Looking Ahead

In the near future, finishing touches will be made to the 2006-2007 season, which will feature a comparable number of events to this year’s offering. Patrons will be able to select Flex Passes for their entertainment choices, picking three or five events from a general menu. It bears a mention that ticket sales do not completely finance the operations of The Ferguson Center and support of other kinds, including corporate and individual gifts and grants, are sought. This is not to indicate the Center is experiencing anything but unmitigated success; rather, this is a multipurpose Center and many hands go into making a first-rate facility.

And first-rate it is, as is its host college.

Contemporary students at CNU are in an enviable position as they encounter each phase of their newly minted campus. Thirty years ago when I arrived in Hampton Roads from Boston to try my hand at a music and theatre career, Christopher Newport College was more the glorified night school filled with business and management majors. Its fine and performing arts departments were very weak and seemed destined for mediocrity.

No more, thanks to Paul Trible’s apparent devotion to the Arts. The Ferguson Center is an apt centerpiece for these rejuvenated academic interests. Hampton Roads’ high aim as a cultural destination in the country seems to be exactly on track. As community interest and involvement mature on the Peninsula, we should look forward to splendid happenings and robust results from our Ferguson Center. Follow those spirits whose visions helped this happen. Go see for yourself while the bloom is still unfolding!