"Ring of Fire" opens in Woodbury Friday Just as Arts Center Director Resigns...

May 21, 2013 at 09:15 pm by bryan


From the iconic songbook of Johnny Cash comes this unique musical about love and faith, struggle and success with "Ring of Fire" opening this Friday at the Arts Center of Cannon County at 1424 John Bragg Highway in neighboring Woodbury. 

The show continues through June 9th with Friday and Saturday night performances at 7:30, and Sunday afternoon matinees at 2:00 o'clock.

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"Ring of Fire", the musical, includes more than two dozen classic hits such as “I Walk The Line,” “A Boy Named Sue,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” and the title tune.

"Ring of Fire" is directed by Donald Fann and produced by Jill Spry.  The cast includes Tim Spry, Debbie Vaughn, Shannon Hindman Davenport, Quinton Parnell, Mark Thomas, Rachael Parker, Jonathan Higdon, and Carly Spry. Band members include Grammy Award winning Bruce Nemerov, Heather Moulder and Sloan Tash.

Tickets are $15 with discounts available for students, seniors and groups and  may be purchased by calling the Arts Center box office at 615-563-(ARTS) 2787 or 1-800-235-9073 or online at www.artscenterofcc.com. “The Blue Porch @ Arts Center” restaurant is open before all performances.

"Ring of Fire" is sponsored by First National Bank and is part of the 2013 Subscriber Series. The Arts Center of Cannon County's box office hours are 10:00AM to 4:00PM, Monday through Saturday.

Ring of Fire Comes as Center Director Resigns:

The Arts Center of Cannon County Board of Directors announces Executive Director
Donald Fann has accepted another employment opportunity and will be leaving the Arts
Center as of August 3, 2013. Fann has been the executive director of the Arts Center
of Cannon County since 1995. Under his leadership, the Arts Center of Cannon County
and the town of Woodbury have received national recognition as a model for rural
arts community development. Accomplishments include Woodbury being named one of the
100 Best Small Arts Towns in America; founding a Grammy-winning record label;
producing an award-winning community theater, and developing a school matinee
series.

In announcing Donald’s departure, Board President Tim Spry says “We appreciate the
years of service and dedication that Donald has given the Arts Center and wish him
much success in his future endeavors. I have every faith and confidence in the
interim leadership that has been put in place and look forward to the Arts Center
moving forward and continuing to serve our area as a unique leader in the Arts
Community.”

The interim appointments are James Adkins as CEO Interim and Neal Appelbaum as
Executive Director Interim.

James Adkins has 30 years experience as a Nursing Home Administration as Director of
Operations of six nursing homes with HCM Partners and the Administrator of Woodbury
Heath Center with HCM Partners and Grace Healthcare from 1990-2011. His many
community involvements include Board of Director of Cannon County Chamber of
Commerce, Cannon County Families First Council, Cannon County Health Council, Upper
Cumberland Regional Heath Council, REACH, Cannon County 911 Board, Leadership Cannon
and many other organizations that benefit the community. He and his wife Ramona
have been active Arts Center supporters for many years with James serving 2 terms as
Board President.

Neal Appelbaum is a CPA with a background in corporate and non-profit management. He
is the current Board President of the Cannon County Chamber of Commerce, board
advisor for TN Parks and Greenways Foundation, Board Treasurer and Past President of
the Stones River Watershed Association, serves on the Cannon County Industrial
Board, and is a former Board Member of The Arts Center of Cannon County. He was
instrumental in the preservation of 1000 undeveloped acres in Cannon County as
public land. Neal was also initiated the award winning solar installation of solar
panels on The Arts Center’s roof, frequent sponsor, Arts Center vendor in the gift
shop, volunteer caterer for the Annual Reverse Raffle Fundraiser, and a consistent
Arts Center Volunteer.

The Board of Directors has identified a search committee which will conduct a search
for a permanent replacement.

Below is Donald’s resignation letter:

Dear Friends,

There is a quote from Tom Peters that I have always thought was particularly apt to
our work at The Arts Center, “Life is pretty simple: You do some stuff. Most fails.
Some works. You do more of what works. If it works big, others quickly copy it. Then
you do something else. The trick is the doing something else.” Well, the time has
come for me to “do something else”. I have accepted a teaching position at a local
high school and am tendering my resignation as of August 3, 2013.

Together, over the past nineteen years, we have built an arts organization that I
can safely say is beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. We have truly built the better
mousetrap, and people consistently come to our door to discover our secret. The
secret is simple; know your audience and work your tail off. While the mousetrap
would not exist without the vision of our founders, at the same time I know in my
heart that there will be yet another generation that will accomplish more than we
can imagine.

The nineteen years that I have worked for The Arts Center have truly been a blessing
to me and to my family. We have developed lifelong relationships and learned a
tremendous amount about business, life and art. I cannot imagine who or what I would
be without my time at The Arts Center.

I am truly excited about the board leadership that is in place, as well as the
transitional team that the Executive Committee is proposing. This is an exciting
time for the organization to capitalize on its successes and to cultivate new
leadership. This is the time to set the stage for what The Arts Center will
become.

Sincerely,

Donald Fann

Information on Ring of Fire:

What:        Ring of Fire

When:        May 31, June 1, 7, 8, 14 & 15 at 7:30PM and June 2 & 9 at 2:00PM

Where:         The Arts Center of Cannon County, 1424 John Bragg Highway, and Woodbury, TN

Admission:        $15 Adults, $13 Students & Seniors

Phone:    (615) 563-2787 or 1-800-235-9073

Website:   www.artscenterofcc.com

Information on Arts Center of Cannon County: 

Founded in 1990, the award-winning Arts Center of Cannon County is a unique model for rural arts organizations. Situated in an under-served rural area in a town of 2,000 and a county of 12,000, The Arts Center annually attracts more than 40,000 visitors from a region covering over a 100-mile radius.  Drawing on the blue-collar roots of its community, the organization focuses on self-sufficiency, fiscal responsibility and social entrepreneurship.  The Arts Center is partially funded by the Tennessee Arts Commission, Southern Arts Federation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Source:

Arts Center of Cannon County
Partner Station WBRY in Woodbury 

 


 

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