Culinary and musical arts featured at VGCC-Chamber event
Cuisine prepared by Vance-Granville Community College students and music performed by students and members of the community were the highlights of the first “Business & Music After Hours” event, presented by VGCC, the Chamber of Commerce of Warren County and the Lake Gaston Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center. Local residents and business leaders attended the event on Feb. 17 at the Warren County Armory Civic Center in Warrenton.
The evening began as attendees enjoyed hors d’oeuvres prepared by VGCC’s Culinary Technology students. The menu included beef and mushroom vol-au-vents, bourbon chicken in filo cups, huevos rancheros with black bean salsa, marinated shrimp with guacamole and mixed pepper salsa, chicken salad in cucumber cups, barbecue shrimp on grilled grits and southwestern beef fajitas. While visitors’ taste buds were being delighted by the students’ creations, their ears were treated to light jazz and contemporary selections performed by VGCC’s Music Performance Scholars. These students received the college’s Music Performance Scholarships for the 2010-2011 year, which gives them a chance to explore their passion for music and to perform for community functions and college activities. They include Joseph Colquitt of Creedmoor (guitar), Joseph Hedgepeth (tenor saxophone) and Derek Jones (bass), both of Henderson; and John Laible of Raleigh (piano). The four were joined by two other students, Erieka Crosby (vocals) and DaLonte Yancy (drums), and by VGCC music instructor Michael Stephenson (saxophone).
During the “business” portion of the program, attendees were welcomed by Chamber of Commerce of Warren County president George A. Henderson, who is also the dean of VGCC’s Warren County Campus . Then, 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 , discussed their respective organizations. Finally, VGCC President Randy Parker made remarks and brought forward the Vance-Granville Community Band, a combination of students and interested citizens under Michael Stephenson’s direction. Band members hail from all four counties of the college service area (Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin) and beyond. The ensemble played traditional band marches as well as music from Broadway classics such as “West Side Story” by Leonard Bernstein and “The Phantom of the Opera” by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Stephenson praised the Armory Civic Center as a venue and expressed hope that the band could play there again in the future. He and last year’s group of VGCC music scholarship students performed at the grand opening of the facility in 2010.
“This successful community cultural event was truly a team effort, and was made possible by the support of the Warren County Commissioners, both Chambers, and our sponsors,” President Parker said. “The delicious food and exquisite presentation by our Culinary students and the terrific artistry of our featured musical guests made this an event that the people of Warren County will be talking about for a long time,” George Henderson added.
Other sponsors of the event included Century 21; CCB (Citizens Community Bank); Glen Raven, Inc.; Halifax Electric Membership Corporation; LakeGaston.com; Lake Gaston Gazette-Observer; Lake Gaston Pit Stop; Maria Parham Medical Center; Nationwide (O.L. Meek Insurance Agency); Progress Energy; RCS Construction; South Shore Realty; and The Warren Record. Individual donors who supported the event included Mary Catherine Harris; George Henderson; Jana Miller; Dr. and Mrs. Randy Parker; and Trish Peters, Lake O’The Woods.
Above: The Vance-Granville Community Band performs during the “Business & Music After Hours” event, held on Feb. 17 at the Warren County Armory Civic Center. (VGCC photo)
