Ethel da Afon Lady will be cracking up crowds at the Hague Centennial.

Ethel is the alter ego of Yvonne Engelhart of Strasburg. Ethel is an Avon saleswoman with a strong Cherman accent and a handful of off-the-wall spoof Avon products.

Yvonne has been entertaining crowds for 18 years. The gig began as a practical joke in 1990. When she was teaching in Lehr, N.D., some of her fellow teachers had taken some pictures of her and put up a poster of her in a costume as Ethel. Someone in Wishek got a hold of the poster, called Yvonne up and asked her to entertain at a birthday party. Yvonne agreed to do it, and thus began the legend.

Yvonne has never done any advertising; she is always heard of merely by word of mouth. She has entertained for anniversaries, weddings, Christmas parties, and has even roasted Kent Conrad at the Roughrider Health Conference in Medora. She has performed from Aberdeen, S.D., to Wales, N.D., and from Medora to Fargo.

Early on in the show Yvonne traveled with a partner, Roxanne Henke, who played as Edith. For some time they traveled around the state in their alter egos doing lyceums on wellness, stating the importance of good choices in the midst of peer pressure.

When Roxanne decided to pursue other aspirations, Yvonne continued the act solo.

“The show is totally clean,” she said. She makes sure the act is appropriate for the entire family.

When Yvonne isn't cracking up crowds she teaches government and seventh grade civics at Strasburg Public School and serves as the guidance counselor. She was also previously the elementary school principal but will become the high school principal in the upcoming school year.

Yvonne is a director for Pioneer Heritage, which preserves the Lawrence Welk Homestead outside of Strasburg.

Yvonne has just completed her master’s degree, which will allow her to commit more time to entertaining Dakotans.

Ethel da Afon Lady will be performing at one o’clock on Saturday, July 5 at the Hague Centennial.