$12,500 Community Foundation Grant Helps Improve Clayton Opera House Operations
Aug 23, 2024 08:32AM ● By Nicole Petrus
CLAYTON — Clayton Opera House performers will soon be able to more easily access the main stage with heavy equipment thanks to a new lift that a $12,500 Community Foundation grant helped purchase. Funding enabled the Thousand Islands Performing Arts Fund to purchase the equipment lift, which is expected to be installed in September. The new lift will improve safety during loading and unloading of heavy items for performances. Performers presently bring equipment, some more than 150 pounds, into the venue on a ramp through the front entrance. The new equipment lift will help cut setup times by up to three hours for performers with heavier equipment.
Lift installation is slated for later this summer and is also expected to greatly improve staff and volunteer safety, and efficiency in preparation and tear-down of performances and events.
“This needed improvement will provide long-term safety and efficiency benefits to the Opera House operations,” said Rande S. Richardson, Community Foundation executive director. “The Community Foundation has been an investor in TIPAF since the beginning and this grant builds upon our long-standing relationship and our desire to see this regional asset thrive.”
The grant award included $2,500 in funding support from the Community Foundation’s Grace L. Reinman Fund and $1,000 from The River Fund at the Foundation.
“I am grateful to the Northern New York Community Foundation for supporting this project. Installation of this lift is imperative as the Opera House continues to grow and brings in larger acts,” Thousand Islands Performing Arts Fund Executive Director Julie Garnsey said. “Additionally, physical labor will decrease, ensuring the safety of staff and personnel involved with this evolution.”
The Thousand Islands Performing Arts Fund at the Clayton Opera House provides year-round entertainment to the Thousand Islands region and beyond. The Opera House has served as an important hub for cultural and community events for more than a century, hosting a variety of musical, educational, and social events.Last year, TIPAF presented close to 60 different performances and events with more than 17,000 attend ees. Programming featured diverse genres such as present pop/rock, blues, jazz, comedy and more. The Clayton Opera House is recognized as a historic venue and has a long-standing reputation as one of the North Country’s best arts and culture venues. The Community Foundation partners with TIPAF to administer a permanent charitable endowment to provide enduring support for their work and mission.
About the Clayton Opera House
A Nationally Registered Historic Place, the Clayton Opera House is a stately four-story brick structure that has overlooked the St. Lawrence River in downtown Clayton for more than a century. It is a fine example of the vaudeville theaters that sprung up throughout the United States in the early 1900s.
In 2003, the Thousand Islands Performing Arts Fund and the Town of Clayton contractually agreed upon the renovation and revival of the Opera House. TIPAF raised $3.27 million for the 2007 facility renovation and now manages ongoing operations of the Opera House. With government offices on the lower level, the Town of Clayton owns the building, has dedicated it in perpetuity as a performance and community center, and is responsible for the maintenance, repair and utilities costs of the facility.
About the Northern New York Community Foundation
Since 1929, the Northern New York Community Foundation has invested in improving and enriching the quality of life for all in communities across Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties. Through partnerships with businesses and organizations, charitable foundations, and generous families and individual donors, the Community Foundation awards grants and scholarships from an endowment and collection of funds that benefit the region. Its commitment to donors helps individuals achieve their charitable objectives now and for generations to come by preserving and honoring legacies of community philanthropy while inspiring others.
The Community Foundation is a resource for local charitable organizations, donors, professional advisors and nonprofit organizations. It also works to bring people together at its permanent home in the Northern New York Philanthropy Center to discuss challenges our communities face and find creative solutions that strengthen the region and make it a great place to live, work, and play.
