By Marty Gordon
Christiansburg officials has purchased a portable stage and is adding several special events in the downtown area.
A new portable stage has become the centerpiece for future special events in Christiansburg and will be showcased at the upcoming Wilderness Trail Festival. Here, the stage, featuring McFadden & Friends at Christiansburg Institute’s Block Party, was a class act.
Spokesperson Melissa Demmitt said the town purchased the stage because its previous stage was getting older and becoming unsafe to use at events. “We felt this new stage would help us showcase Christiansburg and host more events on a larger scale,” she said earlier this week.
The stage will be used for the town’s purposes at town-sponsored events, such as the Fourth of July Festival, Christmas Parade, special events at the Farmers’ Market.
“This stage will also be used for some town-sanctioned events, such as Heritage Day, Food Truck Rodeo, Wilderness Trail Festival and others,” Demmitt said.
The stage was purchased at a price tag of $162,555 and includes both a 12.5 5-by-24 foot half-stage, and 20-by-40 foot full stage.
The new stage can be pulled by a truck and then assembled on site. The old stage had to be assembled piece by piece at a venue, then taken apart afterwards. Thus, the new stage can be put up and taken down much more easily and with fewer town staff.
New events that will use the stage include the upcoming talent show, “Christiansburg Got Talent” on Saturday, Sept.14 on Hickok Street from 5-8 p.m., the “Rock on the Block” concert on Oct. 11 with Don and Delltones that will be a pre-game Hokie tailgate party for their away game at Notre Dame on Nov. 2 with big screen televisions for fan viewing, also on Hickok. On Oct. 14 “Winter Wonderland” accompanying the town’s Christmas parade and a springtime downtown concert and chili cook-off will use the stage.
When not in use by the town, the town council approved a plan to rent the stage.
“The stage could be used as a possible rental, if available. Only Christiansburg businesses with Certified Stageline SL100 Technicians are eligible to rent the stage, and the events where the stage would be used must be located inside the New River Valley (within Floyd, Giles, Montgomery or Pulaski Counties or Radford City),” Demmitt said.
