving town. One thing I have always enjoyed about Berea is how our community celebrates the holidays. Halloween is no longer…
Two Shows, One Big Night at The Spotlight Playhouse as Erika Howard Makes Directorial Debut 🎭
The cast of Have a Nice Doomsday gathers on the living room set at The Spotlight Playhouse in Berea. The end-of-the-world comedy opens October 30 and marks Erika Howard’s directorial debut with the Bluegrass Players. Tonight, Friday, October 30, is a special night for us at The Spotlight Playhouse in Berea. We have two productions…
Zombies, Costumes, and Pay What You Can: A Halloween Invitation to The Spotlight Playhouse 🎭
The Bluegrass Players invite Berea families to a special October 30 performance of Zombie Night: The Musical, featuring Pay What You Can tickets, a costume contest, prizes, and Halloween fun at The Spotlight Playhouse.
Old Town Fall Festival Returns to Berea October 16-17 With Glass Pumpkins, Movies and Family Fun 🎃
Old Town Fall Festival Returns October 16-17 With Glass Pumpkins, Movies and Family Fun If you haven’t taken a walk down North Broadway in Berea lately, this weekend might be a good time to do it. The Old Town shopkeepers are bringing back their Fall Festival for a second year, with two days of pumpkins,…
Berea and Madison County’s Halloween Season 🎃
October is my favorite time of year. The hills turn that deep orange and gold, the air gets that clean cool bite that makes you want a sweater and a cup of coffee, and the whole county shows up for the things we do every fall. I love spooky season. We always host a big…
iOS 27 and Siri AI: Is Apple Upgrading Your Phone or Nudging You to Buy Another One?
If you own an iPhone in Berea, the most important question about iOS 27 is not whether Apple’s new Siri AI is impressive. The question is much simpler: Does it work on the iPhone already in your pocket? For a lot of people, the answer is no. I have been buying, fixing, networking, and upgrading…
Have a Nice Doomsday Puts Thanksgiving and the End of the World on the Same Stage 🔮
Our Bluegrass Players are bringing a very unusual Thanksgiving gathering to The Spotlight Playhouse this fall with Have a Nice Doomsday, an end-of-the-world comedy running October 30 through November 8. Directed by Erika Howard, the show begins with a familiar holiday goal. Joann Monroe wants to serve the perfect Thanksgiving dinner. The problem is that…
58th Annual Fall Art Market Returns to the Kentucky Artisan Center 🎨
For BereaOnline readers looking ahead to fall events, I want to make sure this one is on the calendar. The Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen will bring its 58th Annual Fall Art Market to Berea on Saturday, Oct. 17, and Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. The outdoor market will be held on the lawn of…
Millstone Festival Brings a Free Day of Music and Vendors to Downtown Richmond 🍴
If you are looking for an easy day trip in early October, downtown Richmond will be busy Saturday, October 3, with the Millstone Festival. The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. along Main Street in downtown Richmond. The listed location is 405 W Main St., Richmond, KY 40475. Admission is free. For those…
Zombie Night: The Musical Brings Spooky Fun to The Spotlight Playhouse 🦮
Halloween season at The Spotlight Playhouse will bring zombies, music, and a lot of humor to the stage when the Bluegrass Players present Zombie Night: The Musical from October 23 through November 1. I’m directing this production for the Bluegrass Players, our community theatre group at The Spotlight Playhouse, 214 Richmond Road in Berea. The…
Salem’s Daughter Opens the Spooky Season at The Spotlight Playhouse 🔭
There is a particular feeling that fills a theater the first night a new show opens. The house lights dim, the audience settles in, and you can feel the whole room leaning forward. This weekend, that feeling settled over The Spotlight Playhouse as The Bluegrass Players opened their production of Salem’s Daughter. We are proud…
Famous and Otherwise Notable People of Berea, Kentucky
Berea, Kentucky, has been home to, and a launching pad for, a remarkable collection of people who have made their mark on the national and even world stage. The list below honors authors, musicians, actors, scientists, and other individuals who have achieved national recognition, won national awards, or left a historically significant legacy, and who…
Frozen KIDS Brings Arendelle to Berea: Spotlight Acting School’s Youngest Performers Take the Stage ❄️
The first time a child walks onto a stage under lights, something changes. You can see it in the shoulders. They stand a little taller, and they find their voice. That moment is what Spotlight Acting School has been building toward since 2004, and it is what families across Madison County will get to see…
Mountain Day Returns October 7: What to Know Before You Go 🥾
If you have lived in Berea long enough, you know the rhythm. Every fall, the college shuts down for a day, the town gets a little busier on the trails, and people end up on top of Indian Fort Mountain watching the sun come up over the ridgeline. This year, Berea College Mountain Day falls…
Good Music Close to Home: 53rd Celebration of Traditional Music Comes to Berea October 9-11 🎻
If you stand near Presser Hall on a fall afternoon and hear a fiddle tuning through an open door, you know it is Celebration weekend in Berea. That sound has been part of October here for more than fifty years, and it is worth marking on your calendar. The 53rd Annual Celebration of Traditional Music…
A New Twist on an Old Tale: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Dinner Show Comes to The Spotlight Playhouse 🎃
Fall in Madison County brings a familiar rhythm. The air turns crisp, high school football lights up Friday nights, and our dinner theater season gets underway at The Spotlight Playhouse. This October, we are preparing to open an all-new interactive mystery production of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The performances are scheduled for Friday, October…
The Spoonbread Festival 5K Turns 30: Your Race-Morning Plan for Sunday, September 20 in Berea 🏃
Plenty of towns can put on a race once. Keeping one on the calendar for thirty straight years takes a community that keeps showing up. The Spoonbread Festival 5K Run/Walk hits its 30th annual running this September, and it is still one of the most straightforward ways in Berea to do some good before breakfast…
International Observe the Moon Night Brings a Free Night of Astronomy to Berea 🌙
I have always thought the Moon is the most underrated science lesson we have on tap. It is right there, over the backyard, every single night, and it does not require a ticket, a trip, or a degree to start asking questions about it. On Saturday, September 19, the Berea College Planetarium is hosting International…