Meredith, NH Celebrates a Year of "Archie" Creator Bob Montana

 

Main Street artist Paul Moreau works on a life-size image of the character Betty from “Archie” comics as part of a multifaceted celebration of “The Year of Bob Montana” in Meredith. (Courtesy photo)

 

Via the Laconia Daily Sun:

Meredith celebrates a year of Bob Montana

MEREDITH – For no more reason than Veronica going on yet another spending spree or Jughead dodging another Miss Grundy homework assignment, the Meredith Historical Society is celebrating 2025 as “The Year of Bob Montana” in tribute to the local creator of the “Archie” comic franchise.

With cooperation from the Winnipesaukee Playhouse, the Winnipesaukee Flagship Corporation, several Meredith businesses and the local public at large, the society’s tribute includes: a museum display of Montana artifacts, life-size figures of Archie and his gang created by local artists, and staging a rediscovered play written and directed by Bob Montana in the ‘50s for the Meredith Village Players theater group.

MHS board member George Berman found Montana’s 70-year-old script among artifacts in storage at the Main Street Museum. He and Bonnie Edwards, vice president for preservation, dusted it off and brainstormed an ambitious project to bring the musical “Mutiny on the Mount” back to life.

Contacting the Winnipesaukee Playhouse, they quickly brought Cory Lawson, the theater’s community engagement director, on board. Together, they paid a visit to officials of the historic M/S Mount Washington cruise ship and proposed bringing the play right to the setting in which the play is set – on board The Mount. 

Originally slated for three showings during the sunset dinner cruises on Oct. 1-3, tickets sold out. Three additional performances were added on Oct. 8-10.

“We could not be happier for the success we’ve had putting this all together,” said Edwards.

She and her crew worked through the winter and early spring collecting and organizing a large selection of Montana artifacts into a new display at the museum.

“We are featuring our collection of items about Bob’s life from the time he was a teenager to his extensive involvement as an artist in the town of Meredith,” she said.

Among retailers participating is Galleries at 30 Main Street. Artists Vynnie Hale and Paul Moreau created life-size figures of Archie and the gang to be placed around Main Street, adding to the existing Archie statue at the Meredith Community Park.

For tickets to “Mutiny on the Mount,” visit cruisenh.com. For more information, visit meredithhistoricalsocietynh.org.