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SAHA Secures License for 65th Year of Horn in the West, Local Auditions Feb. 6

By Jesse Wood

The show will go on.

On Thursday, the Boone Town Council approved a 2016 license agreement for Southern Appalachian Historical Association, which leases property to produce the Horn in the West outdoor drama and Hickory Ridge Living History Museum.

This year marks the 65th anniversary of Horn in the West, which is the nation’s oldest Revolutionary War outdoor drama. The play takes place in the Daniel Boone Park.

SAHA Chair Al Ernest said that this year’s license agreement is pretty much similar to last year’s except for a provision that allows for Boy Scout troops to camp on the property. This he said would help SAHA adhere to its mission and to teach the troops about history and outdoor skills.

As Town Manager John Ward alluded to in last week’s council meeting, Ernest said that the agreement process went smoothly this time around. Following the 2014 season and with license agreements for the property still relatively new, the Boone Town Council revoked SAHA’s license and evicted SAHA from the premises because of unauthorized maintenance on the property.

A month after the revocation, the license was reinstated in September 2014, and the annual license for 2015 was approved months later without much controversy.

“Actually, it was a great process,” Ernest said, adding that town staff and SAHA met a couple times to iron out the license agreement for the upcoming year.

“We are thankful that it was really pretty good,” Ernest said of the agreement. “I would anticipate that it’s going to be this way from here on out.”

SAHA had planned to hold local auditions last weekend, but the snowstorm caused the organization to postpone. Now, local auditions are scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 6 at the Valborg Theatre. Registration is at 9 a.m. with children to audition at 9:30 a.m. and adults at 10 a.m.

“We are pretty excited about turning 65,” Ernest said, adding that SAHA intends to ramp up its promotions and off-the-mountain advertisement in advance of the summer season.

To read the license agreement, click here. 

For more information about auditions, email saha.boone@gmail.com.

For more information about SAHA and Horn in the West, click here.