♪
>> WE LOVE THE REEVES ANYWAY.
AND IT HAD BEEN LIKE THIS DEAD WEIGHT
ON DOWNTOWN FOR SO LONG FOR TWO DECADES.
>> IT BROKE OUR HEARTS.
WE BROUGHT OUR CHILDREN HERE TO MOVIES.
WHEN WE STARTED THINKING ABOUT MUSIC
AND THINKING ABOUT A PLACE.
FOR MUSIC WHEN WE HEARD THAT THIS WAS POTENTIALLY AVAILABLE.
WE BEGAN AT LEAST DREAMING.
>> DEBBIE AND I HAD BEEN TALKING ABOUT A MUSIC VENUE
FOR A FEW YEARS
AND WE'D LOOKED AT STOREFRONTS THAT CAME OPEN DOWNTOWN
AND NOTHING REALLY SEEMED JUST RIGHT.
BUT WE WERE. THAT'S WHAT WE WERE AFTER.
AND THEN WHEN THERE WAS A CHANCE THAT THE REVES MIGHT BE SOLD
TO BECOME JUST A WAREHOUSE WE SORT OF SAID
WE'VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING OTHER THAN THAT.
>> AFTER PURCHASING THE REEVES CHRIS DEBBIE
AND BUSINESS PARTNER
ERIC DELAGARZA KNEW THERE WAS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK
TO BE DONE BEFORE ONE MUSICAL NOTE WAS EVER PLAYED.
>> IT WAS AN EMPTY SHELL.
LUCKILY SOME COMMUNITY GROUPS HAD TAKEN IT OVER
WHEN THE ROOF HAD FALLEN IN
AND IT WAS FULL OF RUINED SEATS AND FLEAS AND PIGEONS
AND CLEANED IT OUT AND PUT A ROOF BACK ON IT.
BUT THERE WAS REALLY NOTHING HERE.
>> RETROFITTING THINGS IN A BUILDING THAT WAS BUILT
IN 1941 PROBABLY WAS
BASED ON THE FACADE WAS A BIG CHALLENGE
GETTING ALL THOSE PIECES BACK.
>> ERIC AND I WERE DEFINITELY COMMITTED TO SOMETHING
NON-TRADITIONAL NOT SQUARE
NOT TYPICAL WE HAD NOTHING TO RESTORE.
>> AND AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF OF PLANNING
AND TWO YEARS EIGHT MONTHS OF CONSTRUCTION
IT WAS FINALLY OVER
>> WITH ERIC'S BACKGROUND IN STUCCO
AND FRESCO PAINTING
THIS VISIONARY TEAM TRANSFORMED THE PROPERTY
INTO A MAGICAL LISTENING ROOM.
>> FIRST PERSON WHO WAS IN
WHEN WE DECIDED DURING CONSTRUCTION
WAS A SOUND ENGINEER.
>> HE CAME IN VERY FIRST AND TOLD US WHAT WE NEEDED TO DO
TO MAKE THE SOUND WORK RIGHT.
AND YOU KNOW OUR OUR GOAL FROM THE VERY START
HAS BEEN A VENUE
THAT IS MUSICIAN FRIENDLY.
♪
>> THE SOUND SYSTEM HERE THE VENUE I CAN MAYBE COUNT
IN NINE YEARS OF TOURING MAYBE FIVE PLACES
THAT CAME UP TO THIS KIND OF LEVEL.
AS FAR AS WE'RE MUSICIANS THE WAY THEY TREAT YOU
THE SOUND SYSTEM THE SOUND MAN
AND ALL THAT SORT OF STUFF IS OFF THE CHART.
>> NOW SOME FOLKS REFER TO THE HISTORIC REEVES
AS A HOME FOR MUSIC HERE IN THE FOOTHILLS.
SO MANY DIFFERENT GENRES OF MUSIC ARE PERFORMED EACH WEEK
ALONG WITH AN OPEN MIKE EVENT EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT.
THE ONCE A MONTH DON'T MISS THE POPULAR MARTHA BASSETT SHOW.
IT'S A VARIETY SHOW MOSTLY MUSICAL.
AND WE ARE HOSTING
NATIONAL ARTISTS LOCAL ARTISTS AND MY BAND.
>> ON THIS NIGHT WILKES COUNTY'S OWN PRESLEY BARKER WAS ON STAGE.
♪
>> HISTORIC ELKIN IT'S A GREAT LITTLE TOWN.
I LOVE TO BE HERE
AND JUST HAVING THE REEVES THEATER HERE
IS JUST A REAL GREAT ADDED PART OF ELKIN.
>> THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF RESTORING THIS ELKIN LANDMARK
WAS TO CREATE A GATHERING PLACE FOR LOCALS AND VISITORS
ALIKE ALONG WITH GOOD MUSIC.
IT WAS A NATURAL FIT TO INCLUDE A FARM TO TABLE CAFE.
OH IT'S WONDERFUL.
>> OUR CHEF IS TERRIFIC. WE LOVE HER TO DEATH.
>> WHAT WE ARE SERVING IS MOSTLY LOCALLY PRODUCED FOOD
ALWAYS PRESERVATIVE FREE ORGANIC
ALMOST ALL THE TIME HANDMADE HOME MADE.
ALL THE CRUSTS ALL THE BREADS
ALL THE EVERYTHING EVERYTHING HERE IS BAKED FRESH.
>> EVERY DAY. WE BAKE BREAD ALMOST.
>> THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH HAVING THE CAFÉ
IS I MAY GET FAT WITH ALL THE GOOD FOOD HERE.
>> SEEMS TO BE FILLED WITH ALL KINDS OF MUSIC AND FUN.
>> I HAVEN'T TALKED TO ANYONE -- EVERY DAY
I TALK TO SOMEBODY WHO SAYS, "GOING TO THE REEVES TONIGHT?"
AND SO IT'S EXCITING.
OUR HOPE IS THAT THE REEVES IS
AND WILL BE A HOME FOR MUSICIANS.
A SPACE SO INVITING
AND SO WELL-DESIGNED THAT PEOPLE WILL COME HERE
TO PLAY MUSIC, TO ENJOY MUSIC
AND TO REMEMBER THE WONDERFUL TIME
THEY HAD WHEN THEY VISITED THE REEVES THEATRE IN ELKIN.
♪
THANK YOU FOLKS!
[APPLAUSE]