VGCC and Chambers team up for second “Business & Music After Hours”
For the second consecutive year, Vance-Granville Community College is partnering with the Chamber of Commerce of Warren County and the Lake Gaston Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center for an event that brings local businesses together while also providing entertainment and cultural enrichment for the community. The “Business & Music After Hours” event will combine Chamber activities with music from the Vance-Granville Community Band and students who have received VGCC Music Scholarships. The public is invited to the free event, which will take place on Thursday, Feb. 16 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Warren County Armory Civic Center, located at 501 U.S. Highway 158 Business East in Warrenton.
The evening starts at 5:30 p.m. as visitors can enjoy hors d’oeuvres prepared by VGCC’s Culinary Arts students while the student group “The Vanguard Combo” plays light jazz and pop classics. At 6:30 p.m., attendees will be welcomed by Chamber of Commerce of Warren County president Bill Miller. He will be followed by Jana L. Miller, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce of Warren County, and Almira Papierniak, executive director of the Lake Gaston Chamber of Commerce, who will discuss their respective organizations. Dr. Stelfanie Williams, VGCC’s new president, will also make remarks before the Community Band performance, which begins at approximately 7 p.m. The ensemble’s program includes standard community band favorites such as the Second Suite for Military Band by Holst, as well as music from the classic film “Mary Poppins,” and “Peg Leg Pete,” which features a tuba solo by Doug Black.
Formed in 2008, the Vance-Granville Community Band is a combination of VGCC students and interested citizens, including some high school students. Band members hail from all four counties of the college service area (Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin) and beyond. The band’s director is VGCC music instructor Michael Stephenson. The “Vanguard Combo” will include Stephenson; vocalist Eriekca Crosby, a Vance County Early College High School student; and 2011-2012 Music Scholarship recipients Joseph Hedgepeth of Henderson; Chris Bost and Norris Foster, both of Oxford; and Sean Casady of Louisburg.
For more information, call the Chamber of Commerce of Warren County at (252) 257-2657, the Lake Gaston Chamber of Commerce at (252) 586-5711 or VGCC’s Warren County Campus at (252) 738-3686.
Above: The Vance-Granville Community Band performs during the 2011 “Business & Music After Hours” event at the Warren County Armory Civic Center. (VGCC photo)
