Published: August 22, 2008 09:04 pm      

As Wayland bids farewell, Chicory Square concert series finishes 20th season

BLUEFIELD — The curtain closed Friday on another successful Bluefield Daily Telegraph concert series, but not without a melancholy note at the end of the 20th season. Frances Wayland, a dedicated community volunteer who has shepherded the programs since the start of the series, announced that she stepped down as coordinator.

“This has been a real joy,” Wayland told the audience before the start of the Christ Incorporated concert. “This has been a united effort of friends who love to come together, share their talents and show their love for the city.

“There has never been any money exchanged for these concerts,” Wayland said. “Everyone who comes here does so because they love Chicory Square and they love the downtown.”

Tom Colley, executive editor of the Daily Telegraph expressed the newspaper’s appreciation for Wayland’s 20 years of service. “We’re really, really proud of Frances,” he said. “You mean so much to downtown Bluefield and the whole area.”

Art Riley, president of the Downtown Merchants Association, said visitors as well as people who work in the downtown “have benefited from the wonderful talent you have brought here week after week,” he said. Riley also thanked the newspaper for its on-going support of the downtown. “We do appreciate everything the Telegraph does for the downtown,” Riley said.

Riley joked about Wayland’s arrival at a recent concert on the back of a Harley-Davidson, and Wayland responded that it made her feel like a young girl again.

“I always stood up for the performers,” Wayland said as Christ Incorporated was filling the square with gospel music. “I’ve made some wonderful friends during these 20 years.

“I’ll remember all of these friends, but all good things eventually come to an end,” she said. “I would like to be able to spend a little time with my children in the summers, but during the concert series, I felt it was important for me to stay here to ensure that the performers had everything they needed for their shows.”

Colley worked with the former Main Street Bluefield program to develop the concert series. The Telegraph kept the program going after Main Street Bluefield folded. Wayland did much more than just show up for the Friday concerts. She started scheduling performers at the first of January each year, and made sure the performers got their promotional materials to the newspaper on time, and also worked with the newspaper on the promotions for the performers.

“I didn’t make this program a success,” Wayland said. “It was all of the performers and all of the people who attended the performances that made it special.” Wayland intends to continue maintaining her busy volunteer schedule with both the Bluefield recreation department as well as with the Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce.

– Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com