The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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    Sub-As the corn grows

October 5, 2008

Hollywood star proud to play part

By Mickey Tibbits

FAIRMONT — Hollywood stars are flocking to this southern Minnesota town to appear in “As the Corn Grows,” the area’s only locally produced soap opera.

“‘As the Corn Grows’ is a tongue-and-cheek look at country living not designed to make fun,” producer Jeff Rouse said. He described the show as a cross between “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” and “Chickenman” with the cliff-hanging twists of “General Hospital.”

So far only one Hollywood star, Kati Powell, has found her way through the cornfields to Fairmont. Powell moved here with her cat, Moki, from Los Angeles to join the local cast. A former actress in the television series “General Hospital,” Powell’s parents were Martha Scott and Mel Powell.

In addition to being Powell’s mother, Scott played Charlton Heston’s mother in both “The Ten Commandments” and “Ben Hur” as well as Bob Newhart’s mother on the television show.

“She had a great six decade career,” Powell said. Scott started out on off Broadway playing Emily in Thorton’s “Our Town” and later played the same leading role in the movie. Powell’s father was a classical composer and jazz pianist who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1990.

Jeff and Denise are among the most innovative, fun and friendly people I’ve ever met. How could you not do it (join “As the Crow Grows”), Powell said. “It is not about anything other than great fun.”

“We have a lot of great characters in ‘As the Corn Grows’,” Rouse said. “Elmer Plow (Dan Mensing, a Blue Earth banker) is preoccupied with farm safety. Prairie Ann (Denise Rouse) wants to be a country music star but also has a secret passion that we don’t know about yet. Mrs. Swanson (Bonnie Fjelstad, Fairmont) is the neighborly woman who thinks everything can be solved with a hot dish or a piece of pie. Cousin John (Mark Anderson, Fairmont) is distressed that he didn’t inherit the farm. Ronnie Silage (Ton Dodge, Truman), a hired hand, is being introduced in a new episode,” he said.

Rouse said he writes “As the Corn Grows” with input from others. “Shelly Abitz writes a lot of it. People come up with their own characters. I’m forced to add to the cast,” he said. “But the soap opera almost writes itself.”

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