For many who visit Oxford, the first person to greet them is one of the many who volunteer at the Oxford Performing Arts Center.
They are there to scan their ticket, show them to their seats, direct them to restrooms, or sell them a box of popcorn.
The most important thing they do is make visitors feel welcome and at home.
OPAC said thank you to those volunteers during a special reception held on Monday, December 15, 2025, at OPAC’s Studio venue. The event was also an appreciation for members of the OPAC Advisory Board and the Oxford Arts Council.
Guests were treated to some humor, a buffet meal, and holiday karaoke fun.
OPAC executive director John Longshore said the value of the work OPAC’s volunteers have done in 2025 alone is estimated to be more than $238,000, and since OPAC opened in 2013, that number totals more than $2.8 million.
“Making sure arts and entertainment are accessible to this community has always been the driving force in what we do,” Longshore said. “I know for a fact a lot of venues have to pay their ushers. If we were to have to pay that $200,000 a year, what we do would not be possible. I can’t emphasize enough how appreciative we are of all of you. When you look at our Google reviews, there is comment after comment about how good you make our guests feel.”
Mayor Alton Craft echoed the appreciation for the OPAC volunteers’ efforts.
“I tell my staff all the time it’s the little things that make you great,” Craft said. “It’s people like you who make OPAC great. I call it the ‘love gauntlet’ when, after the shows, you are all standing there telling everyone, ‘We love you’ and ‘Good night.’ That makes people feel good. That’s one of those little things.”
Craft also directed praise at the work of Longshore and the OPAC staff for their dedicated efforts in making arts and culture available to Oxford.
“This is the best venue in the state,” Craft told the volunteers. “The love that is felt from you is what makes OPAC so great.”
Those volunteers are ready to greet everyone during the many great shows still to come in the current OPAC season. For a complete list of coming performances and to purchase tickets, visit oxfordpac.org.