Mentone Springs Performing Arts Society

When Lee Farrar Bailey talks about why he moved to Mentone, he doesn’t begin with logistics or strategy. He begins with a story of instinct and faith. He and his wife, Sarah, and their four children were living in San Antonio, when in early 2025, both Lee and Sarah began to feel drawn to the mountain.

“The connection to Mentone originated with my wife due to her exposure to Camp DeSoto in the 80s. And our daughter was a camper there as well,” Bailey says. “We’d enjoyed summer months here throughout the past decade and we connected instantly with the artistic vibe and the spiritually peaceful and gorgeous terrain.”

But the couple didn’t move here to retire leisurely — quite the opposite. Sarah continues to work as an artist and run her company, Moon Lake Tallow, while Lee set his sights on lighting a fire in anyone who wants to participate in the arts.

“I just got stirred up,” he says. “My gut got stirred up… I wanted to build this up here.”

In Texas, Bailey was running a full studio of more than 60 students while performing and teaching steadily. But in early 2025, something shifted. Within months, he and his family packed up nearly everything they owned.

“We literally put our stuff in storage and loaded up two SUVs and drove here with no residence and no jobs.” What they brought instead was a vision — one that is now taking root across Mentone, Fort Payne, Valley Head, and surrounding communities.

A Full-Circle Beginning

For Bailey, that vision is not new. It traces back to Tupelo High School and to a teacher who shaped the way he sees music, education, and community. Dr. Bruce Lesley, his choral director through junior high and high school, built something Bailey never forgot.

“Tupelo High School… we had 120 in our varsity chorus,” Bailey recalls. “We had over 60 men, and half of them were on the football team. He just knew how to pull people in.”

That model, in which athletics and the arts weren’t in competition but existed side by side, left a lasting impression. “I took that from him,” Bailey says. “And I’m like, man, if he can do it, I can do it.” Now, decades later, Bailey finds himself building something strikingly similar in Northeast Alabama: a program that doesn’t ask students to choose between identities, but instead expands them.

His own career is a story unto itself. Following in his father’s footsteps, Bailey performed in his operatic debut at age 7 with the Seattle Opera Company. He’s served as featured soloist and in leading roles with professional opera, musical theatre companies, and symphony orchestras around the U.S. and abroad.

In his short time on Lookout Mountain, he’s already realizing his mission. While some schools offer band or guitar programs, choir opportunities are limited, and musical theatre can be a rarity.

“In some places… there’s nothing musical going on at all,” he says. Rather than waiting for ideal conditions, he started where he could, using the Airbnb the family rented as a home base. “I started out of the Airbnb where I would just teach,” he says. “I had a handful that I began with, and then that just kind of opened up the door.” That handful has grown into nearly 40 students, ranging from children to adults, studying voice, piano, guitar, songwriting, and composition. Bailey now has an office and new studio space in their own wing of the Possum Emporium antiques store.

When Bailey talks about his plans, his tone is infectious and exciting, giving the listener that anticipatory feeling of sitting front row as the lights dim and the curtain is about to go up.

An Arts Society Is Born

What has emerged is not just a studio, but the foundation of the Mentone Springs Performing Arts Society (MSPAS), a growing network of ensembles and programs. Students young and not-as-young now come from across the region. “I want it to be successful for the arts, not just a… select demographic geographically speaking,” Bailey says. Programs already include the Mentone Springs Youth Choir (the name will be expanded in the future to include a larger region), with additional ensembles forming, including a men’s a cappella group, youth theater productions, youth chamber orchestra, a dance academy, and more. Plans for summer performance camps and expanded instruction are underway. “They’ll get performing arts training, such as acting skills, stage makeup techniques, even stage combat lessons, and then at the end of the week, have a show and invite the community.” The space seats 80 very comfortably. The public can buy tickets to performances, and even purchase season tickets.

A Philosophy of Balance

At the center of Bailey’s work is a philosophy shaped both by his own experience and by what he sees in students’ busy lives today. “I love sports. I grew up with sports. I played them,” he says. “But I had to make a choice eventually.” That forced choice is exactly what he hopes to prevent for the next generation. Rather than positioning the arts as a competing priority, Bailey frames them as essential to a well-rounded life. “We don’t go home to practice. We go home to play.”

His goal is not to overload students, but to integrate creativity into their lives in a way that complements academics, athletics, and work. “There are kids that we serve who are not wired the same way as athletes,” he says. “We need to make sure they have something too.”

“You Are an Artist. Day One.”

That philosophy shows up immediately in his teaching. He often begins with a simple question: “Raise your hand if you consider yourself a singer… it always amazes me how few hands go up,” he says. His response to the students is direct: “You are an artist. Day one. This is not about being famous. This is about what inspires you.” Students aren’t given a prescribed list of music to learn. Bailey encourages them to think of songs they’ve loved, and he works their personal tastes into the curriculum.

It’s an approach rooted in inclusion — removing barriers to participation and replacing them with permission.

That mindset has already begun to resonate. From early lessons in a temporary space to a growing roster of students and ensembles, the response has been immediate. Community members have stepped in with financial support, partnerships, and growing interest. Early support from local donors helped fund scholarships, allowing students who otherwise couldn’t afford lessons to participate. MSPAS continues to expand those efforts, working with community partners to ensure access regardless of financial background.

Bailey is working to build out both programming and infrastructure — seeking instruments, equipment, and support to fully realize the vision.

The impact on those watching and listening became clear during the group’s first Christmas performance. After just six rehearsals, the choir took the stage and the audience heard children’s voices in unison. “People were crying,” Bailey says. “They were just… thrilled.” For many in the audience, it had been a long time since they had experienced something like that.

The Next Verse

Bailey is the first to acknowledge the scale of what he’s building. “It’s a big vision,” he says. That vision includes expanded programming, additional performance spaces, and eventually a fully equipped venue capable of hosting concerts, theater, and community events. But at its core, the mission remains grounded in something simpler.

“If we can spread some joy, if we can introduce kids to the arts,” he says, “we’re building our future.”

Upcoming Performances and Programs

The Mentone Springs Youth Choir will present “Lookout Broadway” with free concerts:

• Sunday, May 17, at 6 p.m. at First Methodist Church, Fort Payne
• Tuesday, May 19, at 6 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church, Mentone

Summer programming is also expanding with a series of full-day musical theatre camps:

• June 15–19 – Musical Theatre Drama Camp (Mentone Springs Performing Arts Studio)
• July 6–10 – Musical Theatre Camp (Mentone Springs Performing Arts Studio)
• July 20–24 – Comprehensive Performing Arts Camp (First Methodist Church, Fort Payne)

All camps will run Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with final confirmations pending.

In addition, MSPAS is currently enrolling students for summer music lessons, offering both private and group instruction in voice, piano, and guitar, with reduced-rate packages available. Lessons will be offered in two locations: the studio at Possum Emporium and a Fort Payne location to be announced.

To learn more, enroll in lessons, support the program, or contribute equipment or instruments, Bailey can be reached at (210) 551-4817.

Read more about Bailey and his career at leefarrarbailey.com.