It may be hard to believe, but the Henderson Fine Arts Center is preparing to start its 15th year of programming.
On Tuesday at the weekly Henderson Lions Club meeting, center Director Rachael Baar told club members why she believes the Fine Arts Center has been successful in establishing itself as "Henderson's showplace."
She cited the work ethic of the center's staff.
The first thing is customer service, whether it's for the benefit of the patron looking to buy a show ticket or the customer wishing to use the building for an arts event, a reception, pageant, dance recital, an annual meeting, trade show or even the body-building competition that once took place in the center.
She said that the technical staff led by Director Steve McCarty makes the extra effort to help presenters create an event that's "a little bit special, a little bit more than expected."
And Baar said the box office staff members Sherry Meredith and Stacey Howell are "live voices" to the caller on the other end of the telephone or the person who walks up to the ticket office window. They've been known to personally escort patrons into the performance hall so they can get a feel for what they'll see from different locations in the hall.
"We are involved in what our customers want and need," she said.
The second thing is being community-minded.
"We know (the Fine Arts Center) is a tremendous source of price for the community, and we take pride in being the caretaker," she said, explaining that at this point in the center's life and the amount of traffic its seen, it could be showing some signs of wear and tear.
Instead, she said, she continuously gets the comment that "it looks brand new" which she says is a tribute to the care taken by the maintenance staff.
"It looks clean and fresh," she said, "which adds to the feel of live performances."
The third thing is accessibility to the arts.
"We want everyone to come out here," Baar said, noting that the premier presenter of programming is the Henderson Area Arts Alliance, which offers the annual performing arts season at the center.
"They put on a wonderful season," she said.
But there are many other groups offering events, she added, mentioning that for the first time her staff will be working this October with Downtown Henderson Project as they present an original musical titled "The Taffy Opry" written by local humorist Bob Park and featuring music by the Highway 41 bluegrass band.
"If you can think of (an event), we can find a way to make it happen," Baar said.
She also noted that to make more arts events accessible to the community the center offers a free series called "On Stage" that in the past has included mini-concerts by various types of musicians.
"They're free so that anyone can come to the Henderson Fine Arts Center," Baar said.
"Anyone" includes children, so the center also hosts many children for performances during the school year. It can be a big deal for children who have never been there and a source of pride for those children who have.
Baar said that giving them that opportunity is important to the continued success of the center.
"We want to build audience patrons for years to come," she said.
