Content garners more than 1.2K recommends on Facebook

Reidsville native Brandon Talley will sing the national anthem for president elect Donald Trump and vice president elect Mike Pence at their "Thank You" rally tonight in Hershey, Penn.

A friend and former vocal coach connected to the Pennsylvania Republican Party called Talley Tuesday with the invitation.

And tonight, “I’m going to be back stage with Trump and Pence, and shake hands, and take pictures. I’m sitting pretty close to (Trump) tonight,” Talley said in a phone interview.

“I don’t know how long I’ll have with him, but at least I’ll have a moment.”

Talley bought “a special red tie” to wear, a regular feature of Trump’s wardrobe. And yes, Talley voted for Trump.

Talley, 34, has lived in Lancaster, Penn., since 2004, when he went to work for Sight & Sound Theatres immediately after earning his BFA in performing arts from Elon University. Sight & Sound, the largest Christian theater in the nation, produces shows on a scale comparable to Broadway.

His parents, Donna and Tim Talley, have owned and operated Talley Photography in Reidsville for 40 years. They too voted for Trump.

Talley said he’s been a Trump supporter “from early on in the process. I know there’s a lot of controversy and that he’s by no means perfect, but I’m not either. But as for his platform, I align with a lot of the things he wants to accomplish.

“No matter what candidate it would have been, I would feel just excited to do this.”

Talley felt the pressure mounting today as he thought about the venue, which media outlet would stream the entire event, and how he and his wife, Leslie, will get to the Giant Center with the battery of one car dead. “This day could not get any crazier!”

The couple will leave their girls, ages 6 and 4, at home with a babysitter.

Talley said he’s never sung the Star Spangled Banner in such a large venue. The Giant Center, part of the Hershey Entertainment Complex, seats 10,500, about half the capacity of the Greensboro Coliseum. Reidsville native William F. Simpson, Jr. has been CEO of the Hershey complex since 2013.

The national anthem hasn’t been part of the Bible productions Talley regularly performs in, so to prepare, “I’ve been singing it in my sleep.” He also called his voice teacher. “She’s familiar with me as a singer and she just give me some encouragement and told me to be at peace and relax.”