Without its friends, the Bowlus Fine Arts Center would likely be an outdated facillity in need of major repairs.
Instead, the massive building has continued to receive needed updates largely due to the Friends of the Bowlus — people who give to the Center with the hopes of it remaining not only a high quality performance venue but also a center for education of the arts.
Since the Friends began in 1991, the Center has received more than $950,000 through gifts and bequests.
In the past six months, new stage curtains and sound system are in the works. The burgundy-colored curtains will cost an estimated $50,000. The new sound system, $85,000.
The Warren property to the east of the Center has also been purchased for $110,000.
More than 200 people claim friendship with the Bowlus through annual memberships, said Susan Raines, its executive director.
“Their membership has grown over the years,” Raines said, which also has resulted in additional gifts and bequests. The goal of the Friends is to maintain the “bricks and mortar” of the aging facility.
“Their giving lightens the burden for other entities — specifically the school district — for the building’s upkeep,” Raines said. The will of benefactor Thomas H. Bowlus designates the Center be for the benefit of students as well as citizens of the area. It was the intent of Bowlus, a local banker, to “broaden the cultural background of area youth and make available to the citizens of the area facilities, programs and entertainments not otherwise available.”
Classes for district students were first held in September 1964. Its grand opening ceremony was in November 1964
WITH INVESTMENT holdings of about $1 million, Raines commended area arts supporters for “that kind of significant giving for a community of our size.”
The Friends, Raines said, have done a remarkable job of putting funds back into the now 48-year-old building “so that it will remain as nice as it was the day it opened.”
Other updates and repairs funded by The Friends include replaced air chiller units, sidewalks, lobby chairlifts, ceilings, doors and exterior brick along with adding new parking lots, refurbishing seats and installing stage trusses and rigging systems.
Jerry Dreher, treasurer and secretary for The Friends executive board, credits increased visibility to the uptick in membership and giving.
“I think better public relations has helped,” he said, referring to The Friends’ heightened presence at Bowlus programs, its annual dinner, and distributing quarterly newsletters.
