Grand and Glorious Galas are not created with fairy dust or a magic wand . . . unless Disney is your event planner.

In 100-year-old Fuquay-Varina a Grand and Glorious Centennial Gala was pulled off by one experienced gala volunteer, Russell Snipes, with the help of several individuals who agreed to join him in forming the Gala Committee. Some had experience producing charity balls and other smaller events, but only one or two had resumes that included parties drawing well over 500 guests.

It was Russell who had the idea that the Centennial year celebrations should end with a truly grand gala. He volunteered to be chairman.

Marilyn Gardner then suggested at a Centennial Committee meeting the Junior Woman’s Club be invited to combine their 20th annual Charity Ball with the Centennial Gala to make it an even bigger, more inclusive event. The Juniors, it was noted, have experience putting on balls as well as a 501 ©3designation. That would mean the event could be a fundraiser too.

The club agreed as did Russell who would remain Gala chairman.

He never dreamed that offer would lead him through the mine field he had to negotiate to make the event happen.

Russell envisioned a large white party tent, with several adjoining smaller tents for registration, silent auction, cash bars, hors d’oeuvre tables and the caterer. A main stage, dinner tables, and dance floor would be located inside the main tent. He likes tents because they make an occasion feel both grand and theatrical. Tents are used for the most unique occasions, and are closely identified with galas in several major cities. Also the erection and installation, interior set-up, code & inspection requirements, take-down, etc. are all responsibilities of the company leasing the tent. Should mechanical or electrical problems occur, the company providing the tent would be responsible for all repairs. He estimated that 300 to 500 guests might participate. The tents, he learned, would cost about $7,000.

Next question: Where could the tent be located?

He learned quickly that, if alcohol were to be served, the party could not be held on town-owned property.

He also learned that among some members of the 23-member Centennial Commission there was concern about serving alcohol no matter where the party would be held. Some wanted to ensure that the ticket price would not exceed $50 so almost anyone who wanted to go could go.

He was also advised by some Commission members that $7,000 was too much to spend for a tent. (Later he would look back and declare often “That was the most expensive $7,000 I have ever saved.”) Russell and the gala committee began looking for other in-town venues. “We can’t go out of town to have our town’s birthday party,” he said. He had learned that no in-town restaurants could accommodate the number of guests anticipated. Someone suggested looking at former tobacco warehouses since tobacco has played such a big part in Fuquay-Varina’s history.

Only one was found to be open enough (others are used for storage) to accommodate a party; but it had no sprinkler system and was lacking many other features needed to meet town codes. Finally, Frances Senter, a co-chairman of the Centennial Commission suggested a vacant industrial building where the Watkins Johnson Company once manufactured communications equipment for NASA and the Defense Department. Bill Games later purchased the site and operated Quality Cable Assembly until about four years ago. Since then, the building has remained vacant with all power disconnected. This knowledge might have served as a warning.

Vandals had broken into the building painted graffiti on the walls and sprayed foam from the fire extinguishers on the floor, leaving a powder-like residue on the tile floor. The gala committee was aware that cleaning the building, ensuring it met all building and fire safety codes, then transforming it into a “grand ballroom” involved significant work. Undaunted, the committee graciously accepted Games’ offer to use the building rent free and pressed on.

Before the building could be re-connected to the power grid, quite a bit of work was required to fix electrical wiring and complete numerous inspections. When electricity was finally restored, removing the “fire extinguisher dust,” which was identified as ammonium phosphate, was the next logical task. This chemical could not be easily vacuumed from the floor, posed a health hazard if it were swept, and could not be mopped using water. Power washing the floor and vigorously forcing the water into drains located in the floor was recommended. Some of the chemical did wash away while a significant amount hardened and stuck to the tile. When an industrial floor scrubber on loan from Bob Barker Company didn’t fix the problem, the committee was out of volunteer options.

Professional floor cleaning services were contacted about the floor. Bids ranged from $12,000 to $5,800. A new company, Dynamic Janitorial Service of Angier, guaranteed to restore the floor for $1,600. After scrubbing the tile with Comet using an industrial buffer as well as cleaning the floor with a chemical stripper, the tiles were sealed then waxed in three coats and buffed to a lustrous shine. David McKinnon, owner of the company said, after he finished the job, he would never price another job like that without looking at the site first.

Gala work moved on. A caterer had been selected after several proposals were carefully considered from six different caterers; taste tests were part of the selection process. The program was planned. Among guests to be featured was Chuck Ragsdale, Fuquay-Varina native, who lives in New York and has a lengthy resume of participation in stage musicals. He would bring his own accompanist who would take leave from the current Broadway hit “Wicked.”

Russell arranged for a seven-foot Boesendorfer grand piano to be brought in for Chuck and his accompanist as well as the pianist and leader of the Paolantonio Jazz Trio who would perform during the early social hour and dinner.

Then another shake-up occurred. Ragsdale won a leading role in the musical production of “One Hundred and One Dalmatians.” He couldn’t refuse. The search for entertainment had to begin again. Local resident Michelle Braxton graciously agreed to fill in with humorous commentary and songs. Eulonda Booker would sing the official “Happy Birthday.”

Planning moved ahead for a time until about three weeks before the Oct. 10 date of the event when Bill Games called Russell to tell him that part of the ceiling in the building had fallen. Russell rushed out to see.

Two large ballasts that hold fluorescent lights had crashed to the floor leaving holes in the ceiling “about the size of queen-sized mattresses.” Retired electrician Chet Hair who had been working on the project, Joe Starr known to be able to fix most anything, and local contractor Billy Rogers were asked to evaluate the situation. Suggestions on how to secure a dozen other fluorescent light fixtures, which were also about to fall, were considered. Expediency and cost were always major factors. The final arbiter of what constitutes a “fixed ceiling” was the town building inspections department.

The next morning Russell “introduced“ the building inspector to the situation. He chose not to repeat the remarks exclaimed when the gaping hole in the ceiling and the light fixtures on the floor were first noticed by the inspector. After lunch that same day, Kathy Vaughan, the Chief of Building Inspections, reviewed the problem.

The contractors and town inspectors agreed on a list of repairs that were needed to make the ceiling safe again. A couple of different work crews started repairing the problems. One began shoring up the sagging fluorescent lights. The second crew brought in necessary sheetrock and started repairing the hole in the ceiling. Russell learned that the ceiling tiles in the building were no longer made, but Paul Barber of Kipling had almost enough similar tiles to complete the repairs. The gala producers bought every tile Barbour could locate.

Meanwhile, Russell went back to the tent-renters and tentatively reserved the several tents he thought might be needed just in case the ceiling could not be repaired cost-effectively or in a manner satisfactory to pass inspection. Now he faced another problem, there was no appropriate property where he could erect the tents. The vacant lot across Main Street from Cooley’s Restaurant, considered earlier, had since been leased by a nearby church and partially paved for parking. It was no longer an option.

But by then the Watkins Johnson building, cleaned up and fixed up, once again appeared to be the best way to go. Russell and his committee moved on with preparing the programs, making arrangement for the birthday cake, both the huge one for show to be escorted in by the Fuquay-Varina High School band playing Happy Birthday, and the somewhat smaller one to be served for dessert. Many details still had to be handled.

As the days dwindled down to a precious few before deadline day, Russell was home preparing dinner one evening when another emergency call came in. Water could be heard leaking inside a wall. Russell arrived at the building at 8:30 p.m. A copper pipe was leaking inside a wall; no shut-off valve could be located. He called three plumbers, some whose ads claimed “24 hour emergency service.” No plumbers called him back that night. Several non-plumbers did manage to view the leak that night and help assess the problem. Chris Grimes, the town’s utilities operations director, called and sent someone to shut off the water valves to the building. Equipment was located to suck water out of the wall.

The gentleman scouring the tile floors for Dynamic Janitorial knew how to solder a copper pipe. After two trips to Wal-Mart to purchase the necessary soldering equipment, the leak was fixed and water was restored to the building.

Everyone left the building at about 2:30 a.m. Russell was able to eat his dinner finally then go to bed by 4 a.m. He returned to open the building by 8 a.m. for the floor cleaners. Then he slipped away for a little more sleep.

All problems should have been solved the week of the event, but they weren’t. The weather wasn’t cooperating. The second Saturday in October was selected as the date since it did not interfere with the N. C. State Fair and should be cool enough to avoid air conditioning. Not so. Nights were hovering around 60 degrees.

He had been told by numerous individuals that cranking up the “chiller” required to cool the air in the HVAC system, even for a few hours, would be very costly. Russell had visions of around 700 disgruntled guests, not to mention the 100 servers, volunteers and entertainers, sweating profusely. Air conditioning was determined to be an absolute necessity.

Soon thereafter, Russell went to Raleigh to buy wine for the event. He tasted quite a few different bottles of red and white wine prior to making a purchase for the gala. He was determined, “We were not going to serve bad wine.”

From personal experience at the site, Russell knew that fire ants were everywhere. One afternoon after walking across the grass, he had bites all over his ankles and legs. After “treating” the soil for fire ants for over a week with no obvious difference, it was decided the only way to prevent guests from getting bitten was complimentary valet parking. The valets can park on the grass but guests may avoid that area.

Monday prior to the gala, ticket sales ended. The final guest count was given to the caterer. It was learned that the very optimistic estimate of 500 guests had missed the mark. Admission sales reached 687 for the event. This number meant more tables, table linens, flatware, dishes, glasses, food and now more space in the room had to be arranged for the guests. The lighting designer had to supplement his design, the pipe and drape boundaries defining the actual “grand ballroom” had to be re-arranged, Donna Pierce of Flowers on Broad Street now had to arrange more centerpieces for more tables! By Saturday afternoon everything was finally accomplished. Russell was home showering when his cell phone rang yet again. The water coming out of the taps in the building was brown, he was told. It wouldn’t clear up. What should be done?

Russell said that the menu called for water at every place. However, now only iced tea would be provided and water would be available by request only. The caterer could use bottled water which had been left from an earlier Centennial event.

The Gala was a howling success. It drew more people than anticipated, even at the slightly higher price than originally suggested.

One of Russell’s stated goals in the beginning was, “I want This to be THE party that people will be talking about 25 years from now.”

The Gala was off to a good start toward that goal, last I heard.

Those who served on the Gala Committee included: Anna Akins, Evelyn Booker, Emily Cox, Elizabeth Daniels, Marilyn Gardner, Scott Hair, Megan Olson, Betty Rush, Andrea Sadowski, Mollie Stephenson. Ex-0ffio members included Laura Query, Frances Senter, Shirley Simmons. Many others helped save the day, on many days. The result was truly a community effort. It was truly a community effort.