Eric Mckirdy News Today

The brand-new Mid-Valley Musical Theater company is performing the Broadway hit Newsies at the Albany Performing Arts Center.

One Sunday morning in 2007, Eric McKirdy was standing in the garage of his new home in Albany when he heard pipe organ music. The house was literally across the street from Albany First United Methodist Church on 28th Avenue Southwest. Local resident Russ Tripp had deeded a portion of his property to the congregation, which explains why the “new” building, built in 1962, is tucked away in a largely residential neighborhood. McKirdy had grown up in Albany, learned to play the organ,...