Hold On! FHU Makin’ Music 46 Set to Welcome Thousands April 14-15


Makin’ Music 46 Hosts, Hostesses: Back row, l to r: Joshua Grooms and Elijah Hester; front row, l to r: Kayley Wadlington, Kaitlyn Moore, Peggy Weaver (alumna and music director) and Brooke Roberts.

We hope many will reminisce in Gano, while enjoying a delicious meal there before the big show and before the space meets a new purpose on campus.

Tickets for the 46th annual Freed-Hardeman University Makin’ Music are on sale at fhu.edu/makinmusic. The student musical extravaganza is scheduled for Friday, April 14, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 15, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in Loyd Auditorium. Tickets are $20 for Friday night and Saturday matinee and $25 for the Saturday night show.

Five social clubs will compete for the sweepstakes trophy, as they, a talented troupe of hosts and hostesses, the Makin’ Music Show Band and emcees will entertain thousands of guests. Chi Beta Chi, Omega Chi, Phi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Rho and Xi Chi Delta are the clubs in this year’s show, and approximately 500 students comprise the show’s cast.

The theme for this year’s show is “Hold On.” According to Makin’ Music Coordinator Peyton Cain, the theme was chosen as a tribute to the people and memories FHU alumni hold on to, as well as the Makin’ Music traditions that the FHU family holds dear.

In addition to the sweepstakes trophy, various category winners and the Spirit of Makin’ Music Award, a new accolade has been added to this year’s list. Each year, Makin’ Music presents a show for area school children in selected grades. A Kids’ Choice award will be presented during Saturday’s matinee to the show receiving the most votes during the kids’ show.

Coordinators assisting producer Tony Allen with the show are Cain, senior biochemistry major from Katy, Texas, and Addie Everson, junior public relations major from Mesquite, Texas.

Hostesses are Kaitlyn Moore, junior social work major from Henderson, Tennessee; Kayley Wadlington, senior elementary education major from Cadiz, Kentucky; and Brooke Roberts, senior biology major from Knoxville, Tennessee. They are joined by hosts Elijah Hester, junior business major, and Joshua Grooms, senior Bible major from Duncan, South Carolina. FHU alumna and former Makin’ Music hostess Peggy Weaver returns to direct the vocalists, and FHU alumnus and staff member Jarred Clayton is directing the show band.

Makin’ Music 46 on-stage emcees are Natalie Turner, an education major from Muscle Shoals, Alabama; Michael Mullinicks, a Bible major from Hohenwald, Tennessee; and Mac Shelton, a public relations major from Henderson, Tennessee. This year’s voice of Makin’ Music is Cy Warren, a Bible and music major from Thompson’s Station, Tennessee.

Party on the Green returns Saturday, April 15, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Bader Green in the center of campus. The event will welcome guests with food trucks, inflatable jumpers, a photo booth and cheering on club members in the cast parade at 6:50 p.m.

The event also includes Gano’s final curtain call, when alumni and other visitors are invited to enjoy a special meal in Wallace-Gano Dining Hall from 5 to 7 p.m. This Makin’ Music themed meal is being dubbed Gano’s final curtain call because a new dining hall is under construction and by next year’s Makin’ Music, Gano will have been repurposed as a part of FHU NEXT campaign. Cost is $15 for those 10 and older and free for 9 and younger.

“We hope many will reminisce in Gano, while enjoying a delicious meal there before the big show and before the space meets a new purpose on campus,” Chris Ramey, director of alumni engagement, said. Funds raised by the dinner will be used to enhance student life.

Additional Makin’ Music weekend activities are scheduled specially for prospective students and their families. On April 14, new students may register for Fall 2023 classes by scheduling a registration appointment with their regional admissions director. Friday is also Maroon & Gold Day, which offers high school students and their parents an opportunity to tour the campus, learn about academic programs, meet current students and faculty, attend chapel and have lunch. Maroon & Gold Day is free; any interested high school or college age student can register at fhu.edu/maroonandgoldday. Group campus tours for interested students will be held Saturday at 5 p.m. Registration for all admission events is available at fhu.edu/visit.

The mission of Freed-Hardeman University is to help students develop their God-given talents for His glory by empowering them with an education that integrates Christian faith, scholarship and service. With locations in Henderson and Memphis, FHU offers associates, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist and doctoral degrees. More information is available at fhu.edu.

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