CLIFTON FORGE—“A Country Christmas with Jimmy Fortune,” a Virginia Opry production planned for The Georges’ Patton Room in Lexington on Friday, Dec. 3, has been cancelled.
M. Ray Allen, president of Appalfolks of America Association (AAA) and director of The Virginia Opry, said, “Our organization regrets that our plan to host Jimmy Fortune at the Virginia Opry in Lexington after the Christmas parade did not pan out for a number of reasons.”
While some publicity concerning the Dec. 3 date had been released prior to cancellation of the show, Allen explained that AAA hopes to reschedule the Jimmy Fortune show in 2022.
The Virginia Opry was designated by Governor Ralph S. Northam on March 31, 2020, as the Commonwealth of Virginia’s official Opry via the passage of Senator R. Creigh Deed’s “Senate Bill 283” that passed the Virginia Senate 40-0 and the Virginia House of Delegates by a 93-6 vote.
The Virginia Opry, based in Clifton Forge, will complete its 30th performance season by presenting Keith Bryant as headliner, Crimson River as opening act and Glen Shelton as emcee at The Historic Masonic Theatre in Clifton Forge on Sat., Dec. 11, at 7:00 p.m. and by presenting “Christmas with Charles Billingsley” at the Natural Bridge Historic Hotel and Conference Center on Tues., Dec. 21, at 7:00 p.m. Gentlemen South and the Glen Shelton Duo will open for Billingsley.
Allen concluded, “Again, I regret that AAA was unable to present Jimmy Fortune this year as we had hoped, but next year, perhaps, COVID-19 will be a thing of the past and we can achieve our goal of having Jimmy and his band perform on one of our Virginia Opry’s shows.”
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