I like to read my Facebook memories.
At this point, Facebook has almost become like a weird online diary.
On Saturday, I saw a curious memory pop up from 13 years before. My status from Jan. 22, 2009 was “Charmain Zimmerman Brackett supports the Miller Theatre renovation. Call your councilman before today’s 3 p.m. meeting to have it added to SPLOST.”
I smiled as a read it because I knew I’d be heading to the finished product of that renovation in a few hours to attend the Augusta Symphony’s annual gala.
When I was a teenager, I lived with my parents in downtown Augusta. My parents, brother and I have the distinction of being among some of the last people to see a film at the Miller Theater before it closed for more than three decades.
We went to see “Superman 3” in 1983. I don’t remember much about it except that Lum’s Moon Gate Chinese food was probably involved beforehand and that I remember feeling sad that a beautiful building had become so rundown. My brother recalls the screen being torn. The melancholy feeling was only added to by my mom who frequented the Miller in its heyday.
Downtown overall was on the decline during that time, and it was a far cry from the bustling center of activity that I saw last night when I went to Broad Street.
I’d gone into the Miller at various stages after Peter Knox IV saved the building and before the Augusta Symphony, which calls the theater home, finished its renovations. I also remember standing in the back of the Miller as Sutton Foster took the stage for the first gala as the Symphony celebrated the grand reopening in January 2018.
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Saturday’s gala was an opportunity for both the Miller and the Augusta Symphony to shine once again.
Augustans broke out their ballgowns, tuxedos and suits for a night that included having the red carpet rolled out for guests who entered the theater like film stars. The Miller red carpet led to a photo backdrop where guests had their pictures taken before they headed inside to hear a concert with Michael Andrew backed by the talented orchestra..
The theme on the night was “Fly Me To the Moon” featuring the songs made famous by Frank Sinatra.
Andrew sang songs such as “I’ve Got the World On A String,” “Night and Day, “Fly Me To the Moon,” “Come Fly With Me,” “The Lady is a Tramp,” “Luck Be A Lady” and “That’s Life.”
He ended with two signature Sinatra hits “New York, New York” and “My Way.”
After the concert, guests could tour the Miller and its Knox Music Institute. Food stations and Frank Sinatra memorabilia were throughout the theater and institute. Maps were included in the program to guide patrons through the hallways.
A jazz trio played in the lobby and the upstairs Knox Institute had a lounge feel with recorded music and a montage of Sinatra films silently projected against a wall.
Blue Collard of Aiken prepared a Sinatra-themed menu with items such as “Mac The Knife” which included mac n’brie, wood fired beef brisket, butternut squash with a house sweet red sauce, and the “New York, New York” Southern charcuterie which included cured meats and cheeses.
Signature cocktails were the “Ol’ Blue Eyes” and “Stormy Weather.”
Anne Catherine Murray, the Symphony’s executive director, said she was thrilled with the crowd turnout and grateful that people wanted to show their support of the arts.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Managing Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
