The Patsy Cline Theater isn't just an auditorium — it's Winchester's de facto civic center. From Willie Nelson to Vince Gill to Sara Evans, from the Apple Blossom coronations to 35 years of community gatherings, it's where Winchester has shown up for itself. And the seats, after nearly 40 years of student traffic and standing ovations, are showing every bit of their age. On this episode of The Valley Today, host Janet Michael welcomes an old friend back to the show — Larry Weiss, Executive Director of the Winchester Education Foundation — for a conversation about how the Foundation supports Winchester Public Schools and the year-long Community Comfort Campaign to replace all 1,100 seats and the carpeting in the historic theater.

Larry walks through the full scope of the Foundation's work — scholarships for graduating Handley seniors, a unique endowment from Mindy Loy that funds continuing education for Handley graduates who come back to teach in Winchester schools, and the brick-and-mortar work that brought the Emil and Grace Shihadeh Innovation Center into existence (now featured in a national PBS-style documentary called Multiple Choice). Plus: a special August benefit concert at the Patsy Cline Theater by Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Valerie Smith, whose new "musical journal" Maggie's Journal sets her grandmother's post-Civil War handwritten journal to bluegrass, Americana, and roots music — with all proceeds going to the seating campaign.

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY COMFORT CAMPAIGN

A year-long fundraising campaign by the Winchester Education Foundation to replace all 1,100 seats and the carpeting in the Patsy Cline Theater at John Handley High School — the venue that serves not just the school but the wider Winchester community as a civic center, concert hall, and Apple Blossom event space. Total project cost is estimated at approximately $1 million. New seating and carpeting installation is targeted for summer 2027.

WAYS TO PARTICIPATE

• $350 names a seat — name tag can honor anyone (teacher, parent, classmate, graduating student)

• Purchase an entire row to reunite a graduating class

• Take one of the old seats home as a souvenir when they're uninstalled

• Any contribution — from $10 to $10,000 — moves the campaign forward

• The balcony will be dedicated in honor of Russ Potts

• All 1991-era donor name tags will be moved to the new seats, preserving the theater's history

BENEFIT CONCERT — VALERIE SMITH'S MAGGIE'S JOURNAL

Saturday, August 1, 2026 • 7:00 PM Sunday, August 2, 2026 • 2:00 PM matinee Patsy Cline Theater, John Handley High School

LINKS & RESOURCES

• Winchester Education Foundation — winchestereducationfoundation.org (click the Community Comfort Campaign graphic on the homepage)

• Valerie Smith — thevaleriesmith.com (concert tickets and information)

THE VALLEY TODAY with Janet Michael — A decade of conversations.

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