By Catherine KozakThe Virginian-Pilot©
May 1, 2008
A WHIRLWIND CAMPAIGN that likely tapped every possible resource, twisted an arm or two, and whipped together a network of supporters from every corner has given "The Lost Colony" a new costume shop in an impressive 233 days.
With actor Andy Griffith, the outdoor drama's most famous alumnus, holding a pair of huge scissors, the ribbon was cut Wednesday at the entrance to the two-story building that replaces the shop that burned to the ground in September.
Griffith and his wife, Cindi, stayed for a few minutes at the reception inside the roomy shop, greeting veterans of the show with his familiar 100-watt smile.
"I'm proud to be here for the reopening of the costume shop," he said. "It's open - it's ready."
But it will never be like it once was.
William Ivey Long, the show's production designer, said more than 5,000 costumes were destroyed in the fire, including the historic collection made by Irene Smart Rains, the show's original costumer and the building's namesake.
Long, a five-time Tony Award-winning Broadway costume
designer, remembers the costume shop as a young child, "playing in the scraps" while his parents worked in the production.
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