Chestnut Creek School of the Arts Grand Opening Celebration Activities
Chestnut Creek School of the Arts celebrated its official opening in downtown Galax with a Black Tie Gala on Friday evening April 16 and a community celebration of the arts on Saturday, April 17.
The school will be hosting Women of the Blue Ridge Plateau, the opening exhibit for Minds Wide Open: Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts. In addition, the gala will honor the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway with a juried exhibit for “Memories: The Blue Ridge Parkway in Retrospect”. A juried collection of metaphorical or literal artworks pertaining to the Parkway, this display honors not only the scenic beauty, the flora and fauna, but also the people and their craft who have contributed to the arts and cultural heritage of the communities along the Parkway.
The Friday evening gala also featured live artisan demonstrations and the musical talents of Helen White and the High Tone Hepcats, Acoustic Heritage featuring Debbie and Tim Yates and Solid Stride - piano and bass duo David and Sherry Hoffman.
Kicking off the community celebration on Saturday, April 17, the Galax High School Band lead a parade of dignitaries, artists and performers north on main street circling to Grayson Street for an afternoon of music, artisan demonstrations, food and the official opening ceremonies. Featured on the Grayson Street Stage was live entertainment including Tremayne Blair, the Galax High School and Middle School Choruses, Eddie Armbrister’s Magic , the Young Actors Coop of Floyd, the Conservatory of Dance, Laken and the Savages (jazz), Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) and the Galax Theatre Guild. Vendors and live demonstrations continued throughout the afternoon on Grayson Street with a cake cutting ceremony at 4:30 pm.
The Gerald Anderson Band ended the evening with a performance at the Rex Theater at 5:00 p.m. Gerald Anderson, accomplished guitar player and luthier, was joined by Jimmy Edmonds on fiddle, Butch Barker on bass and Paul Trianosky on mandolin.