Macon Magazine

"WHATEVER PEOPLE THINK ABOUT IT, MY IMPRESSION IS RANDALL WIDNER IS A PROTECTIVE SPIRIT WHO LOVES THE THEATER AND IS WATCHING OVER IT." - Bob Mavity Grand and we can't even say there is a shared pre-existing wall, though we would love it if there was." Patti noted using the old foundation for the new Grand would have been anathema to its architect, W.R. Gunn. Gunn built theaters across the U.S. to his own extremely high standards and offered a $1,000 guarantee as to each audience member's line of sight to the stage and perfection of house acoustics, "when the entire control of the auditorium and stage is under my supervision." Wrecking ball at the ready Other well-worn Grand stories involve its salvation. Like this: Was there a wrecking ball literally parked out front in the 1960s ready to knock it down? Seems so. In 1965, other properties on Mulberry Street already were being leveled. e Grand was crumbling, and soon after showing "e Sound of Music" it was marked unfit for occupants. It looked like it was going to become a parking lot. "But thanks to community members, notably Val Sheridan, it's still here," Patti said. "ey saved it; they upgraded it. e Macon Arts Council (now Macon Arts Alliance) and Macon Civic Club can both be credited. ere were a lot who got on board and saved Macon's Grand Opera House. I don't know exactly who moved the wrecking ball, though." Patti said those organizations and the community have remained behind the Grand with support and revamps. He said with the theater now taken over by Mercer University, which has led the way toward dramatic expansion and remodeling, the theater's future looks good. How about ghosts? On the ghostly – and tragic – side of the Grand's history, two ghost stories are common. Sadly, there's one death on record presumed to be a suicide, according to Mavity. First, there are tales of "the lady in white," with sightings not so prevalent in recent history. Some, including fire marshals, report hearing a soprano singing then seeing a woman who would quickly disappear. Reports are that many a fire marshal refused to do inspections alone at the theater. More recently, there's the unfortunate account of Randall Widner and subsequent ghostly happenings, which Mavity said he's often experienced himself. "Randall was the executive director here into the early 1970s, and truly loved the place," Mavity said. "He oversaw a major restoration here but unfortunately, as I understand it, experienced personal and family problems. As fate would have it, in 1971 he ended up climbing to a space high atop the theater called the thunder room – a place where thunder sound effects and such 78 maconmagazine.com | APRIL/MAY 2020

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