FFE kicks off new season with community events

FINDLAY — Findlay First Edition is kicking off its 2025-26 season with its annual summer camp and community garage sale, July 7-12. Held daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., the camp is a weeklong workshop that marks the first official rehearsal period for new FFE members. The week concludes with a public performance on Saturday, July 12 at 4 p.m. in the R.L. Heminger Auditorium at Findlay High School. FFE Director David Coolidge said the camp is more than just rehearsals, but a launching pad for the entire season "It's a terrific opportunity for the students to get to bond and know the entire creative team right off the bat," Coolidge said. New members are paired with returning ones, and the week begins with vocal training before transitioning into choreography sessions in preparation for Saturday's performance. The performance will feature a mix of modern and classical music meant to appeal to a wide range of audiences. While the FFE's competition show won't debut until later in the year, Saturday's concert will give attendees a preview of the season ahead. The school band, The Boingers, will also perform, and the technical crew will assist with stage production. That same week, the show choir will be running its biggest fundraising event - the FFE Garage Sale. The high school cafeteria will be filled with thousands of donated items from community members, ranging from household goods, clothing items, toys and more. "It really helps fund the season," Coolidge said. "It would be very challenging to do our season without the support of the community." Coolidge said the sale not only benefits FFE, but the community too. "It really is a win-win," Coolidge said. "It's a great support for the Findlay First Edition, and it's a great opportunity for our community to get some really amazing items at a very reasonable price." Parent volunteers and crew members will be accepting donations at the Findlay High School. Donations will be accepted from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Wednesday. "It's amazing to see the FFE parents and the kids be all hands on deck," Coolidge said. "It's an enormous undertaking. It will end at noon on Saturday and by the time of the performance at four, everything magically disappears and is cleaned up in the cafeteria. The parents and our FFE crew really are the heavy lifters." The garage sale will be open to the public, free of charge from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday. An Early Bird Special will be offered 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, for a $10 admission fee or free for FCS staff with a Findlay City Schools ID. According to Coolidge, the sale raises between $15,000 to $25,000 each year, with all proceeds benefiting the show choir's season. Following the busy week, FFE will take a short break for the summer before returning full speed ahead in the fall. Last season, FFE received "Most Improved" at the national competition in Orlando. Coolidge said he hopes to build off that momentum this year. "We've gone through so much transition and it's a really exciting time to see the new members coming in so fresh and enthusiastic," Coolidge said. "We're really looking to build off the momentum that we created last year. I think that it was a wonderful way to end our season and a great motivator as we go into this new season."