CBS TV Star Iain Armitage, who is a native Arlingtonian, has just served as the judge for Columbia Pike’s 2nd Annual Neighborhood Sign Decoration contest. Before he became the start of “Young Sheldon”, Iain actually had a history of reviewing theatrical events.
How did CPRO connect with such a celebrity? Iain’s mother, Lee Armitage, was an Assistant Director at Signature Theatre and happened to work with two Signature actors, Amy McWilliams and Stephen Gregory Smith — who both now work as staff at CPRO. They knew Iain as a baby, when he was a frequent visitor at Signature, growing up to love the theatre productions. At a very early age, he grew to Internet fame by reviewing local theatre productions on YouTube. This led to an appearance on ‘The View’ at age 7, then roles in ‘Law & Order SVU’, HBO’s ‘Big Little Lies’, and several films. Last year, he landed the title role of ‘Young Sheldon’ on CBS.
This year, three Pike Civic Associations took part in the contest:
And the third, Penrose, needs a little explanation.
Upon arriving to decorate the Penrose neighborhood sign, Stefanie Pryor, a Penrose resident who took up the decorating task, found it cracked into four pieces. It was apparently a casualty of a vehicle that veered off the road on Thanksgiving night. Pryor felt heartbroken upon the sight. “I thought, I might as well decorate it since I’m already here – after all, I have this little Charlie Brown Christmas tree!”, Pryor joked. In the face of adversity, the holiday spirit moved her to continue.
That said, here is Iain Armitage’s announcement of the winner:
Iain said that he had to give it to Penrose for good sportsmanship in a tough situation and for creativity. “I really had a great time judging the competition – it was so much fun!” said Armitage. Congratulations to all who participated in this year’s contest, and Happy Holidays to all!