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Harrington
Opera House Society
NEWS
HOHS Meeting
Public welcome to meeting, Monday, March 1st. Click Here for meeting information.
Two Women's Choral Groups Slated to Perform
Arrangements are in the works to bring The Tapestry Women's Choir, based in Colfax
and
Bel Canto of Yakima to perform in the Harrington Opera House on the afternoon of April 17th. Jayne (Ottmar) Beauchene, a 1965 graduate of Harrington High School and current member of the Bel Canto chorus, is helping facilitate the details with HOHS member, Billie Herron. More information coming soon!
Building Update
Current work includes replacing the curtain covering the "Box Office" in the lobby with sheet rock. Eventually, wainscoting may be added to the bottom portion of the wall, replicating the historical decorative styling from the Opera House auditorium. |
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HOHS featured on Cathy McMorris Rodgers August 2009 Web Page
 Become a Fan!
Visit our new FaceBook page & invite others to become a fan!
The Annual Meeting
on January 11, 2010 was well attended. Gordon Herron, President, presented the 2009 Annual Report. Word Document PDF accompanied by PowerPoint slides.
The February meeting was also well attended, and the next meeting is Monday, March 1, 2010 - 7:00 p.m. in the Opera House or Harrington City Hall, depending on weather.
New members welcome! Click HERE for more
Grant Received!
OnMonday, December 7, 2009, the Lincoln County Commissioners awarded the Harrington Opera
House Society with a grant of $9,000 which will go towards installation of lighting in the Opera House auditorium and stairways.
2009 Events
Santa & one of his elves
arrives at the
Harrington Opera House
& Bank Block Building on
December 5th.
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First Visit with Santa!
. . . and he's been a very
good boy!
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Also on December 5th -
the Harrington Opera House
ART ROOM
Opened with orginals and prints by
Charlotte Schacher
and prints by Doolittle, Bateman,
Seerey-Lester, and
Ed Tussey offered for viewing & sale!
Hot Chocolate & Coloring Activities for kids.
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Harrington School Bands
play to a full house on
November 24, 2009
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Thank You
Peter Davenport
for another interesting presentation on
UFOs and the National UFO Reporting Center
Proceeds from the
The October 30th evening
benifitted the Harrington Opera House Renovation Funds |
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Click photos for larger view
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The Soda Creek 3 (Formerly known asThe Fourth Grade Choir)with Jack Harroun, Stan Timperley, and Chuck Balkwill, perform at the Harrington Opera House on September 25, 2009.
A wonderful evening full of great folk tunes and humor. The trio donated all proceeds to the Harrington Opera House!
They also played in the park the next day during the Harrington Fall Festival BBQ.
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Historical Group Visit
On Tuesday, September 1st., Evelyn Fricke, who used to live in Harrington, and a group of people from the Rockford Historical Society toured the Opera House. Local soprano, Eileen Paulson, performed a few vocal numbers to demonstrate the amazing acoustics of
Opera House auditorium.
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Dog Days of Summer
Dog Wash & "Yard Sale"
August 15, 2009
Elevator Fundraiser
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Photo by Karen Allen
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On Friday, August 14, 2009,
The Harrington Opera House Society
welcomed
Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers |
Photo by Peter Davenport |
to the
Opera House & Bank Block Building
Left: Cathy McMorris Rodgers signs the Opera House Guest Book
Right: Volunteers and Cathy McMorris Rodgers on
Harrington Opera House Stage.
Left to right: Wanda Budrius,
Cathy, and Carol Giles
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Thanks to Alan Whitman and Washington Window & Door in the Spokane Valley
for the donation of the replacement window in the South wall of the lobby!
And thanks to Alan & Ed Haugan for the installation!
Thank you to
Spokane's Pages of Harmony!
"Broadway, Barbershop Style" on June 20th was a wonderful evening.
The Harrington Opera House
A shining star in the heart of Lincoln County
Click HERE for article by Karen Allen,
printed with permission from the May 2009 issue of Wheat Life,
the official publication of Washington Association of Wheat Growers.
Recent Grants Received
4,500 from U.S. Bank
$2,500 from the Avista Foundation
to be applied to our lobby & auditorium heating projects.
Thanks to Billie Herron for writing the grants and
to Avista & US Bank for their support!
Wanda Buddrius helps with the bathroom tile project |
Two Day Oil Painting Workshop
with Charlotte Schacher
May 15-16
Charlotte Schacher is a well known artist and
an admired art
instructor in the
Lewiston-Clarkston
Valley.
Along with wildlife
paintings, she paints
portraits and a wide
variety of custom paintings.
Her work has earned her
numerous awards and has been
featured in private galleries in the
Pacific Northwest. |
Charlotte Schacher (left) gives student, Renea Larmer, some oil painting pointers.
U.S. Bank managers observe progress. |
Wanda Buddrius, U.S. Bank Manager, Harrington Branch,
checks out class progress on Friday, May 15th in the Harrington Opera House "Arts Room." |
Posing here with some of Charlotte Schacher's paintings in the lobby of the Harrington Opera House, Debra Hendrickson is the new Harrington Opera House "Events Chair."
Click photo for high resolution file |
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The Harrington School Bands & Chorus
under the direction of Monte Swenson
entertained a full house on Thursday, April 16, 2009
Click Photos for larger view
 
 
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On Saturday, March 21, 2009
Peter Davenport
Gave a GREAT Presentation
on UFOs and the National UFO Reporting Center
A fascinating evening in
support of the Harrington Opera House!
Thank you Peter, and ALL who attended
GREAT turn-out!
Watch for story in The Inlander ! |
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Harrington Opera House Annual Report
December 31, 2008
Word PDF
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was a Crowd Pleaser in the Harrington Opera House on Feb. 22nd!!
| Thanks to the joint efforts of the Harrington Opera House Society and Davenport Theatrical the audience enjoyed a great show of music, comedy, and a little bit of choreography. Davenport Theatrical brought in professional lighting and sound system to help "set the stage" in the historic old auditorium. |
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Bronn
Journey Concert
IN The Harrington Opera House!
12/6/08
WOW! What an incredible event and performance by Bronn & Katherine Journey ! And, what a great way to reopen the Harrington Opera House after 10 years of bringing the old gal up to code. Many thanks to all the supporters who made this reopening possible. And to Bronn & Katherine Journey for making a special effort to include the Harrington Opera House in their solid schedule of performances for the Christmas season.
Bronn not only coaxed his harp to sound like a whole orchestra, but his sense of humor and his awareness of his audience was so entertaining that even spouses who were "drug" to the concert found themselves enjoying the performance. And Katherine's exquisite voice was purely joyful to behold.
Their selections ranged from Broadway to Celtic and Christmas, with snippets of Johnny Cash and even a Bronn Journey original, "Ode to My 401 K", thrown in to the obvious appreciation of our mostly rural crowd. And speaking of the crowd - the room was packed to capacity with Eastern WA folk as well as groups that traveled from Montana, Oregon, and Seattle! Quite a draw to this little town of Harrington!
And thanks to all the people who were ready to pitch in and help at a moment's notice when the night before the performance we had a false fire alarm! An alert Harrington citizen noticed "smoke" coming from the Opera House roof and saw an orange glow through the auditorium windows. Turns out, it was one of the first nights for our newly installed heating system. There was a bonfire on a hill outside of town that was positioned at just the right angle to reflect off of the windows. With the smoke/steam and the fiery glow, a 911 call set off a flurry of activity and an outpouring of instant support. What a scary way to discover how many people treasure our efforts to resurrect this grand old building and monument to our cultural heritage.
We still have a long way to go and major funding is still needed to renovate the auditorium and stage. Now that we have the required bathrooms, electrical service, heat, and the beautiful 2nd staircase, we can begin to use the building for concerts, art shows, dances, weddings, receptions, etc. Still rustic, with her history showing, the bare bricks, flaking plaster, and open rafters, are both reminders of her rich past and the amount of work that lies ahead.
Slide Show below of the event!
If anyone has good photos of this Concert, or historical photos of the Opera House or Harrington,
please send to Karen Robertson with permission to post to Harrington websites. |
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The HOHS at dusk the week before the Bronn Journey Concert held on December 6, 2008
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Picasa Slide Show
Click on slides to see larger view.
If you would like prints of any of these pics,
contact Karen Robertson at
robertsonarts (at) harringtonbiz.com
Click here to see Listen to Bronn & Katherine Journey perform Oh Holy Night at another venue |
Bev Doolittle Print: "Prayer for the Wild Things"
SOLD!!
Info |
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Harrington Bank Block Building
in 3-D
Ron Hall of Cheney, WA created a
3-D Model of the Bank Block Building that can be viewed with Google Earth. |
Street View (IE click "View Larger Map)
View Larger Map |
HOHS 3-D Model Info
Free Google Earth Download |
Presentation for Senator Morton - Sept. 2008 (PDF)
Good overview of the history of the Bank Block Building
and goals of the Harrington Opera House Society |
Annual Report - For an overview of HOHS activities in 2007, read the 2007 Annual Report.
Word Version PDF Version
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The Lincoln County Economic Development Council (EDC) Annual Meeting, "Evening for the Arts,"
Sponsored by Lincoln Co. EDC & Century Tel on March 27th,
was a gala evening. Held in the Harrington Memorial Hall, attendees enjoyed a sumptuous dinner hosted by the Harrington Opera House Society. Visual arts exhibited included the works of Joseph Goldberg, Jim Bauer, Edward Haugan, and Les Lepere. Pam Kelley, EDC Director, facilitated the evening with mini-presentations by sponsors and spokespersons for PDA projects throughout Lincoln County. Eileen Paulson, accompanied by Sara Jane Johnson on piano, provided interludes of music with Eileen giving an encore from the stage of the Harrington Opera House at the end of the evening.
HOHS members did a great job planning, cooking, and serving the meal which received numerous well-earned compliments. Thanks to HOHS volunteer efforts, the upstairs auditorium was equipped with temporary lighting so that the EDC meeting guests could experience the amazing acoustics while enjoying Eileen's encore musical numbers. Visit the Lincoln County EDC News page for a few photos. More photos coming soon.
HELP!!!
Desperately
Seeking Susan . . . or ANYONE to assist with upcoming
events or to complete some of our current renovation projects. See
Agenda & minutes on Meeting Page
for more information or contact HOHS President, Gordon
Herron
at 253-4594
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Harrington
Opera House Society Awarded Grant
Excerpt
from Davenport Times, 1/10/08
The Lincoln County commissioners agreed to help fund five local
projects recommended by the local Economic Development Council.
Grants were awarded
to . . . (and to the) Harrington Opera House Society - $12, 150 to
complete renovation of
the lobby area. |
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1/7/08
- Building Restoration Update
Temporary heat
was recently set up for "work days" in the bank corner.
The contractors working on the stairs need the heat to be installed
in the lobby to finish woodwork. Gordon Herron is gathering bids for
the heat installation.
Work was stopped
after Christmas on the bathrooms. 2 more walls and ceiling joists
need to go up before wallboard can be put up.
Gordon reported
that some damage was done to the roof during the last wind storm and
there is leaking. HOHS is looking for a contractor to repair the roof.
The
February 4, 2008 HOHS meeting will
be held in the HOHS lobby!!! Meetings are open to anyone interested
in efforts to renovate the "Opera House" and the Harrington
Bank Block Building. Memebers
are reminded to submit "HOHS
Payment-In-Kind Forms" to Billie Herron or Sheryl
Stedman for any donations of time or materials.
To donate materials,
expertise, labor, or services; contact Billie
or Gordon Herron at 253-4594 or Edwin
Haugan. |
Neighboring
Ritzville Exploring Trade School for Preservation Arts
Check
out the video on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPxyPWs_jf8 |
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8/18/07
- Building Restoration Update
Remodeling of the bathroom adjacent
to the dance studio on the first floor of the opera house has been
completed except for painting. Labor for new sheet rock, flooring,
& new toilet installation was done by Tim Hampson of Davenport
Washington in conjunction with Warner Construction Co.
Mr. Mark Wetjen of Harrington, Wa. donated labor & materials to
do the wiring in the bathroom and throughout the rest of the South
West end of the ground floor.
Sanding, painting,
and finish work is in progress. To donate materials, expertise, or
labor; contact Edwin
Haugan or Billie
Herron at 253-4594. |
Restoration
of a County Landmark Takes Great Perseverance
By Megan Rieger
The dramatis personae of the Harrington,
Wash., opera house still haunt the century-old stage. A chalked entry
above the bathroom doorway reads, “In honor of Macer Scott, the boy
who got tough with Teddy the Bear.” In the wings, the names of 12 cast
members of “Why Smith Left Home” are listed. Click
HERE for More |
Grants
breathe new life into Opera House project
From the Davenport TIMES February 15, 2007
Easter came early for members
of the Harrington Opera House Society.
Two grants received from the Inland Northwest Community Foundation (INCF)* and the Lincoln County Economic Development Fund (EDF) for $29,337
and $10,000, respectively, will breathe new life into the society's
plans to renovate the facility so it could be ready for performances
in three years.
Society treasurer, Billie Herron, said she and
her colleagues were encouraged by the grants, which will go
a long way toward constructing a second entry/exit stairwell
from the second floor Opera House to the downstairs area that
once was the "bank" of the "Bank Block Building." Click
HERE for more |
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harringtonoperahouse.org