A local organization is offering Calvert residents a trip down memory lane this Saturday with a 1940s radio show recreation featuring the legendary “Bob Hope.”

The Circle of Angels Initiative Inc. is hosting “The Salute Fair at the Cradle of Invasion: Passing the Torch to the Next Generation: WWII Remembered” at the Calvert County Fairgrounds in Prince Frederick on Saturday.

The performance will be “The Bob Hope Road Show,” performed by the Fresno, Calif., Phoenix Producers Group with actor Lynn Roberts playing Hope and other special guests Jimmy Durante, Jack Benny and Red Skelton.

The free show will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with the road show skits lasting 30 minutes each.

Chuck Carson, the senior producer of the Phoenix Producers Group, said this was his organization’s first time performing in Calvert County and second time performing in Maryland, as they had a show in Cumberland once.

“Everybody is truly amazed at how well we recreate a 1940s radio program,” said Carson, who explained he acts as the show’s announcer in between acts.

The acts, he said, include the comedic monologues “that Hope was famous for,” some music and routines from Durante, Benny and Skelton.

The show also features recreations of 1940s commercials for products like Johnson’s Wax, Campbell’s tomato soup, Pepsi Cola and Chiquita bananas.

Carson said Hope closes every show “the way they did it in the old days.”

After the shows, Carson said, he and Roberts like to stick around and meet the audience and often get asked, “Where’s the actor who played Jack Benny or Jimmy Durante?”

“He changes persona that quickly,” Carson said of Roberts.

Carson said the show has something to offer both the old and younger members of the audience.

For older generations, especially those who might have served in the military overseas and saw one of Hope’s performances, Carson said “it brings back vivid memories.

“... A lot of times you see the audience singing some of the jingles,” Carson said.

For the younger generations who may attend with their parents or grandparents, Carson said “they get to experience what their grandparents experienced. ... A lot of these guys became very famous from radio.”

A press release from the Circle of Angels said the show is being “held to honor those who serve in uniform, particularly in the WWII era.

“We believe that era is important to tell our youth about because the folks who lived through that time are living examples of resiliency,” the press release said.

Circle of Angels founder Roseanna Vogt said the organization had a similar event last year at the fairgrounds.

“It was a lot of fun,” she said.

The public is also invited to bring World War II memorabilia or dress in costume from that era.

Circle of Angels is described on the organization’s website as working to accomplish its goal to eliminate poverty and empower people through community organizing, improved legislative responses to community needs, the promotion of mentoring and connecting and networking with others.

Carson said through reaching out to veterans and those currently serving, Circle of Angels “is keeping that spirit alive.”

ldukes@somdnews.com