From sirloins and T-bones to country and western, Williamsburg’s newest tourist attraction is undergoing a massive overhaul and restyling before its official coming-out party Friday.
Workers hammer and paint around an old salad bar standing in a lonely corner of the parking lot off heavily traveled Richmond Road. It was one of the last remains of what used to operate on the site – originally a Bonanza restaurant and then a Dillon’s steak house.
“From a steak restaurant to a country concert hall,” said one equipment vendor, surveying the remodeling work and shaking his head. “I’ve never worked on anything remotely like this before.”
Williamsburg hasn’t seen anything quite like this, either. In an area that hardly lacks for daytime entertainment – not with all its theme parks, historical attractions and factory outlet malls – people always have wondered why there isn’t more for a family to do once the sun goes down.
At least that’s the point made by the management of the town’s newest attraction – the Old Dominion Opry.
“All there is are bars and restaurants,” said Linda Starr, publicity director for the concert hall. “There haven’t been many places to take the family after they’re done eating. Not until now, anyway.”
The opry hopes to fill the void by offering a live music and comedy show twice a night, six nights a week, every week. The regular performers will include a crack group of 11 musicians, many of whom have toured or played sessions with some of Nashville’s classier country artists.
It’ll be a part-vaudeville, part-Grand-Ole-Opry-style show similar to what people might see in a Las Vegas supper club, promised co-owner Sid Hudson, a former lead guitarist for country singer Barbara Mandrell. “It’ll be spectacular. Virginia’s never had anything as professional or exciting as this before,” he said.
Those are bold words, but the concept’s already won the endorsement of the Williamsburg Area Chamber of Commerce. Executive Vice President Bob Hershberger said he thinks the attraction will give both tourists and residents another reason to spend time in this visitor-hungry town. “It’s been said that there aren’t lots of opportunities for families to do things in the evening here,” he said. “We’re real positive about the opry.”
The renovators have long since discarded and sold off the fry grills, meat freezers and dining booths that once filled the former steak eatery. Crews now work day and night to get ready for the opry’s first show.
They’ve installed a 30-foot-wide stage with green velour and gold braid curtains. They’ve hauled in 433 theater seats, green carpeting, concession booths and sound and light systems. They’ve also put up new siding and a new roof in an attempt to change the look of the old steak house.
The building’s existing barnlike profile has been saved – the only part of the past that seems to work in the present.
“I think we’re a lot more ready than the building is,” said Hudson, who’s arranging the music for the show. “We’re biting at the bit to move in.”
Hudson, a Hopewell native who spent four years on the road with Mandrell, put the opry together with partner Henry Respess, the owner of a Richmond-based oil refining and marketing company who just happens to play a little country guitar.
“Everyone’s on fire with this,” said Respess, speaking on his car phone while driving between Williamsburg and Richmond. “We’ve worked around the clock to demolish and rebuild the place. We’ve crammed four- to five-months worth of work into two-months time. It’ll be exciting.”
Respess and Hudson decided to open a concert hall after a friend, Cal Newman, took a trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C. There Newman saw another country-styled club, called Dixie Jubilee, pack in crowds to the tune of about 1,000 people a show.
“I thought it was a great idea for up here,” said Newman, a Petersburg resident. “I’m just a retired guy from AT&T; who wants to play music.”
The modest Newman also happens to be a seven-time national fiddle champion who once played with The Osborne Brothers bluegrass group. His playing will be a mainstay of the Old Dominion Opry band.
The band’s leader is fiddle player Tommy Williams, who appears regularly on the TV show “Hee Haw” in addition to having performed on more than 100 gold albums by artists such as Alabama and Charlie Pride. Also sporting national credentials are steel guitar player Danny Dunn, who toured with Tanya Tucker; bassist Ben Brogdon, who spent 15 years in Nashville performing with Dottie West and Donna Fargo; and Hudson, whose background includes Grand Ole Opry appearances with The Four Guys singing group in addition touring with Mandrell.
The other band members are Richmond-based singers Diane Pennington and Jan Guarino, who will also handle most of the between-song comedy routines; Richmond-based guitarist Rodney Riley; drummer Chris Brown of Pikeville, N.C.; keyboardist/banjo player Rick Briggs of Charlotte, N.C.; and Williamsburg singer/guitarist Johnny St. Clair.
“This is different than a club band,” Hudson said. “Those musicians are just adequate. Ours bring a special level of professionalism.”
Most of the out-of-towners have moved to the Williamsburg area since signing with the band. “The money’s better than what I was doing,” said Brogdon, who worked as a radio disc jockey in his native Arkansas before getting the call from Hudson.
“We think of ourselves as a small orchestra playing Vegas,” said Pennington, who also performed recently in the musical, “Pumpboys and Dinettes.” “There’s lots of glitz and costume changes, and everything is planned to the nth detail.”
The scheduled show will weave in tributes to such country music legends as Hank Williams Sr. and Patsy Cline with traditional bluegrass sets and lots of upbeat, contemporary country, Hudson said. The musicians will all wear tuxedos, and the two singers will change from long gowns to down-home country casual fashions during each performance.
The owners also are considering adding touring country acts to the bill on weekends, but that hasn’t been decided, Hudson said.
Other Williamsburg-area tourist attractions welcomed the opry’s addition. Dave Potter, marketing director of Water Country USA, said the opry should give tourists a place to be entertained in the evening. “Only Busch Gardens is open in the evening,” he said. “I think it might take a while to catch on.”
The club also has the support of its main competitor, Donk’s Theater in Mathews County. The converted movie theater has presented its Lil’ Ole Opry house band and assorted special guest artists for 16 years. But instead of worrying about the new entry, the club’s owners decided to look at the positive side, said partner Betsy Ripley.
“We think it’s wonderful. Any place that’ll get more people out to enjoy country music is good for all of us. Our regulars are always looking for more places to hear music,” she explained.
Respess said he hasn’t heard a negative word yet from local businesspeople, including other area nightspots. The opry is “unlike anything we’ve seen around here before,” Respess said.
The Old Dominion Opry plans to promote its music with a series of brochures – including many at area tourist offices – and eye-catching billboards, said promotions director Starr. The billboards feature the image of a banjo and read “Picky, Picky, Picky.” The brochures carry the catch phrase, “When The Sun Goes Down in Williamsburg, The Lights Go Up at Old Dominion Opry.”
“It’s our little signature,” said Pennington, one of the band’s singers. “It says that if you’re not into the bar scene, you now have somewhere to go at night. So enjoy it.”
* The Old Dominion Opry will open 6 p.m. Friday at 3012 Richmond Road, Williamsburg. Performances will be at 6 and 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at the box office, Ticketmaster outlets or (800) 736-2000. Admission for children under 12 is $6.50 and for seniors, $11. Call (800) 2VA-OPRY.
