DICKINSON — Dickinson native Damon Fichter will be among the headline performers when the “Magical Medora Christmas” tour hits the road this month for performances in 24 communities in three states.

Now in its eighth year, the Medora-themed travelling show will stop in Dickinson on Tuesday, Dec. 3 for a 7:30 p.m. MST performance at Stickney Auditorium at Dickinson State University.

The family-friendly music and magic review features a cast of performers with ties to the popular summer show known as The Medora Musical. The theme for this year’s show is “Joy,” said host and producer Bill Sorensen of Bismarck, drawing on a familiar Christmas season sentiment.

“We all know this is a particularly joyful time of year,” Sorensen said, “and the theme will weave its way through the performance to a finale that will knock your socks off.”

Fichter is a Dickinson native and earned a music degree at Dickinson State University. He then moved to Minneapolis, where he taught private music lessons and performed in theater and with various bands. He performed several seasons in Medora as a Burning Hills Singer, and now lives in Nashville where he teaches, writes music, serves as a session musician and recording artist.

Fichter says wherever he has lived. “I have come to appreciate the special magic that is only found in Medora.”

Stops on this year’s tour stretch from Glendive, MT to Alexandria, MN and from Grand Forks, ND to Spearfish, SD.

Sorensen, former host of the Medora Musical and a lifelong entertainer, said this year’s show will include the traditional singers and band members, but also brass players and even magicians.

“This show will have you singing along, amazed by magic, excited by music and enchanted by the season,” Sorensen said.

As host, Sorenson keeps the audience engaged with lively banter, jokes and magic.

Master magician Colin Zasadny, who also performs in Medora, will have people scratching their heads.

Travis Smith, of Columbus, OH, returns as music director, marking his sixth year with the Medora Christmas Tour. A performer, pianist and multi-instrumentalist, Smith has directed more than 100 professional productions across the country. He is also a composer and arranger and has written several childrens’ shows.

Smith is just one of several Magical Medora Christmas performers with national performing chops.

Michael Cartwright parlayed his North Dakota roots into a career as a vocalist, trumpeter and band leader, first in Los Angeles and now in New York City, and Cydney McQuillan-Grace is a New York City vocalist and songwriter whose distinctive voice has been described as sensitive, rich, soulful and powerful. Cartwright is a returning star of the tour, and McQuillan-Grace is in her debut year.

Fellow New Yorkers Trent and Megan Tabor are also new to the tour this year. Both grew up in Jenks, OK. After five years teaching and coaching high school athletics in Tulsa, Trent and his wife, Megan, moved to New York last year to pursue careers as performers. This past summer, Trent quickly became a fan favorite in his first season as a performer in the Medora Musical and the Medora Gospel Brunch. Megan is a singer and actor with a number of commercial film and TV credits.

Evan Raines and Emily Schuman are also new performers in this year’s tour, Raines on fiddle and drums and Schuman on guitar and vocals. After performing in Medora this past summer, Raines brings to the Christmas tour broad experience as an actor and musician in shows all over the country. Schuman is an actor, singer and musician based in Philadelphia.

The final performer in this year’s cast is Misti Koop, another native North Dakotan who has long experience in Medora and on the Christmas tour. Koop, of Grand Forks, spent seven years performing in Medora. After graduating with a master’s in theater arts from the University of North Dakota, she moved to New York, toured with Jesus Christ Superstar, and performed with Norwegian Cruise Lines. She teaches music and drama at Minto High School, and directs the Frost Fire Summer Theater. On the Christmas tour she sings and plays saxophone.

The Magical Medora Christmas show begins its tour Nov. 29 in Hettinger, ND and ends Dec. 22 in Bismarck.

Tickets and more information are available www.medorachristmas.com.

The full itinerary includes:
Nov. 29, Hettinger High School Auditorium, Hettinger, ND, 7:30 pm MST
Nov. 30, Spearfish High School Auditorium, Spearfish, SD, 4 pm MST
Dec. 1, Lockwood High School Auditorium, Billings, MT 4 pm MST
Dec. 2, Dawson County High School Auditorium, Glendive, MT, 7:30 pm MST
Dec. 3, Stickney Auditorium at Dickinson State University, 7:30 p.m. MST
Dec. 4, Watford City High School Auditorium, Watford City, ND, 7:30 pmDec. 5, Williston High School Auditorium, Williston, ND, 7:30 pm
Dec. 6, Tioga Community Center, Tioga, ND, 7:30 pm
Dec. 7, Ann Nicole Nelson Hall at MSU, Minot, ND, 4 pm
Dec. 8, Aberdeen Civic Theater, Aberdeen, SD, 3 pm
Dec. 9, Stern Cultural Center at NDSCS, Wahpeton, ND 7:30 pm
Dec. 10, Barnesville High School Auditorium, Barnesville MN, 7:30 pm
Dec. 11, Central Cass High School Auditorium, Casselton, ND, 7:30 pm
Dec. 12, Reiland Fine Arts Center at UJ, Jamestown, ND, 7:30 pm
Dec. 13, Old Town Hall Theatre, Medora , ND, 7:30 pm MST
Dec. 14, Old Town Hall Theatre, Medora , ND, 4 pm
Dec. 15, Reineke Fine Arts Center at NDSU, Fargo, pm, 3 PM
Dec. 16, Alexandria Area High School Performing Arts School, Alexandria, MN, 7:30 pm
Dec. 17, Center for the Arts at VCSU, Valley City, ND, 7:30 pm
Dec. 18 Fergus Falls Center for the Arts, Fergus Falls, MN, 7:30 pm
Dec. 20, Robert Fawcett Auditorium at LRSC, Devils Lake, ND, 7:30 pmDec. 21, Chester Fritz Auditorium, Grand Forks, ND, 3 pm
Dec. 22, Bismarck Event Center, Bismarck, ND, 4 pm