The Loose Cannon: Dolly’s Dancers and the Lincoln Theater

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Editor’s note: Lincoln Theater, located on the campus of the Veterans Home, opened in 1957 as an entertainment venue for veterans and also served broader residents of the Napa Valley. A major community-led effort resulted in a more than $20 million renovation in the 1990s with the theater reopening in 2005 as the region’s largest and most modern indoor performance venue, with a 1,200 seat capacity.

Following financial challenges and a restructuring in the 2010s, the theater continued hosting performances until the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic forced the venue to go dark. It remains closed today due to needed state-funded infrastructure repairs, and there is no public reopening date. I worked for the theater for eight years, so I did shed a tear or two when reading Ranndy Piña’s opening of this week’s column. Lisa Adams Walter

Remember the Lincoln Theater? If you need to, go ahead and get a tissue to dry those tears so you can keep reading.

Honoring the 75th anniversary of D-Day, Dolly’s Dancers provided a patriotic program at the Lincoln theater on June 1, 2019, and I videoed that Grand Finale.

The caption from the print edition of the Yountville Sun reads: Dolly’s Dancers come out of a long hiatus to dance together again in honor of the 75th anniversary of D-Day. They performed last Saturday on the stage of the Lincoln Theater during the finale of “New Songs of WWII: a hit of a show produced and performed by an amazing convergence of local talent. (Photo by Sharon Stensaas).

Sharon Stensaas covered the event and had this to share:

Prior to the start of the grand finale, was the singing of “America the Beautiful” by Bob Henderson. That’s George Rothwell playing the trumpet.

George Rothwell added this detailed information about the event:

“The power of the Yountville Sun was evident when Sharon posted our first WWII tribute and was looking for a monetary donation that would be placed in the Veterans Sunday Dance program. Budget cuts from Sacramento severely hampered the continuation of the program.

Dave and Mary Lemoine responded quickly and were donors in both shows.

Another caveat in the Dolly’s Dancers show was finding a drummer who knew the proper rudiment for each of the service songs.

The first drummer did practice with me and the dancers at Dolly’s studio. It was great but he mixed up the dates and backed out at the last minute. I convinced another drummer, promising twice the pay to rehearse and play for the event. Whew!

Bob Hurley’s luncheon made the show really meaningful, and folks still talk about the wonderful ‘lunch with a WWII vet.’ The band had sandwiches and missed that part because of timing. My big regret.

Rosie the Riveter from the Richmond Museum and the War Museum in Fairfield added so much as well. All thanks to Bob Hurley and his team.

Dolly knocked it out of the park, and she told me it was her dancers first time on a stage with live musicians.

My good friend Bob Henderson, who sang ‘God Bless America,’ was a Louisiana Music Hall of Famer and worked on Jimmy Swaggart’s TV broadcast for years. He passed months after the show, but not before he cut an album with Swaggart’s cousin, Jerry Lee Lewis,” Rothwell concluded.

YouTube of the Dolly’s Dancers Grand Finale: