Von Trapp Family Members
Attend ‘SOM’, Tell Stories

Those who attended the July 6 performance of "The Sound of Music" at Chandler were accorded a special treat.

Kristina Maria von Trapp and her two children attended the performance, and entertained numerous folks after the show with a question and answer session.

Those who attended learned that Maria and the Baron had three children after they married, and that Kristina is the daughter of the youngest of the von Trapp children. She and her husband now run the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, which at one time was simply the family home.

Other interesting tidbits of information gleaned from the session included the fact that the von Trapp's Austrian home became the residence for Heinrich Himmler, one of Germany's most feared and malevolent leaders. When the war ended, the home was returned to the von Trapp family, who turned it over to a group of monks.

Also, Maria sold the film rights to her story for a mere $5000, and none of the von Trapp children in the movie have the same name as the actual children. The von Trapps actually did not escape over the mountains into Switzerland, but rather drove into Italy two days before Austria was occupied. They toured the world as a singing family for years, and Kristina said that the recordings of their concerts in 10-part harmony are unbelievably good.

Finally, at the cast party held at the town pool, directors Kim Nowlan, Marjorie Drysdale, and Charlie McMeekin announced that their plan is to perform "The King and I" as next year's musical.