Wayne Community Concerts is folding
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on May 18, 2015 1:46 PM
After almost 80 years of bringing musicians, comedians and dancers from all over the world to Goldsboro, Wayne Community Concerts has folded.
The nonprofit organization had been providing four to five performances each year, shows that people in Goldsboro probably wouldn't have had the chance to see otherwise.
"Over the years, Wayne Community Concerts has been a really big thing with people here," president Edith Mitchell said.
The group was able to operate through selling memberships, along with a yearly grassroots grant of $1,000 to $1,600 from the Arts Council of Wayne County. In past years, there were more than 700 members.
But the membership had gotten smaller and smaller and Wayne Community Concerts has struggled the past two years to be able to afford to bring shows here.
"At one time, our membership filled up Goldsboro High School, where we used to have the shows," Mrs. Mitchell said. "But as our membership has gotten older, we have a lot of widows who don't like coming out at night.
"And the young families are not really interested in buying season memberships to anything. They'll buy an individual ticket, but they don't want to pay out the money for a season ticket."
And when Wayne Community Concerts began back in 1932, there were no other venues like it. The only way to see a performance was through the group.
"Now you've got Center Stage Theatre, the Paramount Foundation, the University of Mount Olive," Mrs. Mitchell said. "There's so much competition now."
Over the past couple of years, membership has dwindled to less than 300.
"We had nobody else backing us, so we couldn't afford to do individual tickets," Mrs. Mitchell said. "You have to book a year ahead and you've got to have the money to pay those acts when you book them. You can't do that depending on a single ticket.
"We had kept some money in reserve that we could use for the following year's concerts, but we had to go into it and use it all. This year there's very little leftover. What we have left after all the bills are paid, we'll give it back to the Arts Council."
Wayne Community Concerts got its start in 1929 when Columbia Records began an organization to feature its recording artists.
"Columbia Records would send them all over the country for very nominal fee," Mrs. Mitchell said. "That's how Wayne Community Concerts got started. We got in on that deal."
That first year, Wayne Community Concerts sold memberships, but sponsored no concerts to build up money to bring in shows the following year.
For three years during World War I, there were no concerts. But they started up again in 1939 and have continued since.
"We were giving good quality concerts," Mrs. Mitchell said.
Acts like Floyd Cramer, The Tams, The Diamonds, The Celtic Tenors, The Carolina Master Chorale, The Three Swinging Tenors, country singer Billy Dean, The Artie Shaw Orchestra, The Benny Goodman Orchestra, Les Brown and His Band of Renown, the Chinese Acrobats, even Elizabeth Von Trapp. There have also been several magicians and comedians.
And Wayne Community Concerts had reciprocal agreements with other cities that allowed those purchasing memberships to go to even more shows.
"Our members have been so faithful," Mrs. Mitchell said. "Most of the time, it's been the same members over and over. They attended just as long as they could."
Mrs. Mitchell said she's had members ask if the concerts could go on for at least another year.
"But there's no way," she said. "The money's just not there when you're looking at shows costing anywhere from $23,000 to $26,000 a year.
"We thought about it long and hard. It was not an easy decision, but we didn't see a choice. It's been a good thing for Wayne County."