Stars Were Out at Huntington High

#332 / Flood Time Capsule: 2003

The old Huntington High School — a Classical Revival-style building that has anchored the city’s South Side since 1916 — was ready for a new life in the spring of 2003 when The Flood was invited to help celebrate its rebirth as an arts and community center.

A spring gala called “The Stars Are Out Tonight” was organized as a fund-raiser for the newly organized ARTS Resources for the Tri-State. “Our job was wrap up the first half of the evening,” Charlie Bowen told his mom in an email the morning after the gig.

“We went on right after two opera singers,” he added. “They were great, but… well, they were opera singers, and the crowd was getting a little restless when we wandered on stage. We hit 'em with ‘Sunny Side of the Street,’ followed by a good old fiddle tune and then a blues, which got the biggest hand of the evening.”

The Building’s New Mission

People were ready for some joy. For a hot minute after the old school’s closing in 1996, reckless talk suggested — horrors! — putting a wrecking ball to the grand old building. Fortunately, cooler, wiser heads quickly intervened.

In 1999, multi-million dollar plans were put forth for a Huntington High Renaissance Project, which was to repurpose the structure to serve everyone from senior citizens to the youth of the community.

Better still, the following year, the building — which Huntington historian James E. Casto has noted was designed by architect Verus T. Ritter, who also was responsible for other standout Huntington structures, including City Hall and Johnson Memorial Methodist Church — was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The West Virginia Housing Authority created low-income housing for senior citizens in the building, and the YMCA expanded its operations into the old school's remaining areas.

By Spring 2003, ARTS was still working to return the school's auditorium and second-floor entrance to their original appearance, making it the site for community events, shows and concerts, like the “The Stars Are Out Tonight” fundraiser.

Making Memories with Beth McVey

The show made a special memory for The Flood.

At the conclusion of the evening, Beth McVey -- the star of the show, a beloved Huntington native who has performed in numerous Broadway productions, including “42nd Street,” ”Annie" "Phantom of the Opera" and "Beauty and the Beast" -- joined The Flood for the final number, giving "Sweet Georgia Brown” her own special touch.

“The great part,” Charlie his mom in the morning-after email, “was that we gave Beth a kazoo, which she kept in my shirt pocket. After the fiddle solo, she reached down into my pocket, pulled out her blue kazoo and did her own solo. It brought down the house!”

Encores

Over the years, The Flood has returned to the old Huntington High building many times, often playing album release parties in what became The Renaissance Ballroom.

In fact, as reported here recently, one such party eight years later let us have a wonderful reunion with Beth McVey, who sang several duets with Michelle Hoge and the band.