 Members of the Opry Band, Kitty McIntyre, left, Mitch Manns and Vernon McIntyre perform a few opening bluegrass hits, helping to kick-off the Appalachian Opry held Saturday night at the Famous Old Time Music Company. Staff photo/Krista Hayes By KRISTA HAYES
Staff Writer
More than 150 people attended Saturday night’s return of the Appalachian Opry at the Famous Old Time Music Company, helping to kick off what local owners of the company notes as a mixture of “Hee Haw” and the Grand Ole Opry.
“Saturday’s performance was excellent, especially during the second half when they had a comedy skit that had everyone laughing,” said Cridersville resident Sherry Grumblis, who attended the event with her husband, Tom. “In the time the opry has been around, me and my husband haven’t missed a single show. It’s a cheap show to attend, yet there’s always something going on.
“The performers greet you and shake you hand as your leaving and they also take your comments on how to make the show better into consideration,” she said. “There’s no drinking, smoking and I’ve never heard a single person say any cuss word, which is very important to me. For retired people like my husband and I, the show’s a perfect event to attend.”
Held from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at the store and theater, former United Local school, owned by Kitty and Vernon McIntyre located outside of St. Johns, the monthly opry series featured a mixture of genres from country and bluegrass music to the recent addition of comedy skits.
Among those who performed were the Opry Band, Jenny Plemen, Kathy Whitaker, DDT, Larry Roose, Jesse Manns and the Comedy Crew. Puppets were also present at the show to teach “The Lessons of Aesop.”
Famous Old Time Music Company Store Manager Laura Ritchie said the music store held its first opry last January after she suggested the event to Vernon McIntyre.
“I suggested the idea of the event to Vernon as a way to bring in different guests and get more people involved,” Ritchie said. “We didn’t want to do just a straight concert where people were sitting back listening to the same old thing, so together we came up with a variety show to include guest performers, comedy skits and puppets.”
Beyond the music that was performed Saturday, the Comedy Crew made its return after its initial show last year.
“The Comedy Crew was also something me and my husband started in January after working as youth directors at several churches,” Ritchie said. “Since we had experience putting on comedy skits as part of our job working with teens, we asked Vernon’s permission to have one included in our very first show last year.
“Everyone seemed to find it very entertaining the first time around, so much in fact that Vernon told us that whatever we were doing to keep doing it, and that’s when it became a permanent part of the Appalachian Opry,” she said.
Since it’s inception in January 2009, the Comedy Crew has grown to include many members, one being Ritchie herself.
“As a performer, I go out there to do what I do and just hope that everyone is entertained and has a good time,” Ritchie said. “If everyone leaves with a smile on their face by the end of the night, then I know I’ve done my job.”
Throughout last year, the event steadily grew in attendance rates, with between 75 to 150 people on attending a show — approximately the number attending Saturday.
However, the McIntyres and Ritchie hope that 500 attend sometime in the near future.
“ I thought Saturday night’s performance went very well,” Ritchie said. “We received a lot of good responses from the crowd as each of the performers greeted the attendees in the hallway, stopping to shake their hands as they were heading out the door. Overall, I think everyone had a lot of fun and a really nice time.”
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