Around Town: The Carolina Opry’s “Christmas Special”

Owner, producer, and entertainer Calvin Gilmore, works for months to create an unforgettable holiday experience, with his usual signature flair for production. This season, he is pulling out all the stops to bring you a special reunion season unlike any other! The beloved Kym “Bogie” Shurbutt, diagnosed with bone marrow cancer a little over a year ago, has had a long, hard road but, thanks to the love and support of his fans and his fearless attitude, he is now ready and excited to come home for Christmas! Steve Sifford, emcee at The Carolina Opry Theater for 19 years, retired several years ago and is thrilled to be back for this special season. Rocky Fretz, international pianist and part of the original Carolina Opry cast over 32 years ago, returns for another memorable season!

These special guests will be joined by new cast member, 17-year old Rory John Zak, the renowned All That! clogging group, 35 of the nation’s most talented vocalists, musicians and comedians, and an additional holiday brass section. All of this will be accompanied by the Calvin Gilmore orchestra, lead by Kevin Hughes with the Margaret Rice dancers in the stunning Carolina O

pry Theater with a real horse-drawn sleigh and snow! As always, the 2017 Christmas Special will bring stunning changes, beautifully blended with time-honored tradition to create a family experience that is second to none.

The holiday decorations at The Carolina Opry Theater are an attraction in themselves second to none. When you enter the theater, you enter the embodied spirit of Christmas. In a dramatic one-week shut-down, the transformation into a winter wonderland begins as the crew spends all night and the entire following week preparing over 35 Christmas trees, (including a 30 foot lobby tree with 25,000 lights,) 75 wreaths, over 5 miles of tree lighting wire, countless tree ornaments, and mounds of Christmas snow!

Information provided by The Carolina Opry.