New Year’s Eve and Grand Opening Gala
January 1, 2005

Who could have ever imagined that our very first Academy of Fine Arts event in our brand new facility would be such a resounding success?! We were overwhelmed and overjoyed at the response to our New Year’s Eve and Grand Opening Gala Ð it was sold out early, with so many disappointed people who wished they had bought tickets earlier. And what a night - from the fabulous Kings of Swing big band dance music to the sumptuous dinner provided by Avenue Foods to the handsome new Joy and Lynch Christian Warehouse Theatre transformed into a glittering, twinkling, candlelit wonderland that drew gasps of surprise from all who entered it for the first time. The Gala Committee did a miraculous job of putting together a stupendous event in a very short time. We thank our sponsors Ð Progress Printing; BWX Technologies; Flippin, Bruce & Porter - and our table sponsors Ð Moore and Giles; Candler Oil; and SunTrust Bank. And we thank all the many people who came out to support our maiden effort, and especially those who worked so hard to make the evening such a success. The money raised helps a great deal toward our operational budget. Libby Fitzgerald