This Friday night, we celebrate the start of our fifth season with all the fanfare and decorative genius we have come to expect.

Attendees are invited to dress to impress and really embrace the spirit of cool embodied by the Rat Pack to whom our show pays tribute. To those who have purchased a ticket to also attend the 7 p.m. preshow party, we want to extend our sincere appreciation. Your additional dollars don’t just buy you delicious dinner and drinks, they help to keep the theater on the right financial course.

As in years past, this event — and many other fundraising events at the Turnage — would not be possible without the drive and persistence of our dedicated volunteers. Ed and Dee Noll, Dennis and Mary Jane Cooke, Deborah Page Wright and Melina Menzie are just a few of the behind-the-scenes volunteers who keep the theater machine oiled and running. Without them and the many others who give of their time, their money and their energy, the Turnage lights would certainly go dark.

While we don’t always see eye to eye as we make our plans and host our events, we can be secure in the knowledge that we are always working toward the same goal: to see the Turnage, the downtown area and all of Beaufort County return to the grandeur it once boasted and recapture the economic stability we need to flourish. Neither the volunteers, nor the board of directors, nor the business owners nor the general population can accomplish this in isolation. We must all work together with mutual respect and a wonderful appreciation for all the effort put into each attempt to improve our community, regardless of the apparent success of these attempts. Without said respect, we cannot expect to succeed, as many will simply give up trying.

It is with this in mind that I extend my deepest appreciation to all who give of themselves to promote and enliven the Turnage Theater, and by extension the larger Beaufort County community. We need you, we thank you and we hope to work together for many seasons to come.

As our fifth season is on the brink of beginning, when we have wondered more than once if we would make it this far, we are forcefully reminded of how truly blessed we are to be a part of this vibrant community. I cannot wait to see you this season here at the Turnage Theater.

Katherine Buchholz is the box-office manager for the Turnage Theater.