The Melting Pot’s 50th anniversary celebration gets off to a rousing musical start

This first full week of April 2022 marks the kickoff of a celebration of Front Royal’s Melting Pot Pizza’s 50^th year of business. Price discounts, daily Melting Pot gift card giveaway drawings, among other planned or unplanned events mark the Bachelor family’s thank you to its customers for a half century of support. And as Royal Examiner has previously reported that long-term interaction has made the bond between ownership, employees, and customers more of an extended-family relationship than simply a business one.

This month’s celebration got a jump-start Wednesday, April 6^th with, as the evening’s MC and first performer Shae Parker pointed out, the first live musical performances in The Melting Pot’s half century of business – staff “Happy Birthdays” excepted. Hey, the former car wash site wasn’t designed, remodeled and expanded for musical performances, but for food prep, delivery, and customer service. But then, this is a special occasion.

A 50th Anniversary flag flies outside the front, 14th St. entrance to The Melting Pot on northside Front Royal. Coincidentally, the flag was designed and produced by the evening’s first musical guest and MC Shae Parker in his Hanna Signs incarnation. And that ‘serving the world’ observation isn’t really an exaggeration as Melting Pot free-dried pizzas have been mail delivered near and FAR over the years. Below, a familiar sight – Doug Cameron at the front oven, staying busy Wednesday evening, April 6. Royal Examiner Photos by Roger Bianchini

And on April 6, in addition to a full house of “The Pot’s” extended family, was the broadest representation of the Bachelor family from both near and far, seen in-house in some time. But as Elliott noted it was a somewhat bitter-sweet gathering – “I wish my dad was here to celebrate too.” For it was, in addition to the Melting Pot’s 50^th anniversary launch, Elliott’s 39^th birthday as well.

As reported by Royal Examiner in early November 2021 (“The Melting Pot ‘family’ says goodbye to its ‘dad’ “) Elliott’s dad and Melting Pot founder and patriarch Robert Bachelor passed away at age 83 on November 2^nd.

But as all who knew him from any side of The Melting Pot family tree agreed, Robert’s presence was surely there for all to feel during this landmark celebration of a Front Royal, Warren County, regional, and even global dining and socializing institution.

The Melting Pot’s patriarch Robert Bachelor is fondly remembered following his November 2021 passing at 83. His presence remains a Melting Pot staple for patrons, employees, as well as real family including daughter Ruth, in from Columbus, Ohio, and widow Westy, below, enjoying Wednesday’s celebration and live entertainment. And further below, son Elliott, black Melting Pot T-shirt, to whom the Melting Pot management baton has been passed, also celebrating his 39th birthday, mingles with patrons.

Parker opened the evening’s live entertainment at 5 p.m. with some original material that he noted he had recorded base tracks for at Memphis’s Ecko Studio to celebrate his 50^th birthday last year (“Update: ’Tis the Season for Kindness”).

Parker then brought the second live act ever to The Melting Pot’s rear dining room somewhat compact stage area. That act was 4/6’s of the Vaughan family’s most recent musical incarnation “Aftershock”, featuring Reno Vaughan on lead vocals, dad and uncle respectively James and Dewey Vaughan on guitars and accompanying and occasional lead vocals, and Dean Smith on bass.

A first time for everything – Shae Parker opens the very first live musical set in The Melting Pot’s 50-year history. Parker featured original material recorded last year, his 50th he noted, in Memphis’s Ecko Studio. Parker was followed to the stage Wednesday by Reno, James – welcome back to the stage, James – and Dewey Vaughan, along with cousin Dean Smith, seated between Reno and James.

Parker commented to this reporter that the Vaughans’ and cousin Dean’s appearance was a musical highlight for him, as it marked the first time James and any of his Aftershock partners had performed at any length together publicly in the wake of health issues James struggled with last year.

While Parker took the Pot’s impromptu stage area in rear dining room solo for the PA-assisted acoustic set, he was followed by four of Aftershock’s six members – Wait, where’s Uncle Dewey?!? Reno may have wondered as the quartet began as a trio. Oh, there he was shortly – with his ‘game-face’ on.

More live music was on the horizon for Thursday, as the Blue Grass-tinged “Band From Low-Water Bridge” performed as The Melting Pot headed toward its initial 50^th anniversary celebratory weekend. And the Low-Water Bridge trio kept a second weeknight full house entertained and in a party mood.

The Band from Low-Water Bridge continued the 50th anniversary live entertainment on Thursday.

And in a late-breaking flash it has been reported that late during Wednesday’s show Shayne Robinson was lured off the service floor to the stage area to add a surprise guest appearance. – Who was that shadowy figure lurking over the stage area Wednesday evening …

While Shae Parker was opening Wednesday’s show, we noticed a familiar figure lurking in the background – and sure enough Shayne Robinson ended up pulling double duty, with a late move from the service floor to the stage to help close the show, though the Royal Examiner camera had left the scene by that time.

As Shae harmonizes with Dewey and James as Reno and Glenn take a break, Robert Bachelor and granddaughter Francie enjoy a timeless moment from the rear dining room wall mural. A somewhat, about 20 years, older Francie was also on hand for the 50th launch party.