DING DONG, MERRILY WE PLAY OUR SONG: The Capitol Bells will perform at the Zebulon on Thursday night in a free community performance. 

CAIRO- The historic Zebulon Theater in Cairo will be giving back to the community with a free showing of the Capitol Bells, a handbell choir, this Thursday and will be welcoming all to their upcoming Elvis weekend this Friday and Saturday. 

Robert Dykes, the Director of the theater, said that the free community showing would be of the Capitol Bells, a community choir that he said does a great job of keeping in rhythm. 

“What the Capitol Bells is, is a Tallahassee community choir and it’s made up of different people from different surrounding towns, it’s just basically a handbell choir,” he said. “They do a phenomenal job in being in rhythm, in sync.”

The choir will be presenting “It’s About Time,” which will involve performances of sacred and secular music, taking the audience through a theme of various times of the day, including songs like Coldplay’s “Clocks,” “When Morning Gilds the Skies,” and the gospel hymn, “Oh Happy Day.”

Dykes said that this show will be free, but added that locals need to still come and get tickets, as they require them for seating purposes and make sure they don’t overcrowd the theater. 

“Basically, what we’re doing at the Zebulon is giving a free showing to the public,” he said. “You have to have a ticket to come and we have some tickets still available, but that’s just for seating purposes, so we don’t overcrowd the theater.”

The show, he said, was to give back to the community in gratitude for their support over the difficult times in the past few years and helping them bounce back from COVID-19. 

“It’s just kind of a thank you to the community from us for supporting the theater, supporting our concert, supporting our movies,” Dykes said. “Staying with us through COVID and bouncing back from that, so we just wanted to do a thank you to the community and just something nice, a free showing of the Capitol Bells handbell choir.”

Dykes said that to get tickets, people can go to the Zebulon Theater during working hours or contact him, but can also get tickets at the box office before the show if some are still available. 

“To get tickets, you’ll need to call me, Robert,” he said. “My number is 229-327-4290 or if there’s any available at the show, you can pick them up at the box office window at 6 o’clock, show starts at 7 p.m.”

Additionally, beyond the free community show, Dykes said that theater would be hosting Todd Herendeen, an entertainer from Panama City, Fla. that would be performing during the theater’s Elvis weekend. 

“Todd Herendeen, from Panama City, he’s going to be coming, he started us off after COVID, he does 3 shows a year,” he said. “This Friday night, he is coming to do a gospel show and he’s going to incorporate some Elvis gospel with it as well, those tickets are $25 and the show is 7 p.m.”

Dykes said that those interested can reach out to him for tickets using the same number as before, before saying that Herendeen would be doing a show on Saturday at 7 p.m. as well.

“He’s going to stay around and do another Aloha to Hawaii show, basically he did that show back in January and we sold it out in two weeks and we turned a lot of people away,” Dykes said. “Well, he said that while he was here, he’d stay over another night and do another Aloha to Hawaii show, the same show that Elvis did 50 years ago in Hawaii, he’s doing the same exact show, song for song, costume for costume.”

Tickets for each show individual cost $25, but Dykes said that interested parties can save money by buying a ticket to both shows. 

“If you do both shows, the Friday and the Saturday show, you save $5 and get them for $45,” he said. “We do have a few tickets left for each of the shows, so basically it’s the Elvis weekend.”