OFFBEAT: Reader grateful for Whitney Houston memories at Holiday Star Plaza

The extensive coverage over the weekend for Whitney Houston's funeral had Times readers recalling their own local memories.

My Sunday column mentioned that earlier in her career Houston performed in Merrillville on the Star Plaza stage, which prompted readers who attended to revisit memories from nearly two decades ago.

Reader Pam Grass Dow, a 1976 graduate of Gavit High School in Hammond, remembers not only seeing Houston as the opening act for Jeffrey Osbourne in Merrillville in 1985, but also seeing her the next year for a solo concert at Poplar Creek Music Theater, the now defunct outdoor amphitheater in Hoffman Estates, Ill.

"Hello Phil,

Thank you for your Sunday column. I also saw Whitney Houston at The Holiday Star. But, I could not remember if she was the warm up for Kool and the Gang or Jeffrey Osbourne. So I pulled out my scrap book and found the ticket stubs, which I've included. (Take note of the ticket price!) Unfortunately, her name did not appear on the ticket from Merrillville, so I am happy this question about who she opened for was answered in your column so I can now note it. I was in the audience when Whitney began to sing and I still can remember her voice, and thinking 'Wow,' in no time, she will be on her own. — Pam Grass Dow"

And for those readers who also asked about names and dates, today's Star Plaza Theatre on U.S. 30 in Merrillville opened back in 1979 as Merrillville's Holiday Star Theater with Dean and Bruce White and Bill Wellman launching the venue. When the hotel franchise changed from Holiday Inn to Radisson in January 1990, the theater name changed as well.

As for Charlie Blum, today's CEO and talent buyer for the Star Plaza, he began in the capacity as a consultant for the theater in 1982, prior to his present position, which he began in 1989, the same year he hired Monica Montella, who continues today as media and promotions manager. 

Prior to joining the Star Plaza Family, Blum worked as the director of marketing for the Nederlander Family working with stages venues in Chicagoland, like Poplar Creek Music Theater. Thank you to the reader who also sent a scan of the Whitney Houston ticket from her 1986 Poplar Creek date.

My thanks to Blum and Montella for helping me track down the answers to these readers questions about dates. When the folks from Star Plaza even tracked down their billing of "upcoming" concerts for the 1985 season, which was among the memorabilia framed on their office walls, they discovered while Whitney's name was mentioned as a second billing for the Jeffery Osbourne concert, rather than her photo features, the advertisement instead heralded a string of shows for the late, great magician Doug Henning.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at philip.potempa@nwi.com or (219) 852-4327.