Staff Reports
Texas Sounds International Country Music Awards is moving to Marshall. The annual event, produced by East Texas Performing Arts (ETPA), has been held in Jefferson, Texas since inception. Now, as it approaches its decade anniversary, the decision has been made to move the 4-day event to Marshall’s newly remodeled Memorial City Hall Performance Center.
“The City of Marshall presents a very attractive offer,” says East Texas Performing Arts vice president, Preston Taylor. “Marshall offered the beautiful Memorial City Hall Performance Center at tremendous cost savings compared to our large tent venue in Jefferson. Daniel Duke, Marshall’s Director of Tourism and Cultural Arts, is set to immediately start advertising our October dates. Jefferson’s lack of an affordable, appropriate venue space and the city’s minimal financial and advertising support over the years make Marshall’s offer impossible to ignore.” Marshall is purposefully soliciting Texas Sounds to bolster tourism spending. In 2019 (pre-Covid) Texas Sounds participants and audience spent more than $100,000 in Jefferson during the October performance weekend. This is verified by audience surveys completed by all artists and attendees. “This offer highlights the tremendous difference in how we are treated by Jefferson vs what Marshall is willing to do for us. Although Jefferson small businesses generously support Texas Sounds, the City of Jefferson acts as though they barely care whether we succeed or fail. The way one council member treated us when we last had to go before the Jefferson City Council made it clear that city government has little or no desire to keep Texas Sounds in town.”
Taylor goes on to say, “Nevertheless, we are not abandoning Jefferson. We expect to produce more plays and concerts here. We hope to find a way to keep Jefferson as our organization’s home, but we must take Texas Sounds to Marshall where the city demonstrates they want us and will provide appropriate support.”
East Texas Performing Arts has already cast a play for late May or early April, Texas in Paris, which tells the true story about a black gospel singer and a white cowboy singer hired to tour France. Neither had ever sung professionally or traveled outside the U.S.A. Their music is beautiful and familiar. Their interactions offer great social commentary. Taylor explains, “We are searching for an appropriate venue in Jefferson, both for this one play and as a permanent home and performance center for all the theatrical groups in Jefferson. We hope to find a building that we can secure on a long-term lease.” He also told the story of a theater group in Hughes Springs that was given a building by a supporter. “If something cannot be found in Jefferson, we may be forced to look at other East Texas communities.”