STAGE OF STARS MUSEUM TO OPEN IN HISTORIC MUNICIPAL
AUDITORIUM
The
Stage of Stars Museum, an exhibit showcasing the history of Shreveport's
Municipal Auditorium, will open to the public from 11 a.m. to
4 p.m. on Saturday, June 5, 2004. The date will also mark the
start of guided tours of the Auditorium, which is located at 705
Elvis Presley Avenue in Shreveport.
The
exhibit, sponsored by the nonprofit Friends of the Municipal Auditorium,
features hundreds of photographs and memorabilia, which have been
loaned or donated by numerous individuals. Museum chairman Betty
Jo LeBrun-Mooring has led the effort to collect and display the
historic items in the exhibition room, located just off the Municipal
Auditorium's main lobby.
Many
of the performers who appeared on the Municipal stage over the
past 75 years are featured in the museum. They include stars from
the Auditorium's most fabled era, when it was home to the widely
broadcast Louisiana Hayride - Elvis Presley, Hank Williams Sr.,
Charley Pride, Kitty Wells, Johnny Horton, Nat Stuckey and others.
But they also include greats from before and after that era who
appeared at the auditorium - from Lionel Barrymore, Eleanor Roosevelt
and Sergei Rachmaninoff, to Dolly Parton, Van Cliburn, Nat King
Cole and Bob Dylan.
The
exhibit also includes rare photographs of the area before the
Auditorium was built, as well as pictures of the building under
construction prior to its opening in 1929.
Guided
tours of the Auditorium will be led by members of the Caddo Council
on Aging's Retired Senior Volunteer Program. The 30-minute tour
will highlight not only the building's performing history, but
also its prized Art Deco architecture and fixtures. A donation
of $2 per person is suggested, but not required, for taking the
tour. Tours may also be scheduled by appointment by calling Teresa
Micheels at 318-632-2112. (Note: "Micheels" is correct
spelling.)
Also
in the works is a bronze sculpture of Elvis Presley, created by
Eric Kaposta, an artist with Shreveport roots. The sculpture has
been approved by Elvis Presley Enterprises in Memphis. The "Elvis
Angels" fan club is helping raise funds for the sculpture.
Municipal
Auditorium, designed by internationally known Shreveport architects
Samuel G. Weiner and Seymour Van Os, was built by the City of
Shreveport and dedicated "To the Veterans of the World War"
when it opened in 1929 on what was then known as Armistice Day.
Friends
of the Municipal Auditorium, headed by President Johnny Wessler,
is a nonprofit organization with membership open to anyone. Its
mission is to preserve and promote the Auditorium, as a continuing
performance venue, as an educational opportunity, and as a tourism
attraction.
Wessler
said information on joining the organization will be available
at the Museum opening on June 5. He also said the Friends organization
is planning a major event for October this year, the 50th anniversary
of Elvis Presley's first appearance at the Auditorium, and also
a celebration on Nov. 11, Veterans' Day, the 75th anniversary
of the Auditorium's opening.
Go
Back
