This year’s performances will be bitter-sweet for all of us involved and the community that has seen The Nutcracker over the past 15 years. Danny Ward, brother of founder Charlene Brown, is retiring from the role he made famous, Great Uncle Neville. With his bushy silver hair and wobbly cane assisted hobble, this hard-of-hearing patriarch of the Rothchild family endears himself as a silent favorite of audiences over the years. He brings a lovable comic relief as he conspires with the mischievous boys to torment their siblings, flirts with the maids, and struggles to keep up with the others in the dance. We want to make his last performances extra special and memorable. If you have loved Great Uncle Neville as played by Danny Ward, it’s time to catch his final performances this year before he returns to being a fellow audience member.   You can catch Danny and the many talented performers beside him in this grand production of The Nutcracker at South Whidbey High School's Performing Arts Center on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, Dec. 13–22. Show times are Friday and Saturday evening at 7pm, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2pm, and there is no evening show on 12/14.   Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at our.show/widt-nut24 or visit widtonline.org.   Online sales prices: Adult: $28; Senior/Military: $24; Youth (2-17): $18. If you have trouble with the online method, you can alternately order your tickets by calling the WIDT Box Office at 360-341-2221 or buy your tickets at the door.At the door prices: Adult $34; Senior/Military $29; Youth (2-17) $23.   Tickets sell out quickly, so order early, and for the best deal, order online.