Traditional Home honors Debra Jenkins

Classic Woman Awards 2009
Debra Jenkins of Merrimack Hall receives national honor

We are so proud that Debra Jenkins, our co-founder and executive director, was chosen as one of six women to receive Traditional Home magazine's 2009 Classic Woman Award. Traditional Home Editor in Chief Ann Maine honored Debra at the magazine’s Classic Woman Awards luncheon in New York City on November 24. All six recipients of the magazine’s fifth-annual Classic Woman Awards were present, a signature program that celebrates the spirit of volunteerism by recognizing standout charitable women from across the country.

In previous issues and on its Web site, Traditional Home invited its 4.7 million readers to nominate a woman who is making a positive difference in her community. The magazine’s editorial staff and the judges pored over the nominations to choose six women who truly are changing the world one day, one person at a time.

In addition, each honoree’s chosen cause received a contribution from Traditional Home. The women and their causes were also featured in the magazine’s November 2009 issue.

Please join us in congratulating Debra on her volunteer achievements!

Letters Home

A play that brings to life letters from real soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan

Well, we're already into November and it's been a while since we updated our blog! We kicked off our 2009-10 season last month with Upon Their Shoulders: The Merrimack Story, an original play about the lives of real people who lived in Merrimack Mill Village. Every single show ended up selling out completely!

Coming up next week is Letters Home, a play based off real letters from soldiers serving in the Middle East. We're excited for our first-ever corporate buy-out of a performance! The Huntsville Times, along with SAIC, S3, the U.S. Army MWR, and Avion have bought out the Friday night performance and will donate 150 seats to soldiers from Redstone Arsenal. We'll be having a special reception after the performance in honor of the soliders, where they'll be able to meet the cast of the play.

Another exciting aspect of Letters Home is that we'll have a local actor, Kevin Kingston, in town for the performance! Letters Home is produced and performed by Griffin Theatre Co., based out of Chicago. A native of Arab, Alabama, Kevin will appear with Griffin Theatre Co. here in Huntsville.

Read this article published in The Arab Tribune on Monday, Nov. 9 about Kevin!

Click here to read more about Letters Home and reserve your seats for the Saturday, November 21 productions!

America's Next Top Model -- Casting Call!

Attention all lovely ladies! If you think you've got the chops to compete on Cycle 14 of America's Next Top Model, head on down to Merrimack Hall on Wednesday, July 8 to audition in front of casting agents from the CW series!

You can find all audition/eligibility information on The CW official website. We're so excited to host this event, and look forward to seeing you strut your stuff here next Wednesday!

Sneak Peek of Sunday's Recital

Check out this sneak peek video of last night's Dance Your Dreams! Spring Recital dress rehearsal onstage here at Merrimack Hall.

Don't forget ... their recital is Sunday at 4:00 and tickets are only $15. All proceeds will benefit the Dance Your Dreams! program. There will also be performances from other local arts groups like the Alabama Youth Ballet, Heidi Knight School of Dance, Huntsville High School Show Choir, plus a special guest to present the DYD children with trophies!

Summer fun!

There is so much happening this summer at Merrimack Hall! We have our D.Y.D. Spring Recital this weekend D.Y.D. Spring Recital 2009 and master classes with Chris Tyler and Jenny Belsito, along with an OPEN CALL audition with DDO Talent Agency Master Classes and Audition!!, not to mention the exciting new dance classes we are offering! Zumba, a fast-paced latin-infused dance workout that is actually fun! Come join the fun for only $10 a class! It's every Wednesday at 6pm. On Thursdays, Hayley Smith is offering a Jazz Technique class for those advanced dancers who want to keep moving over the summer. Jazz Technique is every Thursday at 6pm for $10 a class! Both Zumba and Jazz Technique are offered through June 30th. In July, we are welcoming our first annual Camp Merrimack, a week long day camp for the arts! Camp Merrimack is open to children with special needs across the Tennessee Valley.Camp Merrimack! Stay tuned for two very exciting programming announcements this summer!!

Bake Sale for Dance Your Dreams!

We need your help! Merrimack Hall is having its first-ever Bake Sale on Sunday, June 14 after the Dance Your Dreams! Recital to raise money for the program. We need volunteers to bake items for the sale! All items must be baked and returned to us the morning of the June 14.

If you are interested in baking an item for the sale, please e-mail Austin Jenkins at aajenkins@merrimackhall.com. We will provide you with the necessary supplies and mix to make your delicious treats!

Dance Your Dreams! Spring Recital

Dance Your Dreams! Spring Recital: Sunday, June 14 at 4 p.m.
Tickets: $15, all proceeds benefit the program

We are so very proud to present our Dance Your Dreams! Spring Recital and honor these special children who continue to amaze us every week.

As many of you know, this program is the cornerstone of Merrimack Hall's outreach, and to date we have given back more than $40,000 to the community through Dance Your Dreams! alone. Each week, children with a range of special needs from Cerebral Palsy and autism to cancer and Down Syndrome come to our dance studio and participate in a dance class suited to their needs. All dancers are paired with their own volunteer who helps them execute the movements they would otherwise be unable to perform. All classes, costuming and dance attire are provided to these families at no cost to them.

This recital will showcase these beautiful dancers, and also feature performances from other local arts organizations like the Alabama Youth Ballet, Heidi Knight School of Dance, and Susan's School of Dance. Both Dance Your Dreams! classes will perform two numbers each: "Rockin' Robin," "A Whole New World," "Under the Sea," and "Going to the Chapel."

Please come show your support for these amazing children and their yearlong achievements. All tickets are $15 and proceeds will directly benefit the Dance Your Dreams! program.

Tickets may be purchased on our website at www.merrimackhall.com