The employees of the Haley Toyota Certified Center celebrated the holiday season on Sunday December the 5th at the fabulous Byrd Theatre in Carytown on Sunday. The Richmond used car dealership normally holds a covered dish party for their employees in the showroom each year. But the dealerships General Manager, Bill Simmons, wanted to do something different this year. The dealership wanted to have an event that would also include the family members of the employees. The dealerships employees and their families were treated to a private party at The Byrd Theatre to view the Will Ferrell holiday movie Buddy The Elf. A special surprise for those in attendance was an appearance by Byrd organist, Bob Gulledge, who played Christmas music on the theaters Mighty Wurlitzer organ prior to the movie. The Rudolf Wurlitzer Company, which custom made organs for the leading theatres of the country, installed the organ when the theatre was built in 1928. The Byrd Theatre is both a State and National Historic landmark and will be celebrating its 82nd birthday on Christmas Eve. 
Bill greeted the employees as they arrived at the theatre and presented them with a bag full of treats including gift certificates and candy. The concession stand stand was open for complimentary popcorn and drinks. Once everyone was seated, he and Byrd G.M, Todd Schall-Vess, had a few announcements to make. Bill thanked his staff for the hard work and great job that they have done for the company this year. This is a time of year when the spirit of giving and making memories is everywhere, the employees were acknowledged for their own contributions. He reminded them and asked them to to be proud of the many contributions that they collectively made to local charitable causes throughout the year. The dealership has helped raised money this year for the M.D.A., Susan Komen Foundation, the United Way and and is currently selling Christmas trees to raise money for the Chesterfield-Colonial Heights Christmas Mother program. Bill mentioned to those in attendance that The Byrd was the very first movie theater that he remembers coming to as a child and has fond memories of those days. It was the dealerships goal to create a fantastic memory for the employees and their families for years to come. And judging from the excitement exhibited by the staff after the movie was over and everyone was leaving, the dealership definitely achieved that goal. The dealership has posted several photographs of their event on its Facebook page. Please feel free to visit the page and "like" it to become a fan.
A special guest of the dealership at the party was local artist Daniel Pritchett, who painted the "Byrd Theatre" painting in the lobby. Daniel has set up a website devoted to the sale of prints of the painting, a percentage of which has always gone to the Byrd Theatre. If you would like to view the different sizes of prints that are available please visit his Byrd Prints website.
The dealership and its employees enjoyed their day at the Byrd. The dealership wishes to thank Byrd G.M, Todd Schall-Vess, and his staff for the great service that they provided. It was a wonderful surprise that the theatre invited Bob Gulledge to play the organ for us prior to the show. If the buzz around the dealership on the day after the event is any indication, there just might be a repeat performance at The Byrd next year.
No comments:
Post a Comment