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That familiar saying “the show must go on” holds true for the way Mark Hopper feels about upcoming events at McGregor Hall. Events that had been put on hold as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are being rescheduled and Hopper said there’s a lot to look forward to.
Garret Davis’s “Living with Ruthie Mae” has been rescheduled for Sunday, Mar. 20 at 2 p.m.
Ticketholders need only show up and will be honored at the door, Hopper told John C. Rose during Tuesday’s Town Talk.
Tickets are still available for “Living with Ruthie Mae” at https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/11557.
On April 22, the Duke Ellington Orchestra will bring the Big Band sound to McGregor Hall. On this date, Margaritas with Mazatlán will take place, he said, noting a change in the original schedule. The program begins at 7:30 p.m.
A “constant string” of dance competitions are scheduled to be held starting in March, Hopper said. A smaller, more local competition was held last weekend, setting the stage for the upcoming events.
“They’ll start in earnest in March,” Hopper said, adding that they will get a lot of people here in the motels and spending money in the community.”
Events at McGregor Hall help to increase visitors to the area, which in turn pumps some extra dollars into the economy. That was part of the vision since McGregor Hall’s inception.
As chair of the Embassy Cultural Center Foundation, Hopper said he couldn’t be prouder of the way the community has supported McGregor Hall during its first five and half years in operation.
“We should have been bankrupt in two years,” Hopper said, reflecting on the early days of the cultural arts center. “But we’re solvent and paying our bills and still able to bring good quality entertainment to the area. Some funding is pandemic-related and comes from grants from entities like the N.C. Arts Council, the N.C. Community Foundation and the John W. Polk Foundation.
But it’s the support from the local business community that Hopper said has been something special. “It’s been extraordinary,” he said. And when events were suspended or cancelled because of the pandemic, Hopper said that’s when the business community stepped up.
“They know what we’re offering and what we bring to the community,” he said. “They value what we’re offering.”
One offering will be observing the 50th anniversary of the Henderson Rec Players. This group has become a regional operation, drawing actors from towns like Hillsborough, Fayetteville and Fuquay-Varina. Hopper said it’s a wonderful opportunity for children in the community to get to work alongside semi-professional and amateur actors.
In true dramatic fashion, Hopper left us with a cliff-hanger: stay tuned for a major announcement coming up this summer…
Visit https://www.mcgregorhall.org/ to learn more.
