Posted: Monday, June 8, 2015 5:30 pm
-
-
Posted on Jun 8, 2015
BOONE, NC — Representatives of the Appalachian Theatre of the High Country, Inc. (ATHC) officially announced today the kickoff of the public phase to renovate and restore the Appalachian Theatre on King Street in downtown Boone. The kickoff included an open house event with speakers, live music, food, and refreshments from downtown restaurants and merchants.
Among the biggest news of the kickoff was the official announcement that the group has raised 6.1 million dollars toward a total capital goal of 7.85 million dollars.
John Cooper, chair of the campaign and the theatre’s board of trustees, was joined by officers of the Appalachian Theatre and campaign leaders to showcase the event. Cooper stated, “With the help of private individuals, corporations, local and regional foundations, as well as public sector sources, we are well on our way!”
“We are not only here to save an important piece of the history of this town and county, but we are here to create a venue where local talent can flourish, and where regional and national talent can provide additional cultural opportunities for area residents and visitors to the High Country.”
Cooper went on to thank the numerous people and groups that have been instrumental in making the campaign as well as the evening’s event successful, including; the board of trustees, the campaign cabinet, theatre committee members, the Town of Boone, the Downtown Boone Development Association (DBDA), local government officials at the town and county level, local businesses and restaurants as well as specific individuals.
Bettie Bond, a member of the board of trustees commented, “There was a groundswell of community support back in 2011 when we thought this old theatre was going the way of the old Daniel Boone Inn. A number of citizens came together and said, “There’s no way we can let that happen again! We’ve got to Save the Appalachian Theatre!” We are now well on our way to seeing that vision become reality.”
Bettie recapped the long history of the theatre that started in 1938, incurred a devastating fire in 1950 and experienced an eventual decline which culminated in its closing in 2007. The building has sat empty and boarded up since that time. Within a year of DBDA purchasing the property in 2011 from a bankrupt developer, the ATHC raised enough money to purchase the property back from the DBDA and began the process of quietly raising funds to bring the art deco theatre back to its original splendor.
Though the design will be 1930’s art deco, the theatre will feature modern amenities including approximately 400 seats in the Auditorium, 250 seats in the Balcony, and a Community Room upstairs over the Lobby that can accommodate small-to mid-size performing arts events and special community events. An addition, behind the current stage house and an expansion to stage left will provide space for dressing rooms, a green room, a loading dock, enlarged stage and off-stage storage and assembly space.
Jim Deal, also a member of the Board of Trustees, gave a report of what is on the horizon for the “new” Appalachian Theatre, “We know what it’s going to look like, what equipment it will have, the capacity, and – of utmost importance – how much it’s going to cost!” Jim also stated, “When running at the projected capacity, it will play host to more than 200 activities per year. Of these, approximately 60 events will be destination draws for cultural tourism, attracting patrons from a radius of several states.”
“Once opened, the new Appalachian Theatre will have a positive impact on downtown Boone, Watauga County, and the entire economy of the High Country region,” Cooper said. According to a 2014 independent study conducted by the Center for Economic Research Policy Analysis at Appalachian State University, local spending by folks attending Theatre events will inject over $3 million in the High Country region. The study goes on to project these direct expenditures will, in turn, circulate through the regional economy resulting in an increase of more than $4.5 million in economic activity each year, and an increase of more than 50 full-time equivalent jobs. “While the Appalachian Theatre’s direct economic impact will be considerable for this region, intangible benefits such as livability, extended nightlife, and enhanced quality of life and image for the residents and visitors to the High Country region will also be realized,” Cooper said.
Persons interested in getting involved should contact volunteer coordinator Bettie Bond at volunteer@SaveTheAppTheatre.com.
0
0
1
28
164
Stanly News & Press
1
1
191
14.0
Normal
0
false
false
false
EN-US
JA
X-NONE
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
0
0
1
28
163
Stanly News & Press
1
1
190
14.0
Normal
0
false
false
false
EN-US
JA
X-NONE
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
Sandy Selvy-Mullis is publisher of The Stanly News Press. Contact her at (704) 982-2121 ext. 27, sselvy@cnhi.com or PO Box 488, Albemarle, NC 28002.
We have sent a confirmation email to {* emailAddressData *}. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account.
We’ve sent an email with instructions to create a new password. Your existing password has not been changed.
Posted in
Regional news
on
Monday, June 8, 2015 5:30 pm.
Leave a Reply