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This wonderful
facility was an outgrowth of the
Hollidaysburg Community
Band's strategic planning efforts.
The band identified a need for a
band shell that they could play in
during the summer months. In
discussing this concept with area
community groups, it was discovered
that the Hollidaysburg Rotary Club
was interested in building a stage
at the Canal Basin Park. A contact
was made with Hollidaysburg Borough, who told the group
that the borough had a
grant from the PA Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources,
which it could not use because it
required a matching grant.
Armed with this information, a
committee was formed in the summer
of 2004 to determine local interest
and ability to raise the matching
monies. The committee consisted of
members of the Borough Council, the
Hollidaysburg Community
Band, the Hollidaysburg Alumni
Chorus, the Hollidaysburg Rotary,
the Hollidaysburg Art League, area
businesses and interested community
residents. The committee put
together a plan, approached the
Borough Council, and was given
approval to proceed.
The
committee felt the purpose of the
proposed pavilion was to:
- enhance the artists' ability to
perform for area audiences
- enhance the Canal Basin Park and
attract additional visitors to the
area
- provide the people in the local area
with an opportunity to be exposed to
a variety of performing arts programs
- provide an atmosphere that would
attract larger audiences
- provide a venue that would attract
performers from a wide spectrum of
ages and abilities
The
committee worked on the project with
local engineers, architects,
landscape architects, finance
institutions and community leaders
to design the pavilion and the
grounds. A pre-cut cedar pavilion
was decided upon and a natural turf
amphitheater was designed. Estimated costs were received and
the committee began the task of
raising the necessary monies.
Local area foundations, banking
institutions, businesses, civic
groups, and individuals donated
generously to the project, and by the
winter of 2006, the money was
raised. Construction began in the
spring of 2006 and was finished
before winter. The dedication of
the pavilion was held in May of 2007
and featured speeches by local
officials, a ribbon cutting, and a
special concert by the Hollidaysburg
Alumni & Community Band with
participation by the Alumni Chorus.
The
Hollidaysburg Community
Band now has a home and a wonderful
venue for its summer concerts. Special thanks go out to the many
donors, who generously
made this happen, to the
Hollidaysburg Borough Council who
believed in and supported the committee, and to the
Hollidaysburg Rotary, who changed
their idea of a stage to partner
with the committee and build a
pavilion that would serve the
community for years to come.
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