The Madrigal Feaste, the longstanding event the Tonganoxie middle and high school music departments showcase, will be Friday and Saturday at the Tonganoxie Middle School commons area.

The Feaste, now in its 13th year, once again is a popular event. Saturday nights meal and performance is sold out, while limited seating still is available for Friday night. Festivities start at 6:30 p.m. both nights.

This year’s menu is wassail (hot spiced apple cider), barley soup and loaves of wheat bread, wild boar (ham steak), green beans and tarts.

This year’s king and queen are Mat Davis and Kourtni Freemyer on Friday and Jackson Bartlett and Haley Starcher on Saturday.

The jester is Lauren Harrell. This marks her second year in the role, which is pivotal because she acts as liaison between the audience and cast of old English castle dwellers.

“She’s like an interpreter between the past and the present,” music director Tom Gifford said.

There are 22 seniors in this year’s show and more than 125 performers total.

Gifford said the group tries to re-create a feast in the hall of a castle with food and entertainment for their guests.

The event starts with a big processional when the students welcome the guests to their dinner by singing “Welcome One and Welcome All” and the traditional carol “Masters in This Hall.” Vocalists sing “The Gloucester Wassail” before toasting the wassail with guests.

Students sing the “Boar’s Head Carol” as they bring in an actual boar’s head before serving the main dish. The youths then sing “Deck The Hall” before serving dessert and then “Silent Night” as they leave the hall.

The students also weave a play, or masque, throughout the evening.

This year’s masque is “Alice in Blunderland.”

Gifford said it’s a silly spoof on the classic Lewis Carroll story. The jokes are corny and the plot is “hare-thin.”

Here’s a list of featured soloists:

Masters In This Hall

Kourtni Freemyer, Meagan Behm and Emmanuel Fleming.

Gloucester Wassail

Kaitlin Hall, Joshua Hunter and Grace Reilly.

The Boar’s Head Carol

Amber Adcox, Bekah Martin (Friday night), Molly Monahan (Saturday night) and Grace Woods.

Alice in Blunderland cast (in order of

appearance)

Professor — Joshua Lingo

Alice — Sophie Wetta

White Rabbit — Emma DeMaranville

Mad Hatter — Lauren Harrell

Dormouse — Meagan Behm

Queen of Hearts — Megan Briggs

Tweedle-Dum — Dylan Kroll

Tweedle-Dummer — Alex Kroll

Cheshire Cat — Grace Woods

Mock Turtle — Lexi Lauri

Jack — Luke Falk

Ace — Braden Shryock

Several volunteers also work to make the event possible, including one person who has been a part of the event since its inception.

“We couldn’t produce this massive show without the amazing Carolyn Day who really organizes everything involving the food, the volunteers and the costumes,” Gifford said.

To check ticket availability for Friday’s performance, call THS at 913-845-2654 and ask for Gifford.