Oregon Public Broadcasting

Fathers of Ferris High School students channel their inner Tom Cruise during this year's Ham on Regal production in Spokane.

Many Northwest schools have parent groups that raise money for things that taxes don't pay for.

They put on bake sales and auctions and raise hundreds, even thousands of dollars. But over the years, parents at one Spokane school have raised more than a million dollars.

Their annual event has become than just a fundraiser; it's now a community tradition.

Doug Nadvornick reports on Ferris High School's annual production, "Ham on Regal."

Let's start with the name "Ham on Regal." First, Ferris High School is located on Regal Street on Spokane's southside. And as for the ham, well, just listen.

Singers: "Kids! I don't know what's wrong with these kids today."

These parents of Ferris students are hamming it up for their first dress rehearsal for this year's production. Some wear pink and blue aprons.

In another skit, middle-aged men in their underwear do their best Tom Cruise imitations. Overall, more than 300 parents are part of this show, doing things that normal adults don't normally do.

Since 1963, Ferris parents have performed Ham on Regal to bring in extra money. Last year, between show tickets and advertisements in the program, the production raised more than $70,000.

The running total for the last 47 years tops $1.2 million.

Spokane's Ham on Regal production features parents of Ferris High School students performing skits and dance numbers.

Many of these crooners and high-kickers are well-known professional people.

Paul Read is an editor at Spokane's business journal. He's one of four lead organizers overseeing everything from scriptwriting to the costumes.

Paul Read: "Even though we're from different walks of life, from doctors and lawyers to contractors and janitors, you name it, we're all there together, equal, in one room and the bonding and camaraderie is -- I haven't seen anything like it."

The on-stage part of Ham on Regal is open only to parents of current students. Offstage, parents of Ferris graduates have their own group, the Hambones.

Once a month, the Hambones meet at a pizza parlor just a few blocks from the school. 10-year Ham on Regal veteran Kris Wedel is answering questions from new Hambones. She says her time on the show satisfied her inner ham. But she says there was another benefit.

Kris Wedel: "It was great to get to know parents of the kids who your kids were hanging out with and that kind of parent connection when our kids were in high school was invaluable."

Ferris principal Kevin Foster leads me on a tour of the sprawling Ferris High School campus.

He says money from Ham on Regal has allowed Ferris to buy things it couldn't buy with government funding. For example, he says, in one biology class, teachers used money from the show to buy advanced equipment for students to do experiments in genetics and forensics.

Kevin Foster: "What we're able to supply in our basic resources are books and maybe some animations. But when they have a hands-on experience of what an actual forensic scientist would do, it just brings it up to a whole other level."

In these tight economic times, school districts all around the Northwest are looking for all the money they can get to help balance their budgets.

That makes fundraisers like this all the more important. But, setting that aside, that's not really what Ham on Regal is all about.

Singers: "Dit dot ditty -- dit dot dit ditty ditty"

Parents like Paul Read say this show is really about building relationships.

Paul Read: "It's the most family-related community I've ever seen. It's somewhat like a church, in that we take of one another. If someone gets sick, we're sending cards. If somebody has a death, we're making meals."

This year, because of a late push, advertising sales for the show are about $5000 ahead of last year's production. That's despite the bad economy.

Ham on Regal organizers hope they'll get just as enthusiastic a response from the audience when the curtain rises on this year's production.

Weblink: Ham on Regal