The Virginia is a landmark in the middle of Somerset, and LEX 18 is spotlighting that landmark for its historic past and growing future.
“The Virginia is really symbolic of so much of what we’ve tried to do in Somerset where we honor our past. Maybe some things have not gone so well and then we rebuild. You know this story started over 100 years ago.” explains Mayor Alan Keck of Somerset. “This was built in 1922 and for a long time it was a place where folks in Somerset would come together, and gather as a community. Watch a movie.”
Mayor Keck says it was also a point of pain. “It was a segregated theater in that era, like so many, and so for a lot in our community, it might not have been one of pleasure but one of pain.”
In 1994, the doors were shuttered after an ice storm caused the roof to collapse. Those doors stayed closed for 27 years.
“My childhood memories were of people talking about it ‘Hey can we save it?’ ‘Why is nothing being done?’ ‘Why is the roof falling down,'" said Keck. “When something doesn’t work for 30 years. Maybe we’re losing hope, but we still had some. That save Virginia notion kept it alive and I’m the one that’s either put up or shut up. Let’s stop talking about it and do something about it.”
That's exactly what Keck and the city did. Reviving The Virginia years later with more than $2 million, and molding it into what it is today.
“If you’re in The Virginia, you’re here because you’re celebrating someone. You want to listen to amazing music, you want to watch an awesome show. You want to listen to something funny. You might want to share a spirit with a friend. Things that bring people together," Keck said.
The venue has hosted many musical acts like Bailey Zimmerman, The Michael Jackson Experience, and Ben Haggard.
“We want to continue to bring special acts. We had- we started having cover bands and so like music purists might not like that but Bon Jovi was here and we had Michael Jackson here. You know the communities really showed up for that," Keck explains. “It’s not just for our locals. We’ve welcomed over 4,000 people into this venue all across the country.”
Keck says The Virginia is a place that makes you feel good. "It’s a heartbeat of a rural American town that’s had a rebirth. The Virginia to me represents everything that should be and can be possible,"
He encourages people not to just take his word for it, but to "come check it out yourself."
The Virginia will be hosting bluegrass singer Stacy Mitchhart: Other Side of Nashville Tour on Friday, July 25 at 8 p.m. You can get your tickets online.
You can also rent out the venue for events.
