From tonight through the Sunday before Thanksgiving, Winterville has a run of arts events: a comedy night, an original play by a local writer, a first-year fiber festival and a classic stage comedy. All four take place at two addresses on North Church Street, 371 and 373, on the grounds of the old Winterville High School.
That block is Winterville's arts district. The school's last graduating class left in 1956, and the building sat until residents and city leaders brought it back. This month's calendar shows what that restoration made possible.
The Building Behind the Calendar
The Winterville Cultural Center describes its own history plainly. The school's roof leaked, its windows were broken and its bathroom walls had caved in before "the combined efforts of Winterville citizens and city leaders" rebuilt it. Today the building at 371 N Church St has a modern kitchen and rooms for meetings, classes, parties and events. It sits beside the Marigold Auditorium.
The restoration came in two stages. In September 2016, Online Athens reported that the $1.4 million school restoration was finished. The building had opened earlier that year as the Winterville Community Center, and fundraising for the auditorium was underway at that point.
The auditorium came second. Built in 1953, the Marigold Auditorium for Arts and Culture now seats 250 after extensive renovations, with updated lighting, audio and projection. The Oglethorpe Echo reported that the work, which included a new sign on the building, followed a grant through the Fox Gives initiative. The Winterville Players opened the renovated stage with "The Haunting of Hill House."
With one restored building for classes and festivals and a 250-seat hall next door for shows, a town Winterville's size can run a full month of programming without a second venue.
Four Events, Two Doors Apart
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Nov 5 | Marigold Comedy Club | Marigold Auditorium, 373 N Church St | 7:30 p.m. |
| Fri, Nov 6 to Sun, Nov 8 | "Spike & Chester" by Jesse Lowe | Marigold Auditorium | 8 p.m. Fri and Sat, 3 p.m. Sun |
| Sat, Nov 14 | Marigold Fiber Fest | Winterville Cultural Center, 371 N Church St | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Fri, Nov 20 to Sun, Nov 22 | The Winterville Players present "Harvey" | Marigold Auditorium | 7 p.m. Fri and Sat, 2:30 p.m. Sun |
Every event on that list is local. The comedy night is a monthly house series, the play is an original script, the festival is new this year and the closing production comes from the community theater group that has used the auditorium for years.
Tonight Opens the Month With a First Thursday
The Marigold Comedy Club starts tonight at 7:30 p.m. Comedian Phillip Broughton hosts with the musical duo Toast 2 Toast, Eric Olson and Seth Hendershot. The event listing says each night will feature three comedians and a headliner. Flagpole's calendar lists tickets at $10.
The schedule matters more than tonight's lineup. The listing says the club is planned for every first Thursday. A recurring date puts the auditorium on Winterville's calendar once a month, not only when a play is running.
A Friendship Play Written in Town
The next night, the same stage presents "Spike & Chester," an original play by Jesse Lowe. It follows Wade and Lucas, two unlikely friends whose relationship changes how they see platonic love. Performances are Friday and Saturday, November 6 and 7, at 8 p.m., with a Sunday matinee on November 8 at 3 p.m. Flagpole lists tickets at $20. The Marigold Auditorium is listed as the organizer.
A new script with a three-show run is a different bet from a title audiences already know. A 250-seat hall with updated sound and lighting can take that bet on a modest scale, which is the kind of production a restored community auditorium is suited for.
The Festival Saturday Next Door
On November 14, programming moves next door to the Cultural Center for the first annual Marigold Fiber Fest, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Cultural Center describes it as a celebration of natural fibers in art and everyday life. The day includes art exhibits, workshops, vendors, demonstrations and short films, and food and drink will be available. The festival describes itself as a nonprofit that promotes local fiber businesses, producers and artists.
The juried art show was open to weavers, tatters, crocheters, knitters, rug hookers, spinners, felters, menders, embroiderers, quilters, dyers and multi-fiber-media artists. The workshops run in half-day and full-day blocks, and the old classrooms make that possible:
- Dyeing From Your Kitchen: Come Play with Natural Dyes with Paula Vester, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., $90.
- Iris Leaf Basket Making, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., $80 plus a $20 materials fee paid on the day.
- Beaded Knitting with Ria Johnson, 9 to 11 a.m., $125.
- Bundle Dyeing Silk Scarves, 9 a.m. to noon, $40.
- Needle Felting with Jen Ingle of Forest Lined Farm, 1 to 4 p.m., $65.
- Introduction to The World of Fiber & the Drop Spindle, 1 to 3 p.m., $55 plus a $30 materials fee paid at class.
The beginner weaving workshop with Susannah Johnson of BellaLuna Sheep & Wool, set for 9 a.m. to noon at $50, is listed as sold out.
The same Saturday is a market day. The City of Winterville lists the Marigold Market on Saturdays from April through December, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. In August, Online Athens described the market at Pittard Park, with vendors lining the walkways, tables of leafy greens and homemade bread, live music and roasted coffee. The market closes at 1 p.m. and the festival runs until 5. On November 14, a morning at Pittard Park and an afternoon on North Church Street fit in one day.
The name connects them as well. The auditorium, the comedy series, the fiber festival and the Saturday market all carry the Marigold name.
Harvey Closes the Month
The Winterville Players bring Mary Chase's comedy "Harvey" to the auditorium the weekend before Thanksgiving. The play follows Elwood P. Dowd and his invisible rabbit. Performances are Friday, November 20, and Saturday, November 21, at 7 p.m., with a Sunday matinee on November 22 at 2:30 p.m. Seth Bagwell plays Elwood. Tom Bouknecht plays Duane Wilson, Hayden Canup plays Myrtle Mae Simmons and Richard Chaney plays both E. J. Lofgren and the cabbie. Tickets through Eventbrite are listed at about $25.
That brings the month back to the group The Oglethorpe Echo credits with "many years of performances" at the Marigold.
Planning Around the Two Buildings
Most of this month's planning comes down to which door to use. The auditorium at 373 N Church St hosts the evening and matinee shows, and the Cultural Center at 371 N Church St hosts the daytime festival. The Cultural Center also offers art and wellness classes and clubs for all ages throughout the year, and its gallery shows local artists, so the building is in use after the November shows end. Tickets and workshop registration go through the links above, and the Cultural Center's events page is updated as new dates are added.
At Holly Purcell Group, we follow what is happening in the towns around Athens, and the restoration of the old Winterville High School is one of the best examples of what a small town can build for itself. If you are thinking about Winterville, or about which part of the Athens area fits your weekends best, we would be glad to talk with you.
