McHenry, MD – Garrett College officials have announced that people planning to attend the December 3^rd grand opening for the Performing Arts Center at Garrett College should RSVP for the space-limited event.

“We’re limited to 314 based upon the way the Offutt Theatre will be set up for the event,” noted Dr. Richard Midcap, Garrett College’s president. “The best way to assure that limit isn’t exceeded is to require reservations to attend. We will also be using a tally counter to ensure we don’t exceed that limit.”

Individuals who wish to attend the 9 a.m. grand opening should email reservations@garrettcollege.edu or call 301.387.3056. Reservations will close when the 314 cap is reached or November 28^th, whichever comes first.

The facility – jointly funded by the State of Maryland and Garrett County Government – opened in October and has been ramping up its schedule.

Senator George Edwards and Delegate Wendel Beitzel – who played key roles in acquiring more than $17 million in state funding – will both be featured speakers at the grand opening. The Garrett County Commissioners – who provided more than $4 million in local funding – will also be recognized at the event.

Garrett College’s PAC partners – Garrett County Government, Garrett County Public Schools, Garrett Lakes Arts Festival, and Garrett County Arts Council – will also be recognized. The Garrett College Foundation, which has raised more than $3.4 million for a PAC endowment, will also be honored during the event.

Due to capacity restrictions, the event will start promptly at 9 a.m. and end by 10:15 a.m. The hard stop at 10:15 is to make way for a pair of piano recitals in the Offutt Theatre by local students under the direction of Dr. Sean Beachy.

The first recital is at 11 a.m. and the second is at 2:30 p.m. The recitals are free and open to the public.

Note: For more information about the Performing Arts Center at Garrett College, please go to www.performingartsgc.com.