The Shadow
CLIFTON FORGE, Va. (VR) – M. Ray Allen, executive director of The Commonwealth of Virginia’s official Opry, The Virginia Opry, has released The Virginia Opry’s 2026 performance schedule.
The Virginia Opry will produce seven shows: one at the Lincoln Theatre in Marion, two at Hull’s Drive-In Theatre in Lexington, and four at the Historic Masonic Theatre in Clifton Forge. World Champion Tribute Artist Michael Hoover from Stafford will team with Patsy Cline Tribute Artist Dense Glass from Lee County to present “When Patsy Meets Elvis” at the Lincoln Theatre in Marion on Fri., April 24, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at www.thelincoln.org
Nashville recording artists Keith Bryant of Rockbridge County and James Tamelcoff III of Charlottesville will form a unique duo to perform the second show of The Virginia Opry’s performance season on Sat., May 9, at 7:00 p.m. on stage at Hull’s Drive-In Theatre. The concert is free for anyone who purchases a ticket to see the movies.
The third show of the season will take place on stage at The Historic Masonic Theatre where Ralph Stanley II and the Clinch Mountain Boys will celebrate the group’s 80th year of delighting audiences with their vintage bluegrass music from “The True Vine.” The concert will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Sat., May 16, and the doors will open at 6:30 p.m. The group will be inducted into The Virginia Opry as its 11th band. Tickets are available online at www.historicmasonictheatre.com.
“Patsy Meets Elvis at The Virginia Opry” is scheduled for the Historic Masonic Theatre on Sat., Aug. 8, at 7:00 p.m. The show features Elvis Tribute Artist Hoover teaming with Patsy Cline Tribute Artist Glass to share memories of Elvis and of Patsy and their music, which continues to be popular today. Nashville Recording Artist Glen Shelton from Madison Heights will emcee the show and perform as well. The same show sold out the Washington Room at the Historic Natural Bridge Hotel and Conference Center in 2023.
“Cash Unchained,” a tribute to Johnny Cash, will be held on Sat., Aug. 29, at 7:00 p.m. on stage at The Historic Masonic Theatre where Johnny Cash Tribute Artist Tamelcoff III entertained a near-capacity audience at The Historic Masonic Theatre on March 31, 2023. Tamelcoff III, 28, and his band, is one of The Virginia Opry’s 10 bands. Tamelcoff III has mastered the unique Johnny Cash sound, and the acclaimed group has filled seats at venues from Coast to Coast.
Mark Patterson and Midnight Special, the touring band for Appalfolks’ Opry during the 1990s, will perform at Hull’s Drive-In Theatre on Sat., Sept. 26, at 7:00 pm. Patterson and his band performed at the Mountain Arts Center, home of the Kentucky Opry, in Prestonsburg, Ky. which was one of several
performances for Appalfolks during the 12 years that Appalfolks owned and operated the Historic Masonic Theatre which was operating as The Historic Stonewall Theatre from 1991-2003. Those who purchase tickets to the movies will be treated to the free concert and experience the group being inducted into The Virginia Opry as its 12th band.
“Teddi & Bobbi Cyrus” and their band will perform the final show of The Virginia Opry’s 2026, performance season. The Kentucky based group will grace the stage at The Historic Masonic Theatre on Sat., Nov. 28, at 7:00 p.m. Teddi & Bobbi Cyrus, a Nashville recording group that sometimes teams with Billy Ray Cyrus, Bobbi’s first cousin, will perform its special flavor of bluegrass and country music.
Allen said, “Teddi is from McDowell, Ky. which is my hometown, and as a vocalist, she got her start at The Kentucky Opry, the Opry that I patterned The Virginia Opry after following a meeting with Billie Jean Osborne, the founder of The Kentucky Opry.”
The Virginia Opry which made its debut on Oct. 17, 1992, in Clifton Forge has grown from its original 10 members and one band to 72 members and 10 bands, and the Virginia General Assembly via “House Resolution 397” passed on Feb. 17, 2017, honored The Virginia Opry for completing 25 consecutive years of producing country music shows in the Alleghany Highlands.
Governor Ralph S. Northam signed “Senate Bill 283” on March 31, 2020, to designate The Virginia Opry as the Commonwealth of Virginia’s official Opry following the Virginia Senate passing the “Bill” by a 40-0 vote and the Virginia House of Delegates approving the “Bill” by a 93-6 vote.
In 2024, The Virginia Opry was invited to perform at the Virginia State Fair in Doswell where Governor Glen Youngkin appeared on stage to introduce Dan Tyminski as the headliner of The Virginia Opry’s show.
Tyminski is scheduled to be inducted into The Virginia Opry in July.
WKEY’s Big Country 103.5 in Covington is the radio home of The Virginia Opry, and the Buckhorne Country Store and Campground and Hunt Brothers Pizza are the 2026 corporate sponsors.
