Flowers Center For The Performing Arts historical preservation

To help preserve the history of The Flowers Center For The Performing Arts

We need your help! If you were involved in any of the Carroll High School musical productions from the early 1980s through the late 1990s, you are aware of the hard work and commitment that made these shows rise above the standard of simple high school plays to sold-out, impressively performed productions. Our plays were an enormous source of pride throughout the years, not only for Carroll High School, but also for the City of Ozark.

Until the early 1980s, these performances were always held in the CHS gym. In 1982, 1983 and 1984, the old Brackin Theater in downtown Ozark became available, allowing for "Guys and Dolls", "The Music Man" and "Oklahoma" to be performed in this historic building. If you were a cast member of any of these productions, you recall the obstacles we overcame there. If you weren't a part of these productions, imagine having to partly refurbish a building that had been vacant since the 1970s. The roof leaked, we hardly had a working restroom, the cast and crew were crammed behind the stage in a small area, and by the time we were ready to perform, everyone had the flu from it being so damp. Who knows how many building codes we broke! As bad as it was, though, it still beat the gym, and Ozark rewarded us with sold out shows and great memories for all involved.

In 1985, we moved to the Ozark Civic Center for the production of "Bye, Bye Birdie". Not exactly ideal, but at least the building was safe and warm even if the acoustics left something to be desired. It was a great show.

With the success of these productions, it became apparent that Carroll High School deserved a true theater. What happened next was nothing short of extraordinary; a group was formed to explore options with the goal of providing Ozark with its very own performing arts center. This was the beginning of The Flowers Center for the Performing Arts.

Emma P. Flowers Auditorium had been abandoned for many years, but somehow it was still standing after parts of the old elementary school were torn down. The exploratory group decided that this would be "our" new theater, and they began the planning stages of what would become our fabulous Flowers Center. The group had less than a year if “Hello Dolly" was to be performed in the new building. They were told they needed $300,000 to start. This amount didn't include seats, sound systems, backdrops, costumes, fees, or anything to do with the actual performances. By today's standards that would be around $700,000. The group was unfazed by this daunting task and set out to make the Flowers Center a reality. Imagine the sheer will to raise $300,000 in Ozark, in 1986!

A connection in Montgomery led to a “sit-in” there that incredibly provided the group with its first break: the promise of $150,000 contingent upon the group being able to supply the other half of the $300,000. The City of Ozark was persuaded to help, and donated $30,000. Afterwards, five of the group members who believed in the project signed a promise note for $100,000, obligating them to pay if they couldn't raise the money in the allotted time.

Fundraisers were started. One of the most successful involved taping donations in the form of $1 bills to the sidewalk beginning at Martindale Plaza and ending at Carroll High School. What a sight to watch volunteers taping all that money to the pavement!

The next goal centered around raising money for the theater seats, each of which cost $150. Five hundred seats were ultimately sold, and donors’ names were engraved on each. Soon afterwards, The Kiwanis Club purchased the sound equipment, and the remaining funds were supplied by private donations and donors.

There were many that donated their time as well: the sewing ladies spent countless hours on costumes and curtains for the new building. The football team and other volunteers helped in cleaning out the old auditorium. The building construction class at Carroll even lent a hand, and the parents of the cast members were always available.

By April of 1986, all of the money had been raised, all of the hard work had been put in, and the doors to the new Flowers Center For The Performing Arts opened to sellout performances for “Hello Dolly”. It was a proud day not only for Carroll High School, but for the City of Ozark. The young people of Ozark finally had a remarkable home in which to showcase their talents.

Today, those first students are in their 30s and 40s with unbelievable memories of the magic that was created on those stages all thanks to a remarkable group of people who saw the potential for greatness, and who worked tirelessly to have their vision come to life.

Who is this amazing group? If you’ve noticed, there are no names mentioned here. In years past, anyone was able to walk down the halls of the Flowers Center and see their names on plaques or in beautifully framed photographs of all the plays throughout the years. We could view the memorials of our brothers and sisters no longer with us. We could see the history of which we were a part in the creation of the Flowers Center For The Performing Arts.

Sadly, that history is no longer there. It has been taken down. When you walk down the halls of Flowers Center today there is no trace of the countless hours it took to make the dream a reality. If you believe that this remarkable story should be protected, please take a moment and click on the link below to sign a petition asking that the heart and history of Flowers Center For The Performing Arts be preserved by placing the pictures and plaques back where they belong. Thank you.

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