“It sounded good,” said McKaig, “and the Tryon Youth Center wasn’t active but had a lot of money because a foundation just bought their property. So I talked with Geoff Tennant [also a member of the TYC Board], and we agreed to fund the first Super Saturday.”

That began an affiliation between the Tryon Youth Center and Super Saturday that has continued through the years.

After that first year supplying needed money from its own resources, TYC – usually in the persons of McKaig and Tennant – for many years raised funds for the Children’s Theater Festival. McKaig and Tennant would go personally to visit local businesses and individuals and ask for their help . . . quietly seeking donations to sponsor specific shows in full or donate to the general fund.

Their quiet personal contact worked wonders.

“Super Saturday got so popular that kids’ parents wanted tickets and grandparents wanted tickets,” McKaig said. “I walked in to these people to get a sponsor donation, and said, ‘Okay, if you sponsor a show with $500 or more, we’ll give you a sponsor badge and you can take your kids into any show you want – you don’t have to worry about a ticket.’ Tryon Federal, Owens Pharmacy, Burrell’s Fuels, Henson’s, Stotts Ford and Tryon Pharmacy – they all would sponsor a show so they could get a sponsor’s badge so their kids could go anywhere they wanted!”

And in addition to the large donations both corporate and individual, Peggy Constance for years spearheaded a direct mail appeal which allowed many individuals to participate in funding this extremely special day for children. Every gift regardless of size was – and remains – important.

But back in late 1978, it almost didn’t happen . . . except that two educators bumped into each other at Tryon High and a comment was passed between them.

– article submitted by Connie Clark