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Community theater hosts birdhouse auction in Valatie
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| Community members marvel at close to 80 birdhouses decorated and auctioned for the benefit of the Valatie Community Theatre Saturday. (Francesca Olsen/Hudson-Catskill Newspapers) |
By Francesca Olsen
VALATIE — Community members turned out in droves Saturday to bid on handmade and hand decorated bird houses in a silent auction for the benefit of the Valatie Community Theatre.
The houses, decorated and built by community members and local artists, ranged from folk art to avant garde, but the people all had the same common cause in mind: the restoration of Valatie’s theater building.
The theater was built in 1926 and purchased by the village of Valatie around 2002. It was vacant from 1970 to the time it was purchased. Originally a movie theater, with some occurrences of vaudeville shows, it’s going to take about $600,000 to restore completely, according to theater treasurer Michael W. Rivenburg.
Recently, the theater has hosted community movie nights, put on a production of Arthur Miller’s “Broken Glass”, been used to accommodate town meetings where larger crowds need seating, and been rented for the setting of a young rock and roll show.
“There’s so many things we’re trying to do with this theater to make it the center of downtown Valatie,” said Rivenburg.
Rivenburg said the Theatre has raised between $50,000 and $75,000 for restoration. “It depends on how you look at it,” he said. Community members have donated materials and their own time in addition to money. Rivenburg estimated that the members of the Theatre board of directors spend between 30 and 40 hours a month volunteering. “Kind of like another part time job,” he said.
Around 100 people showed up to support the theater. For their $15 ticket, they were treated to complimentary wine and buffet items and given a chance to bid via silent auction on close to 80 birdhouses.
“There’s some very good whimsical ones here,” said Rivenburg. “They go from one end to the other end in the spectrum.”
Some birdhouses were pieces of art in their own right, created from clay and molded to look like tree trunks and beehives. Some were painted with incredible detail and skill; one even included hand-carved birds as an addition. Some were designed as miniatures of local buildings, and one was a tribute to former president Martin Van Buren.
Abby Freinberg of the Valatie Economic Redevelopment Association (VERA) had the idea to form a birdhouse auction. VERA does community events and fundraisers to benefit Valatie and its citizens, and worked in concert with the Theatre to hold the fundraiser.
Freinberg grew up in Valatie, left, and returned again to be with her family. “I remember coming here as a child,” she said about the theater. “To hear that they were reopening… I thought this might be a fabulous idea.” Birdhouses were purchased, and VERA members put the word out that the organization was looking for a few good birdhouse decorators.
“The response was overwhelmingly positive,” Freinberg said.
The Children’s Peace Choir, led on guitar by Children’s Peace Project music director Nancy Carey Johnson, serenaded guests with an extremely good harmonization of “Amazing Grace”, among other songs.
The next big event for VERA is the “V-Ville Hoopla”, a community tag sale and fun festival day, with a live band, games, a pony to pet, and more. It will all be on Main Street in Valatie July 25 “to kind of give back to the community,” according to Melinda Kerner, who is a VERA member and owns the Lil Toy Shop on Main Street in Valatie.
The houses, decorated and built by community members and local artists, ranged from folk art to avant garde, but the people all had the same common cause in mind: the restoration of Valatie’s theater building.
The theater was built in 1926 and purchased by the village of Valatie around 2002. It was vacant from 1970 to the time it was purchased. Originally a movie theater, with some occurrences of vaudeville shows, it’s going to take about $600,000 to restore completely, according to theater treasurer Michael W. Rivenburg.
Recently, the theater has hosted community movie nights, put on a production of Arthur Miller’s “Broken Glass”, been used to accommodate town meetings where larger crowds need seating, and been rented for the setting of a young rock and roll show.
“There’s so many things we’re trying to do with this theater to make it the center of downtown Valatie,” said Rivenburg.
Rivenburg said the Theatre has raised between $50,000 and $75,000 for restoration. “It depends on how you look at it,” he said. Community members have donated materials and their own time in addition to money. Rivenburg estimated that the members of the Theatre board of directors spend between 30 and 40 hours a month volunteering. “Kind of like another part time job,” he said.
Around 100 people showed up to support the theater. For their $15 ticket, they were treated to complimentary wine and buffet items and given a chance to bid via silent auction on close to 80 birdhouses.
“There’s some very good whimsical ones here,” said Rivenburg. “They go from one end to the other end in the spectrum.”
Some birdhouses were pieces of art in their own right, created from clay and molded to look like tree trunks and beehives. Some were painted with incredible detail and skill; one even included hand-carved birds as an addition. Some were designed as miniatures of local buildings, and one was a tribute to former president Martin Van Buren.
Abby Freinberg of the Valatie Economic Redevelopment Association (VERA) had the idea to form a birdhouse auction. VERA does community events and fundraisers to benefit Valatie and its citizens, and worked in concert with the Theatre to hold the fundraiser.
Freinberg grew up in Valatie, left, and returned again to be with her family. “I remember coming here as a child,” she said about the theater. “To hear that they were reopening… I thought this might be a fabulous idea.” Birdhouses were purchased, and VERA members put the word out that the organization was looking for a few good birdhouse decorators.
“The response was overwhelmingly positive,” Freinberg said.
The Children’s Peace Choir, led on guitar by Children’s Peace Project music director Nancy Carey Johnson, serenaded guests with an extremely good harmonization of “Amazing Grace”, among other songs.
The next big event for VERA is the “V-Ville Hoopla”, a community tag sale and fun festival day, with a live band, games, a pony to pet, and more. It will all be on Main Street in Valatie July 25 “to kind of give back to the community,” according to Melinda Kerner, who is a VERA member and owns the Lil Toy Shop on Main Street in Valatie.
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