The L-M Garden and Civic Club and the Part-Time Players are laughing all the way to practice as they continue to plan and produce an evening of dining and fun in Lometa on Nov. 15 when the stage production comedy "Dearly Departed" will be performed.

In the Baptist backwoods of the Bible Belt, the beleaguered Turpin family proves that living and dying in the South are seldom tidy and always hilarious.

Despite their efforts to pull themselves together for their father's funeral, the Turpins' other problems overshadow the solemn occasion. Amidst the chaos, the Turpins turn for comfort to their friends and neighbors, an eccentric community of misfits who just manage to pull together and help each other through their hours of need.

The production, directed by Janie Potts, includes a cast of 17 Lometa citizens, including a past county judge, a city council member and a school board member.

Make plans to attend the steak dinner, prepared by garden club members, and stay for the play. Tickets, at $20, are at Hodges & Sargent Pharmacy, Shooting Star Books and Gifts, Tico's Beauty Shop and Denim Angels, or phone Mrs. Potts at 752-3544 or Mrs. Hicks at 752-3383.