Page 16 - Garrett County 2022/2023 Visitors Guide

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Performing Arts Center:
A New Performance Space, Event Venue
Garrett College is set to celebrate the opening of its new Community Education & Performing Arts Center (CEPAC), which is anticipated to open in summer 2022.
The CEPAC’s largest performance space can accommodate approximately 400 to 450 patrons, but also has flexibility for smaller performances, said Mary Callis, who serves as executive director of both the CEPAC and the Garrett Lakes Arts Festival (GLAF). “In addition, there will be state-of-the-art sound and lighting to accommodate theater performances as well as musical performances.”
A smaller room at the venue can host another 200 guests. “This space would accommodate small recitals, meetings, conferences, weddings and receptions,” Callis said. “In addition to that, we will have a lobby where we’re looking forward to the Garrett County Arts Council having local artists display their artwork.”
The CEPAC already has several events on the calendar for 2022, including performances by local middle and high schools. It will also host GLAF events, which include concerts by River City Brass.
Planning for the CEPAC has been “40 years in the making,” Callis said. “It has come to fruition through the efforts of the county commissioners, our state delegate and our state senator. They have worked on funding for this for many years. Its ongoing operation will be supported through a five-way partnership between Garrett College, Garrett County Government, the Garrett County Board of Education, the Garrett County
Arts Council and the Garrett Lakes Arts Festival. It’s a true community effort.”
On COVID protocols for patrons, Callis noted that the CEPAC will take its lead from the campus where it’s located. At the time of writing, safety protocols at Garrett College included an indoor mask mandate and required completion of a health self-assessment.
Anyone hoping to schedule an event or performance at CEPAC can find the relevant contact information at garrettcollege.edu/pac.php.
RENDERINGS COURTESY OF THE GARRETT COLLEGE COMMUNITY EDUCATION & PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
14 The Deep Creek Experience