Six years ago the first group of Y-Arts youth headed to Atlanta for the iTheatrics Junior Music Theatre Festival, the largest theatre festival in the United States. Those same youth made our community proud and came back holding the title of the most Outstanding Performance at the Festival and an invite to not only attend the festival the following year but a request to premier a show on stage.

For the following three years, the group headed to Atlanta to perform, engage and learn alongside Broadway professionals, teachers, directors and thousands of youth from performing art schools and programs across the country and Canada. In 2013, the group took a break from the southern route and traveled to New York City where they took in a Broadway show, participated in an iTheatrics workshop and explored the city.

In 2014, the Junior Theatre Festival brings 29 Y-Arts youth from the Boothbay region back to Atlanta. With a rehearsal schedule in hand and casting underway, they will perform My Son Pinocchio Jr. as their competition piece. Meanwhile … parents, family members and the youth themselves are fundraising to make the trip down south affordable allowing all 29 to attend.

The Y-Arts $10,000 Lottery tickets are being sold to help underwrite the expense per youth for the Festival registration fee and to help underwrite the cost of the Y’s Everyone Sings for free and the Y-Arts For All programs, also free to local community members. However, in addition to the festival registration fee, there is also the travel, hotel and food expenses over the course of the four days to consider.

This is where five local restaurant owners/managers have stepped up to the plate to support and partner with the Y. Each restaurant has chosen an evening during October, November or December where they will donate up to 30 percent of each patron’s bill. The proceeds from these evenings will be devoted to covering a portion (and depending on how much is raised) perhaps the entirety of the travel expenses for the youth.

The following dates have been established:

Newagen Seaside Inn: Wednesday, Oct. 9, 207-633-5242

The Watershed Tavern: Saturday, Nov. 2, 207-633-3411

The Thistle Inn: Saturday, Nov. 9, 207-633-3541

Robinson’s Wharf: Friday, Nov. 29, 207-633-3830

McSeagulls: Saturday, Dec. 7, 207-633-5900

Reservations are highly recommended by calling the restaurants of choice directly.

On these evenings Y-Arts teens are offering free babysitting at the YMCA for children of adults who are going to dinner at one of the participating restaurants. Parents must reserve a babysitting spot by calling the YMCA directly at 207-633-2855. Children must be potty trained to attend the babysitting service.

Please come out to support your community by dining locally and helping send our local youth to Atlanta.