A bouquet goes out this week to Mathews County’s own Li’l Ole Opry, marking 50 years of entertaining the community.
First located in the former Donk’s Theater at Hudgins for many years, and now at Mathews High School, the Opry has brought rising stars, established stars, and future talent to the stage, delighting its audiences with good music and good humor.
Founders Jimmy Smith, Harriet Farmer and Joanna Mullis, all members of the musical Smith family of Mathews, opened the venue in June 1975.
Their descendants and extended family have continued opening against sometimes heavy odds, adapting to changing times and circumstances, including, most notably, the building’s collapse during an ice storm in January 2016. But, in the true spirit of “The Show Must Go On,” just three months later the cast and crew were back on the stage, this time at Mathews High School’s Harry M. Ward Auditorium.
We are delighted that they can keep the music playing. Here’s to another 50 years!
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