CLIFTON FORGE (VR) — During its regular meeting on Mon., Oct. 3, Appalfolks of America Association’s board of directors agreed to move forward to reestablish its Virginia Junior Opry program.
Auditions will be held at A-1 Dance Studios in Covington at 214 S. Lexington Ave., and audition dates will be announced at a later date.
The Virginia Junior Opry was formed after Appalfolks received the Historic Stonewall Theatre as a charitable donation from Irwin R. Cohen, owner of R-C Theatres, Inc. in Reisterstown, Md. On Dec. 20, 1991.
During the mid-1990s, the late Bob Campbell of Staunton, one of six performers to tour as one of The Statler Brothers, was appointed to direct the program, and the Virginia Junior Opry via his leadership performed at the Rockingham County Fair, Glen Maury Park in Buena Vista, Danville, Clifton Forge High School and at the Historic Stonewall Theatre where students from 11 Virginia counties came to perform as part of the program that promotes drug-free living.
The Virginia State Police Association sent a trooper to observe one Virginia Junior Opry show at the theatre, and via his recommendation, Appalfolks received a $500 donation from the Virginia State Police Association.
Prior to COVID-19, the program was started again after it was discontinued for several years, and the Appalachian Pickers and Crossing County Lines, Virginia, two bands, performed shows at The Historic Masonic Theatre, the name restored to the Historic Stonewall Theatre following Appalfolks’ donation of the theatre to the Town of Clifton Forge in 2003.
At the board meeting, Amanda Burns, owner of A-1 Dance Studios, was approved as a member of Appalfolks’ board of directors, and she will be working with the Virginia Junior Opry, a feeder system for The Virginia Opry that Appalfolks founded on Oct. 17, 1992, to perform in the Historic Stonewall Theatre.
The Virginia Opry has performed country music shows in the Alleghany Highlands for 30 consecutive years, and on Feb. 17, 2017, the Virginia General Assembly honored The Virginia Opry for completing 25 consecutive years of country music shows.
Governor Ralph S. Northam signed Senator R. Creigh Deeds’ “Senate Bill 263” which passed the Virginia Senate 40-0 and the Virginia House of Delegates 93-6 to designate The Virginia Opry as the Commonwealth of Virginia’s official Opry on March 31, 2020.
Bill Wade, Jr., a vocalist and guitarist from Clifton Forge, is a member of Appalfolks’ board of directors who is the director of the Virginia Junior Opry, and Burns will work with Wade to develop the program which is designed to help students in grades one through 12 to live drug-free lives while developing self-esteem via honing their musical and dance talents.
The next Virginia Opry show is its “White Christmas Show” at The Historic Masonic Theatre where Bill Pinkney’s Original Drifters will perform. The Hall of Fame group was inducted into The Virginia Opry in Feb. before its “Be My Valentine” show at The Historic Masonic Theatre.
The Virginia Opry now has 60 members comprising 10 bands, and the Virginia Junior Opry in the past opened shows for The Virginia Opry.
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