On Saturday 25th June 1966, after perhaps 15 years of planning and fund-raising and a year of building, the centre opened with a week of events including the Players, as follows:
Grenoside Sword and Morris Dancers, Procession of past Gala Queens
Official opening by a Mr Colin Taylor
Dancers
Grenoside Male Voice choir, and Meersbrook Band
Grenoside Community Players, newly renamed from Grenoside Dramatic Society (we don’t yet know what they did, though)
On Monday, there was a Film show. Tuesday saw a Beetle Drive. On Wednesday, there was a Whist Drive
On Thursday, we had a Musical Appreciation evening, followed by A Demonstration of Stereo Sound (!). The first stereo LP records had been issued in 1958, and were only slowly catching on
Friday saw a Novelty Dance, with music by the “sensational Les Winter Quintet”
Finally, on Saturday, there was a Folk Dance Festival to end the week
It seems that there were members of the Players on the planning committee. Maybe that’s why we have a nice big stage and dressing rooms!