McKinney -- If you think historic downtown McKinney is a very different city than it was only four or five years ago, you are right.   This city has revitalized downtown and reaped the reward of a 400% increase in activities related to art and entertainment. McKinney Performing Arts Center has played an integral role in developing McKinney's reputation as a destination for arts and entertainment and the flagship of downtown McKinney was at full sail Saturday night.

McKinney Performing Arts Center won't officially celebrate its fifth anniversary until March 31, 2011, but a reception Saturday night that included city council members, MPAC Partners, city administrators and Join the Jury members kicked off the celebration.

As vibrant a hub of downtown events as McKinney Performing Arts Center has become, it is hard to imagine that this building, the former Collin County Courthouse, sat dormant for 25 years.  That certainly is no longer the case.  

McKinney Performing Arts Center photo by Allen Rich

Saturday night, for example, the towering monument to Collin County's history and future was home to a well-attended reception honoring some of the people who made renovation and operation of McKinney Performing Arts Center possible; in the Ruschhaupt Reception Hall, fittingly enough, you could find Gerry Ruschhaupt at a bridal shower visiting with Pat and Mary Humm, parents of the perspective groom; in the Gallery, a Sweet 16 Birthday Party thrown by KK Shelby and Rachel Crist was a buzz of activity; the Sip-n-Doodle art club was enjoying a creative moment in the Southwest Multipurpose Room; and the Courtroom Theatre was packed for a "magical mystery tour," courtesy of Beatles tribute band, Ticket 2 Ride. 

And that's just one night. 

Over the past five years, McKinney Performing Arts Center has hosted 1,575 events, used 6,906 rooms and welcomed a registered attendance of 169,929 people.  Even that figure vastly underestimates the importance of this facility to downtown McKinney because the building averages being open 93 hours per week.  Of that total, McKinney Performing Arts Center is open 63 hours each week, seven days a week, as a public facility. 

During large-scale events such as Oktoberfest and Dickens of a Christmas, countless visitors to historic downtown McKinney will take advantage of the large, clean restrooms located in the basement of McKinney Performing Arts Center.

As important as this building already is to the heart of downtown McKinney, just consider how important this facility will be as an historic cultural hub in a few short years when McKinney's population doubles.

Just think of the events David Taylor and Amy Rosenthal, the only executive director and assistant director, respectively, in the five-year history of McKinney Performing Arts Center, have managed to offer North Texans.

Performances by singing cowboy Michael Martin Murphey, former Saturday Night Live star Victoria Jackson and McKinney songwriter Zane Williams come to mind.

Joan Ponthier, Victoria Jackson, Alison Wills photo by Allen Rich

Music aficionados who were fortunate enough to be in the audience are still raving about the spectacular concert by Duncan Shiek and his talented entourage two years ago.

Duncan Shiek photo by Allen Rich

This past year, Paula Cole, famous for her tune "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone," debuted the material from her new CD in the cozy confines of the Courtroom Theatre in McKinney Performing Arts Center.

Paula Cole photo by Allen Rich

Those amazing shows were just a few of the reasons why the reception Saturday night at McKinney Performing Arts Center was so important. The MPAC Partners, city leaders and Join the Jury members play a very important role in bringing these events to downtown McKinney.

Ticket sales only pay for approximately 68% of the cost of performances, however the majority of ticket-buyers will enjoy fine dining and visit art galleries during the evening, prominently contributing to the economy of the area.

Consider the Ricky Skaggs concert when David Taylor greeted a full house and asked how many were there to enjoy their first show at McKinney Performing Arts Center.  A sea of hands went into the air.  Many of those people will be back to enjoy all the amenities that historic downtown McKinney has to offer.

Thanks to the supporters of McKinney Performing Arts Center, local music fans will always have great memories of Ricky Skaggs and his backing band, Kentucky Thunder.

"Ricky is good," Taylor told the crowd at the reception Saturday night, "but Ricky ain't cheap."

Ricky Skaggs and David Taylor photo by Allen Rich

Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder photo by Allen Rich

Photographs from the myriad of events at McKinney Performing Arts Center Saturday, September 11, beginning with a reception for supporters of MPAC.

Laurie Creamer and Laura Eason Foster

Brian and Beth Scudder and Rick Chaffin

Becky and Roger Carver

Sara Marshall, Linda Spina and Jodi Ann La Freniere

Dennis and Donna Baker

Peggy and Curtis Maroney

Angie Bado and Travis Ussery

Geralyn Kever and Erma Beeson

Bridal Shower: Mary Humm, Gerry Ruschhaupt and Pat Humm. Mr. and Mrs. Humm are parents of the prospective groom.

Sweet 16 Birthday Party: KK Shelby and Rachel Crist

Sip-n-Doodle artists are deep in thought as they bring their latest creations to life.

Beatles tribute band Ticket 2 Ride played to a packed house in the McKinney Performing Arts Center Courtroom Theatre.

Just outside McKinney Performing Arts Center, Happy Trails Carriage Service waited to give memorable tours of historic downtown McKinney.

Labryinth marks the spot! Laura Moore Fine Art Studios is always a fascinating stop during McKinney's monthly Second Saturday Art Walk. Saturday night a labryinth was projected onto the sidewalk in front of Laura's art gallery. Similarily, inside the focus was on the labyrinth, a spiritual structure that dates back to ancient petroglyphs of 2500 B.C.

Laura Moore

Another of McKinney's best-known artists, Annie Royer was exhibiting some of her newest work, International Influences, at SJS Gallery.

McKinney artist Michele Stevens Bernard puts together a collage of artwork by local children that will be made into posters and given to local fire stations.

Internationally acclaimed artist Ken Toki stands in front of his painting, Let's Dance All the Day Long. This painting was a gold-medal winner at one of the most prestigious art shows in Japan. Ken Toki was the featured artist Saturday night at Garret Art Gallery.

Photos by Allen Rich