News

Historic Flat Rock Inc. donates $5,000 to Playhouse

By Bill Moss, Published: December 27, 2012

FLAT ROCK —The board of Historic Flat Rock Inc. voted during its December meeting to give the Flat Rock Playhouse $5,000.

"We're giving them $5,000 to encourage them to continue their financial corrections," Historic Flat Rock president Rick Merrill said after the Dec. 8 action. "It's just saying we don't want you to go dark and we're here to help."
The Playhouse has a history in Flat Rock stretching further back than its time on the great flat rock at Greenville Highway and Little River Road. Robroy Farquhar formed the Vagabond Players in 1937 and led the acting troupe for two seasons at the Old Mill
Playhouse in Highland Lake. After serving in World War II, Farquhar revived the Vagabond troupe and opened the Lake Summit Playhouse. The Vagabonds moved to their current location in 1952 with the purchase of eight acres.
"The Lowndes house is on the National Register and we hold a preservation agreement on the Lowndes house, so we definitely don't want to see anything happen to that," Merrill said. The Lowndes house holds the administrative offices of the Playhouse.
"It was unanimous," Merrill said of the vote. "The motion was made by the treasurer (Ron Carland) so it carried a lot of weight. Ruth Reeves actually brought it up."
Reeves, who owns Portraits Inc., said that the Flat Rock Merchants Association had agreed to donate $1,000 to the Playhouse, which was trying at that time to raise $250,000 to finish this season and needs more than that to put on a 2013 season.