Overflow Crowd Attends Lindale Play

LINDALE — As predicted, an overflow crowd turned out Wednesday night for a presentation of the patriotic musical “In God We Trust” by Lindale fifth graders. The play was presented in its original form after a parental complaint over the play’s religious references prompted school district officials to show a modified version last week. KETK reports that patrons were being directed into the overflow area 45 minutes before the curtains were raised Wednesday at the Lindale ISD Performing Arts Center. Some attendees were quite vocal in their support of the play. One commmented, “The American people need to stand up and speak that it’s in God that we trust and that’s what made this flag so great.”

Pastor Tom Buck of Lindale’s First Baptist Church organized the Wednesday show, renting the LISD Performing Arts Center for the presentation. He says attendees included U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert, Jason Wright from U.S. Senator Ted Cruz’s office, Texas House Representatives Dan Flynn and Bryan Hughes, Mayor Robert Nelson and the Lindale City Council, and Judge James Cowart. In addition, says Buck, the authors of the musical, Chris and Diane Machen, drove from Frisco to attend the performance.

Meanwhile, there was no immediate update on the status of two new complaints filed by the Freedom from Religion Foundation, which processed the original parental complaint. Elizabeth Cavell, attorney for FFRF, wrote to Lindale Superintendent Stan Surratt telling him to make sure no district employees could participate in the alternate performance, lest the young participants “assume that the ‘First Baptist version’ of this program is equally school-sponsored.” Cavell added, “We hope you will ensure student information is not released to the First Baptist Church outside of legal limits and that the district will not participate in, coordinate, or promote this version of the music program.”