Fandangle membership drive underway

By Donnie A. Lucas

The membership drive and ticket sales for the 2023 season of the Fort Griffin Fandangle are well underway, with the annual membership Sampler set for April 15 at Reynolds Bend.

Letters were mailed in January to previous members of the association, and invitations to the Sampler are being mailed daily as new or renewal memberships are received.

Memberships are available at seven levels ranging from Pioneer, open to anyone 65 years or older, to Platinum at $5,000.

Anyone interested in joining or renewing for the 85th anniversary season can purchase online at www.fortgriffinfandangle.org or by calling the Fandangle office at 325-762-3838.

“We have had a lot of response to the membership drive since the letters went out in January,” Fandangle office manager Jamie Parsons said. “Invitations to the Sampler are being sent out as soon as we have a membership come in.”

Tickets to the 2023 summer performances are now on sale to members and the general public on the website.

“The board opted to open up ticket sales to the public early since this is an anniversary year,” Parsons said. “However, box seat sections of four or six are reserved for members only to purchase.”

The Sampler will start at 6:00 p.m. at Reynolds Bend on the Matthews Ranch.

A catered steak dinner will also be available at a cost of $50 per plate, and a dance will follow after the performance.

The anniversary show will be packed with crowd favorites from past shows, with historical events woven in between, according to artistic director Lorna Ayers.

“I am nearly finished with the script for the summer show, and then I will go back and pull out scenes for the Sampler,” she said. “There will also be a tribute included to the Fandangle’s creator Robert Nail.”

Ayers said that the first rehearsal for the Sampler is set for Tuesday, Feb. 28 at the Aztec Theater, with the second a week later on March 7. Rehearsals will be suspended for the week of March 13-17 due to spring break for the school.

Ayers issued the call to all performers, crew, and stagehands to start attending rehearsals to prepare for both the Sampler and the summer show.

“We will start back on the Tuesday after spring break with two rehearsals per week that we are hoping to have outdoors at the Prairie Theater if the construction going on there is completed,” Ayers said.

The association has raised funds to replace the tiered seating section for the audience, replacing utility poles with large limestone blocks to create the terraces. Concrete sidewalks are also replacing many of those that are still gravel.

Replacing the retaining wall that separates the seating area from the stage has been postponed until after the summer show in anticipation of the damage that will be done to the grassy stage area.

The sound system is also due to be completely replaced for the 2023 show.

Several other projects are in the planning stages including refurbishing the calliope, upgrades to the concession stand and rest rooms, and replacing wiring.

Donations have been sought by the association over the past year to fund the improvements, including from members, corporations, and non-profit organizations.

Anyone interested in donating can contact the Fandangle office or board president Henry Musselman.