Last week in this space, I wrote that some people in town, folks who might have a say-so, have been discussing the fact that Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium might have outlived its purpose as the city’s civic center/concert hall/theater.
At the very least, the city-owned venue has become a financial drain on the city, and some would like to see it operated by someone else.
This week comes word that the venerable building will host a concert by Old Crow Medicine Show with Marty Stuart and will once again serve as a launching pad for a touring Broadway show in “Elf The Musical.” Both events are scheduled for next month, with “Elf” on Nov. 6-7, and the concert on Nov. 22.
Both are great events and good news for the building and the city.
The cast and crew for “Elf” will be in town for almost two weeks prepping for the launch. Such launches have become an almost annual occurrence and are a pretty big deal as they mean fairly substantial revenue in the form of hotel rooms, restaurant and bar tabs and shopping in general.
The cast and crew have to sleep and eat, right?
Since 2006, nine Broadway tours have originated from here and at the Tivoli. They are “Dr. Dolittle” (2006), “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” (2006), “Evita” (2007), “The Wizard of Oz” (2009), “Legally Blonde” (2010), “Fiddler on the Roof” (2010), “White Christmas” (2010), “Sister Act” (2012), “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” (2013) and “West Side Story” (2013).
The companies involved in bringing “Elf The Musical,” based on the Will Ferrell/Bob Newhart film, chose Chattanooga as many have in the past because of the theater’s size, the accessible workforce, the city itself and a longstanding relationship with management for accommodating such endeavors.
The estimated economic impact on those nine events is more than $3 million.
> Bonnaroo update: In recent weeks, a team of volunteers with We Are Neutral and Keep Coffee County Beautiful initiative spent a lot of time doing things like changing out light bulbs, installing low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators, cleaning refrigerator coils and sealing up leaky pipes at the homes of 100 low-income residents in the county.
It’s all designed to reduce carbon emissions in the area and to educate people on things they can do to help, and it was all funded through the Bonnaroo Works Fund.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.